Why US AEC Firms are Outsourcing BIM – Top 5 Game Changer Benefits
Table of Contents
Building Information Modeling – 3D Multidisciplinary Model
The AEC – Architecture, Engineering, and Construction – industry in the United States works under great pressure to deliver complex projects faster, within tight budgets – always striving to reach the highest standards of quality and sustainability. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become the irreplaceable backbone of this process of AEC – it enables collaboration, clash detection, and data-rich project management. However, even well-equipped and robust in-house teams in AEC firms may find it difficult to keep up with extensive demands of creating, managing, and coordinating these sophisticated BIM models.
Enter the format of outsourcing – a strategic move which is transformative, as well as cost-saving for firms across the country. With expertise in areas like CAD drafting and engineering calculations available easily through outsourcing, AEC firms in the United States are gladly turning to global partners for their BIM outsourcing services – a move that provides them significant competitive advantages.
Did You Know?
Comparative analysis shows outsourcing (including BIM related services) can be up to 60% less expensive than maintaining an in-house team, while also offering faster scaling capabilities.
Here are the top game-changing benefits of outsourcing – a trend which shall only gain momentum with time:
Efficiency & Increased Profitability
This is the most compelling and tangible primary benefit of outsourcing BIM services. To maintain a full-fledged, highly skilled BIM team in the United States – which includes market-rate salaries, additional benefits, software licensing fees (like Revit, Navisworks, and so on), powerful hardware, team training costs, as well as other overheads – is an extremely costly affair. Outsourcing these services from different parts of the globe – especially where living differences have created a favourable cost parity – makes it easier for US firms to hire equivalent, often superior, technical BIM experts or teams at a fraction of local cost.
- Direct Savings: reduced labour (team) costs directly reduce project expenses and improves profit margins for the firm – especially when outsourcing happens offshore.
- Indirect Savings: fixed costs of BIM staff salaries and training are saved, especially during lull periods between projects.
- Infrastructure Savings: cost savings also occur for software and hardware which are needed for full-time detailed BIM working.
This cost efficiency optimizes the firm’s resources – it is not about cutting any corners with work quality. The money that is saved by outsourcing BIM services can be reused in the business – for business development, technology upgrades, or even enhancing core design & project management teams via hiring and training. Outsourcing BIM services can reduce project costs by up to 40% for United States and Canadian clients, by eliminating overheads like in-house staffing, software, and infrastructure.
Access to a Global Talent Pool with Specialized Expertise
Finding and retaining highly skilled BIM professionals – modelers, coordinators, and managers – is a difficult challenge in the competitive United States market. Outsourcing actually shatters previously implemented geographical limitations – which grants us instant access to a vast global talent pool.
- Scalability on Demand: For project peaks or even valleys, firms can easily scale their BIM capacity up or down – via outsourcing. Firms need not go through lengthy and expensive hiring and firing cycles.
- Niche Expertise: Complex projects will require specialized BIM skills – advanced computational design, specific MEPF coordination expertise, knowledge of complex façade systems, or maybe even proficiency in niche software plugins. Large outsourcing partners often house these niche experts, who can be expensive to hire full time, or even not available locally.
- Fresh Perspectives & Innovations: teams from around the world can bring in their diverse experiences and approaches, which introduces innovative workflows or solutions learned by these teams from different market and project types.
This global access means that US firms will not be limited by local shortage of staff or expertise – they can always find a team with the precise skill set, as needed for the upcoming project.
Did You Know?
Effective BIM-based clash detection and coordination through outsourcing can reduce rework costs by 49%, generating about a 10% overall savings in project value— Source
Accelerated Project Turnaround & Meeting Aggressive Deadlines
Project delays in the AEC industry can be catastrophic. Resource-intensive BIM tasks, such as model creation, detailing, clash resolution, and drawing regeneration, are better done when outsourced to a reliable partner – a method which directly contributes to faster project delivery.
- 24 Hour Workflow Potential: When time zone differences are taken into consideration, a near-continuous workflow can be generated. The offshore team completes their tasks overnight, which is then checked and integrated by the US in-house team in the morning. This easily compresses tight schedules.
- Dedicated Resources: the outsourcing partner can appoint dedicated teams for a client’s project – something which is difficult with the internal distractions that in-house employees may face since they are juggling multiple projects.
- Focus on Core Competencies: as discussed previously, labor-intensive BIM tasks can be outsourced so that the in-house team can focus their energy on higher value activities. This optimizes the focus of all workers, and speed up the overall project pace.
When you can meet, or even beat, project deadlines, client satisfaction is guaranteed – a factor that improves the firm’s reputation and can open doors to more work opportunities.
Scalability and Operational Flexibility
Since the nature of the AEC industry is cyclic, maintaining in-house BIM teams is a financial risk. Outsourcing provides high flexibility in this case.
- Agile Resource Management: Based on real-time project needs, firms can adjust the size and composition of their outsourced BIM team – avoiding the cost of underutilized staff or the rush to hire staff during a boom.
- Access to Cutting-Edge Technology: Reputable outsourcing partners will invest in latest BIM software, hardware, and emerging technologies to stay competitive. Without direct capital outlay, AEC firms – clients of these outsourcing partners – will benefit from this investment.
