Workshop 1: Initial Alignment | BimcommunityAfrica

Workshop 1 - 20 April 2023 : Initial Alignment

Opening remarks from Amanda Filtane, event moderator:

BIM CODE-SA: BIM Convention for a Digital eSouth Africa

Towards a Digital Built South Africa
Inclusive and Progressive
Undivided SA > United Built Environment
Common citizenship > common data environments
Patriotism + Loyalty = Digital B.E. (Built Environment) “for us, by us”

Harnessing the power of digital technologies in:

Increasing the rate at which infrastructure is:
- Planned
- Delivered
Improving inefficiencies in managing infrastructure

Why do we need BIM and why do we need a national policy?

Facilitator: Richard Matchett (Digital Lead, Zutari).

Delegates: Nikki van der Walt (Technical Solution Executive COO, Autodesk), Professor Innocent Musonda (Professor: Construction Management, UJ, Director Centre for Applied Research + Innovation in the Built Environment), Nicolette Pingo (Programme Manager: Inclusive Cities, South African Cities Network), Michael van Rooyen (CIO, GIC)

Benefits / Why?

Information availability, enabling the generation of revenue, and planning
Lack of information makes the management of facilities very difficult.
Efficiencies - workflows make life easier and save time and effort.
Inefficiencies from engineers to contractors, transfer of design information into construction information,
Progress reporting, frequent progress information updates.

The little guys

Access information, update project status easily, remain updated through changes,
The little guys… better information to drive procurements, payments, material planning.
Digitised processes are quick, payment approvals are quick, complete value chain is better.
Visualisation and clarity of scope, technical complexity… comms to the community, tradesmen, stakeholders, politicians…
Information is valuable, to communicate issues, problems, risks…
Common view of project intent, common view of “need to know” information

Challenges to overcome…

Back yard dwellings… informal development is big, how would BIM apply to them?… does it need to? If its not practical, is it a “why not” or is it another topic to explore in due course? Better Information Management applies to these dwellings too, and is relevant.
Different categories of projects / asset types / compliance requirements etc. that would trigger different grades of requirements for BIM
Each category of asset would have a requirement.
Transitional process - Level 1…Level 2…? Similar to the UK?
Access to technology, viewability of models, IFC and open BIM standards?
For local, un-digitalised contractors, BIM will support the drive to digitalise the country

Facilitator: Jay Moolman (Director and General Manager, Modena AEC and I).

Delegates: Alastair de Wet (Territory Sales Manager: ZAR, Autodesk), Carla Schmidt (Lecturer and Coordinator of the Foundation Programme at the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, TUT), Neelan Moodier (Director, LDM)

During the table discussion on "Why BIM?", the participants highlighted the numerous advantages of Building Information Management (BIM), including:

rapid clash resolution,
informed decision-making,
breaking down silos,
improved project management,
better planning,
increased efficiency,
value for money,
enhanced service delivery,
accurate data for bill of quantities,
live data control,
global competitiveness,
cost savings due to reduced information loss,
effective information dissemination.

The discussion emphasized BIM's ability to scale and its potential to make South Africa more attractive for foreign direct investment.

Final Benefit Statement:

Building Information Management (BIM) enables better information management and collaboration, resulting in improved service delivery and increased global competitiveness for South Africa, thereby attracting more foreign direct investment.

Facilitator: Selvan Murugan (Digital Practice Leader, Zutari).

Delegates: Geraldine Clark (Territory Account Sales Executive, Autodesk), Ian le Roux (Head of Department, Systems Development, GIC), Lucert Nkuna (Manager, LDM), Dipesh Dhaya (Senior Architectural Technologist, Datascape Architects)

We started off by being practical and understanding the many benefits that BIM provides in terms of project management, real-time decision making, and information sharing. The ideas evolved and the team started seeing BIM for what it is i.e., the production of data collaboratively for many purposes – some still to be defined. It was realised that the benefit is the data and using data services to derive additional value for all stakeholders from project teams to infrastructure users – everyone can make use of the data to produce value. This can give rise to a value driven, digital economy to build skills, and services.

Benefit Statement:

We want to do BIM to maximise the benefits of 4IR technology to do better projects and then positively impact the economy through:

Better efficiency
Freeing up capacity
Transforming old ways of working, people don’t want to be stuck in old ways of working

Facilitator: Gary Mansfield (BIM Manager, CKR Engineers).

