Lifecycle costing (LCC) is a method to map out all costs related to a product’s lifecycle, from its design all the way to its recycling or demolition. In the construction sector, a lifecycle can span over several decades. By making clever use of classification codes when drawing up a Building Information Model (BIM), all available quantities can be used during the design stage to provide insight into the new development costs and facilitate decision-making based on LCC.
Determining and budgeting quantities
For years, tools have been available that can be used to automatically retrieve all quantities in a building or construction from a BIM. This lets you save a lot of estimating time. However, the way in which this is done has a major influence on the added value of this information. When a classification code is assigned to each piece of measurement data and it is then exported along with all quantities and a clarification in a TRADXML file, the new development costs of a building can quickly be calculated using the popular IBIS-TRAD software. It is also possible to easily compare design variants based on the necessary investment costs.
Lifecycle costing with a BIM
Using quantities from a model for cost estimation becomes even more valuable when you also add a maintenance code in the cost content for new development costs. That gives you the option to not only determine the new development costs using BIM quantity takeoff data, but also the maintenance costs. The IBIS-TRAD maintenance modules use IBIS Cost Database content in the cloud for this purpose. Particularly in the case of integrated contracts, clients want insight into the total investment costs of new development and lifecycle expenses during the bid phase, so surveyors can make quicker estimates based on all BIM quantities and material choices. They can also provide more insight into how design and material choices affect these investment costs.
Integral designs, calculations, planning and maintenance
Although the use of models during construction projects is steadily growing in popularity, an integral method based on a vision, policy and objectives for the lifecycle of buildings is still quite uncommon in practice. The available software tools already facilitate integral design, calculations, planning and maintenance. The challenge is therefore to get all involved organisations and people to make optimal use of the available options. Every market is currently undergoing a digital transformation and the construction sector is no exception. Are you an innovator or a follower – or are you already lagging behind?
“Wil Jong works as a Product Manager Construction at Ibis (part of Brink Group).”
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