- Sharpened Strategic Focus: Once the production part of BIM is outsourced, the firm and all staff can focus on winning more projects, enhancing design quality, improving client relationships, exploring new markets – and driving the strategic direction of the firm with respect to these new activities – actions that will truly differentiate the firm from their competitors in the marketplace.
This flexibility helps AEC firms to remain strategically focused without unnecessary staff – which can help them easily capitalize on upcoming opportunities without worrying about fixed overheads.
Focus on Core Competencies, Leveraging Established Expertise, and Mature Processes
When US AEC firms outsource BIM tasks, they can focus on what they do best – designing visionary spaces, nurturing cline relationships, and driving innovation. By delegating the labour intensive, detail-driven tasks to external experts, firms can free up internal resources for higher-level work: conceptual design, sustainability planning, or even integrated project delivery.
This clarity of work distribution also fosters an innovative culture within the organization – instead of having to complete production-based tasks, the design team can explore emerging technologies like generative design, AI-assisted planning, and virtual reality collaboration. All this upskilling adds more value to the firm, differentiating them in a crowded marketplace.
Many firms are not new to the concept of outsourcing – they have years of experience outsourcing CAD drafting, structural analysis, or even 2d & 3D rendering. Outsourcing BIM is a natural evolution, building upon this existing foundation. With a reduced learning curve, proven infrastructure on both ends, and risk mitigation, this expertise allows firms to add BIM outsourcing to their existing project delivery systems seamlessly and confidently.
Outsourcing partners also bring process improvements, quality audits, and the best BIM practices that enhance the overall project delivery standards for the firm – creating a virtuous cycle of constant improvement internally and externally.
To conclude with
Outsourcing BIM is no longer only a method of saving costs – it is a strategic step recommended for US AEC firms who want to maintain a sustainable competitive edge in the market. The benefits of outsourcing are far greater than additional help or temporary employees. By tapping into a global talent pool, AEC firms can gain access to specialized skills and scalable resources – which are often missing domestically. This helps faster project delivery and enables better resource allocation – allowing in-house teams to concentrate on high value design and management.
Building on top of outsourcing expertise erases risks, and accelerates integration of the BIM tasks. All in all, dramatic cost efficiency is combined with unmatched flexibility & scalability to empower firms increase profitability, deal with market fluctuations, and fully focus on delivering exceptional built environments. In the world of modern construction where stakes are high, outsourcing BIM is a game-changing strategy – one that has transformed how leading AEC firms operate and succeed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will outsourcing BIM mean that we need to layoff our in-house staff?
Typically, this shall not be the case. The goal of outsourcing is to be resource-intensive, and complete repetitive or specialized tasks – like detailed modeling, clash detection runs, or presentation drawing preparations. This allows the in-house staff – architects, engineers, project managers – to take up activities which are more valuable in nature – such as conceptual designing, client engagement, complex problem-solving, technical oversight, as well as project leadership. Often, this arrangement eventually allows firms to take up more work without overburdening the existing staff, or bringing in permanent employees when the work temporarily peaks.
How can we effectively communicate and collaborate with an offshore BIM team across different time zones?
Successful communication with offshore BIM partners relies on effectively established communication protocols, and technology:
- Dedicated points of contacts: assign team leads for both – the firm and the outsourcing team.
- Overlapping hours: you can schedule meetings during the overlapping work windows – such as US morning.
- Cloud collaboration: Use platforms like Autodesk 360/ACC, Revizto, or Trimble Connect to get real-time access, markups, as well as clash detection.
- Clear documentation: use detailed BIM execution plans (BEPs), along with shared task trackers like Jira or Asana – followed by standardized reporting.
The differences in time zones can actually be an advantage – enabling a ‘follow the sun’ workflow creates faster turnaround times, since each partner will work during their daylight hours.
How can we get started with BIM outsourcing, and how long does it take to see benefits?
Getting started with BIM outsourcing involves the following processes for AEC firms:
- Defining Scope: List the specific BIM tasks that are ideal for outsourcing – which can be modeling to the required LOD, MEP coordination support, family creation, and so on.
- Partner Selection: as a firm, vendor selection must depend on expertise, processes, security, communication, and last but not the least, cultural fit. You may start with a pilot project with the shortlisted partner to test waters before the actual project.
- Setting up the Processes: firms must establish clear communication channels for the outsourcing partners – along with file-sharing protocols, quality standard definition, and finally, review cycles.
Benefits of outsourcing BIM – such as cost savings and faster turnaround time on specific tasks – can be seen almost immediately with a well-defined pilot. The further, fuller strategic advantages – such as scalability, access to specialized talent, and enhanced in-house focus – develop over time as the partnership between the AEC firm and the outsourcing team matures. This occurs in the next 3 to 6 months, as processes are refined between the two.
How do we ensure data security and protect our intellectual property when outsourcing BIM?
Security of data when BIM tasks are outsourced is the paramount. You can protect your intellectual property and mitigate risks by:
- Choosing partners carefully: you must select vendors with proven security certifications – maybe like ISO 27001 and SOC2 – along with robust IT infrastructure, who are ready to provide strict confidentiality agreements (NDAs).
- Safeguards within the Contract: Within the contracts itself, include clear IP ownership clauses and data protection requirements.
- Controlled Data Access: only grant access to the necessary project files via secure, common cloud platforms – avoid local data storage wherever possible. As it is a professional duty, reputable firms prioritize security one of their core service components, such as ourselves.
