Importance of material takeoffs and bill of materials in reducing budget overruns

Budget overrun is one of the core problems of any building project which directly affects owners and the productivity of a project in question. Budget overruns generally result from rework situations that are faced by design and construction professionals on the construction location. Prior to the familiarity of BIM technology among Architectural, Engineering and Construction professionals the budget estimated by them for the project generally used to exceed their assumptions. BIM has tremendously helped design and construction professionals in relation to the generation of exact material takeoffs and bill of materials.

3D BIM Models are full of crucial information that is used by design and construction professionals throughout construction project lifecycle. With the support of Building Information Models design and construction professionals have been greatly successful in calculating exact cost of the project with the help of bill of materials and material takeoffs. All the information related to the material requirements of the project along with their quantity is updated in BIM models which help in the generation of bill of materials. Bill of materials clearly shows the right amount of materials along with their cost required for the project which ultimately help design and construction professionals in measuring the exact cost of the project.

That means information contained in material takeoffs and bill of materials is greatly optimized by AEC professionals which eventually helps them in managing the budget of the project. With the assistance of bill of materials right amount of materials are bought by construction professionals, which can help in the reduction of wastage of materials in the construction site. Since materials are ordered in exact quantities it leaves no room for their wastage and hence keep the estimated budget under control.

BIM technology not only helps in cost cutting of the project but also helps in streamlining construction methods. Seamless construction on the proposed construction location can greatly be credited BIM technology. BIM models which are created with the assistance and collaboration of architects, engineers and BIM modelers are shared between all paramount building stakeholders so that important project decisions can be taken. The accuracy and effectiveness of these models results in seamless construction. Seamless onsite construction in itself is an indication of cost cutting.