What is BIM estimating?
BIM estimating means two different things in construction, and most of the confusion about what BIM costs comes from mixing them up.
- Pricing the BIM scope itself. What it costs to model, coordinate and produce the drawings for a project at a given level of development (LOD). This is the BIM line in a bid: the hours of a BIM/VDC team, priced from the quantities they will model. Subcontractors and general contractors need this number during preconstruction, and it usually comes from a vendor quote, which on a typical project takes 2–7 days.
- Model-based quantity takeoff. Pulling counts, lengths, areas and volumes out of a model to price the construction work: the material and labor for the pipe, duct, conduit and equipment the model shows. This is often called 5D BIM or model-based estimating.
Both are real and both are useful. They answer different questions. The first answers "what will the BIM work cost on this job?" The second answers "what will it cost to build what the model shows?"
BIM-IQ does the first. It prices the BIM scope: enter the quantities, choose disciplines, deliverables and LOD, and get a proposal-ready PDF in minutes. It is not a takeoff tool and it does not price material or install labor. For the second meaning, read how contractors estimate from BIM models and BIM quantity takeoffs.
Pricing the BIM scope
The BIM line in a bid covers the modeling and coordination deliverable: discipline models, clash coordination, shop and install drawings, sleeve and block-out drawings, and whatever else the contract calls for, such as spools, fabrication exports or embedded field points. Five things drive the price:
- Quantities. Linear feet of pipe, duct, conduit and cable tray by system. More footage means more modeling hours.
- Disciplines. Plumbing, mechanical pipe, sheet metal and electrical each carry their own production rates.
- Deliverables. A coordinated model costs more than an uncoordinated one. Shop drawings, spools and fabrication files add scope on top.
- LOD. A fabrication-ready LOD 400 model takes more hours than a design-intent LOD 300 model.
- Coordination effort. Meetings, review rounds and how many trades share the ceiling space.
Square footage and market type describe the job, but on their own they don't set the price. Two buildings with the same footage, disciplines and deliverables price about the same whether one is a data hall and the other an office. That is why square-foot rules of thumb for BIM cost are usually wrong.
How the number gets produced
- A vendor quote. You send drawings and scope to a BIM provider and wait. On a typical project this takes 2–7 days, longer when scope is still moving.
- An in-house spreadsheet. Faster, but the rates and assumptions live in one person's head and the output rarely looks like a proposal.
- BIM-IQ. Enter the quantities, pick disciplines, deliverables and LOD. BIM scope pricing that typically takes 2–7 days, done in minutes, as a branded PDF with the assumptions and exclusions written out.
For a real number, see how much BIM costs on a typical bid, which walks through one job priced in BIM-IQ, or open the sample proposal.
Model-based quantity takeoff
The other meaning uses the model as the source of quantities instead of 2D drawings. Estimators or software pull counts, lengths, areas and volumes from the model, then apply labor and material rates to price the trade work. It is faster than manual counting when the model is ready, and easier to keep current when the design changes. The guides on BIM quantity takeoffs, how contractors estimate from BIM models and BIM vs traditional estimating cover that workflow.
The two meanings meet in one place: the quantities a takeoff produces are the same quantities you enter into BIM-IQ to price the modeling of those systems.
Which one are you being asked for?
| If the question is... | You need... | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| "What's the BIM line in this bid?" | A price for modeling and coordination at the required LOD | BIM-IQ, or a BIM estimating consultant for unusual scope |
| "What will this model cost to build?" | A model-based takeoff and your trade rates | BIM quantity takeoffs |
| "What will BIM cost our company to adopt?" | Software, training and setup costs | BIM/VDC consulting and a free BIM assessment |
Black Forge Technology can help. We price BIM scope with BIM-IQ and fix BIM programs through BIM/VDC consulting. Book a free assessment or contact us to get started.