Gilbane’s Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) team is involved in many phases of a project’s life cycle, from procurement through on-site construction assistance to turnover deliverables. With proper early involvement, VDC can help inform procurement processes to minimize risk.
Design Model Coordination (DMC) Reports
DMC Reports provide constructability analysis through design model reviews during the design documentation phase. These reviews look for scope gaps and constructability concerns affecting a project’s future trade coordination phase. In addition, these DMC Reports help design teams to develop higher-quality contract drawings before bidding, reducing the likelihood of later, more costly conflicts and delays arising from missing/incomplete contract documentation for Gilbane’s procurement teams.
The main three categories we seek to report on are constructability concerns, errors & omissions, and code compliance issues. The DMC Report is best communicated to design teams before 100% contract drawing issuances to get issues resolved and engage beneficial discussions before bidding with useful visuals. The issues are categorized by importance, which is dictated by the amount of risk the issue poses to the project. The issues of highest importance are categorized as “Critical.” An “Unresolved” issue will likely result in time and material change orders if not addressed pre-bid.
Some examples of “Critical” issues and their impacts include:
- Conflicts between architectural doors and structural steel cross-bracing members require a modification to structural design or architectural door locations.
- Underground plumbing fixtures conflict with structural foundations; this requires modifying structural design or fixture locations.
- Insufficient space for MEPFP elements within shafts; this requires a modification to structural design or resizing of MEPFP elements.
- Insufficient overhead space for MEP elements requires modifying structural design to incorporate beam penetrations or adjust architectural ceiling heights, creating a chain effect with other assemblies, like the tops of storefronts.
If the design team does not address any issues identified in the DMC Report before bidding, the Gilbane purchasing team can incorporate issues into allowances or estimate their value as exclusions/inclusions for the buyout. Those definitions are then rolled into project-specific BIM scope front ends for the project manual. For example, areas with insufficient overhead space for MEPFP elements (such as fire sprinklers) may be addressed by an allowance for beam penetrations. Another example is complex scope elements missing in the design model (for example, specialty equipment such as medical equipment overhead metal supports) that may be incorporated into the modeling requirements of a specific trade contractor during bidding.
BIM Standards and Specifications (BS&S)
For all projects, we need to have a purchasing plan for BIM with our trade contractors. In the procurement phase, we set the project up for a successful BIM process; we must lay out our expectations clearly before contracts are awarded to hold people to those expectations later. The BIM Standards and Specifications (BS&S) document is the contract language that requires participation in our BIM process. In addition, a BIM Execution Plan (BEP) is attached, which defines the means and methods of those contractual BIM requirements.
The BS&S and BEP are tailored to each project during the procurement phase to include project-specific requirements. Some key elements of the BS&S are listed as follows:
- Trade Contractor participation requirements for Trade Coordination meetings.
- Project-specific modeling requirements, including existing conditions modeling requirements and Level of Development (LOD) specification.
- Definitions of required deliverables, including shop drawings that get submitted to the design team, sketches for field use such as penetration and pad drawings, and other project-specific deliverables such as Facilities Management BIM Data where applicable.
- Requirements for how shop drawings created in the process can/shall be used in the field.
Floor Levelness
Flat surfaces such as slabs and walls are rarely flat or level. After a laser scan of any such ‘flat’ surface on a job site, the resultant point cloud can be analyzed for this “flatness.” Using one of several methods, a color “heat” map can be quickly produced from point clouds to visualize floor or wall flatness and identify high/low points and the boundaries of any areas needing adjustment.
Since Gilbane owns and operates its own scanning equipment, floor flatness (FF) and floor levelness (FL) reports are often conducted by VDC teams during procurement for projects involving existing conditions. These reports provide detailed measurements of the floor’s surface quality using ASTM Standards. This helps Gilbane mitigate risk in the following ways:
- Risk Assessment: The FF / FL reports can reveal discrepancies between contract drawings and field conditions. These reports can help identify potential issues early before work commences. The reports can also quantify the cost associated with correcting defects before bidding.
- Contractual Clarity: Including FF / FL reports in contracts ensures that all parties understand the project’s existing conditions and align with quality expectations. This improves the quality and accuracy of bids, reducing the likelihood of conflicts, delays, and costs arising during Trade Coordination.
- Establishing Benchmark Elevations: Many projects with FF / FL issues must establish a benchmark floor elevation to align with contract drawings and coordination efforts. FF and FL reports can be used to find the most accurate location to set a benchmark elevation, which helps minimize field issues and change orders.
Proaction Contributes to Overall Project Success
By engaging in the procurement process, Gilbane’s VDC team ensures that potential issues are identified and addressed early. This proactive approach enhances the quality and accuracy of bids and minimizes conflicts, delays, and costs during construction. Consequently, projects are more likely to be completed on time and within budget, resulting in higher client satisfaction and overall project success. As discussed in the blog post, ‘Bridging the…”Gap”: What is VDC Gap Modeling?’, only by identifying and addressing gaps early can we reduce the likelihood of unexpected delays and cost overruns, leading to more successful project outcomes.
Stay tuned for the final part of our series, where we will explore VDC’s Design-Assist Support Operatives and their role in risk mitigation.
Comments
Cheryl Benn
Wonderful article, Violet! Very informative and logical and focused on best practices.
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