BIM: who pays? Let's build it into the initial project. Common Data Environment
The failure to adopt BIM in its widest sense is paid for ultimately by the client and their many customers, so let us think about the benefit from adopting it, as required in the UK for all public sector projects over £5 million by 2016.
For any collaborative programme to work there needs to be a facility for sharing the data among everyone who needs the information. There was a time when this was only printed material - drawings, documents - but the facility for sharing electronically has been around for many years. Robotics in basic terms have been in use since at least as early as the 1960s.
So there needs to be some kind of CDE early in the project, mandated by the client, accessible by all stakeholders with necessary security provisions in place. There are related international standards for governing this.
We should have passed, long ago, the frequent printed 2D drawings and printed contracts and other materials, never knowing which, if any, were actually current, many having failed basic matching checks. I write from experience of receiving new sets of drawings that did not have matching main dimensions at least four weeks into construction.
If there is no CDE the client ultimately pays the price. Building it into procurement can reflect the long term use of the data that is created and used for the whole life of the built asset. A list of areas for savings is here: http://www.tuckwood.co.uk/bim.htm