Delegates: Rory Green (Territory Sales Manager: Anglophone Africa, Autodesk), Phillip Sherman (Specialist Lecturer, TUT), Pumelele Qongqo (Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, CIDB), Sikhulile Nhassengo (Director, Maninga Engineering), Elna van der Merwe (BIM Coordinator, DRA Global)

The need for a Digital Project Delivery (DPD) policy would is beneficial for the South African AEC, INF and MFG industries. This policy will assist these industries by providing guidelines on how better information management will benefit public and private sectors to manage, maintain, and renovate existing and/or newly built assets.

Digital Project Delivery policy would be used by all to demystify Building Information Modelling (BIM) and provide clarity on the usage of these methodologies in the different stages of work prescribed in PROCSA/RIBA and other types of contracts. The policy will assist with embracing technology with clarity and understanding the technology will be the enabler for better information management.

Finally, the DPD policy will provide a clear indication of standardized deliverables that can be executed on any project scale. The policy guidelines will need to look at updated contractual agreements which include workflows, processes, risk allocations, IP rights, and electronic data exchange and should always benefit all stakeholders.

Facilitator: Andrew Mason (Director, Workplace Fundi).

Delegates: Rouxdolf Wentzel (Director and Founder, Amber Financial and Risk Management Services), Logan Reddy (President, SAAMA), Willem Kruger (Architect and Heritage Specialist, HP Architects), Philangetehmba Buthelezi (Project Engineer- Architectural, VWSA), Confident Dlamini (Candidate Property Valuer, Paras)

WHY BIM?

It’s the responsible thing to do!

Firstly, we debated whether this should be led by the private sector or by the public sector.

Public Sector

The issue revolved around the time it would take to get acceptance and whether in fact anything would be done. GIAMA (Government Immovable Asset Management Act) was a policy approved by cabinet in 2005 and enacted into law in 2007 but nothing was actually done. Leaving us with the belief that even if policy was written it is unlikely to be implemented and therefore seen as a red herring or a dead duck.

Private Sector

The question therefore should this be led by the private sector. However, this was seen as not inclusive and unlikely to create the catalyst required to have widespread acceptance.

PPP

It was then debated that the PPP (Public Private Partnerships) environment could be the right avenue to advance the BIM agenda as these are projects delivered by the private sector. If BIM were to be stipulated as a requirement (similar to the level two BIM requirement in the UK) then this could see at least the nascent acceptance of BIM. This would require the payment community to lobby Treasury as the owner of PPPs.

GBCSA

Then we debated whether policy was in fact required at all. The example of GBCSA was used as an example of developments that are now the institutional standard for developments. The businesses for sustainable green developments was outlined in the GPCS a document “Rands and Sense” which highlighted the business case for sustainable development. BIM is often seen as a nice-to-have as opposed to a financial benefit.

Catalyst

We hit upon the idea of BIM as a catalyst. Using the chemical analogy of an additive that speeds up a reaction/ experiment, making it more efficient or more effective without actually affecting the end result.

BIM was seen as the integrator of all data in a common data environment that not only brings the design team together but would continue throughout the BIM value chain. This would result in no data loss and a recognised single version of the truth that would aid and abet efficient and effective decision-making based on data throughout the whole life cycle of the building.

Better information at the outset of the project would result in more accurate and better tendering from those equipped to understand the data. One of the knock-on effects from this would be less corruption and a levelling across the board of the players in the construction industry. We would need to lower the barrier of entry for the smaller players, but this would result in job creation potential of unlocking new markets similar to the iPhone App Store.

Facilitator: Rob Thane (Director, LYT Architects).

Delegates: Jani Viljoen (BIM Consultant, Baker Baynes), Roelof van den Berg (CEO, GIC), William Wilkie (BIM Lead, Geberit), Istell Orton (Professional Planner, Citeplan), Peter Webb (SAICE IT Division, Chair/Treasurer)

Why should there be a BIM policy in South Africa?

Part of the discussion which resulted in the below bullet points around the adoption of a benefit statement, revolved around WHO the benefit statement is / should be targeted at. This was quite a debate in its own right, as each stakeholder would have their own reason for adopting or enabling a policy within their respective environments. Summarized below and in no particular order are the following:

Time Saving

There was unilateral agreement that with the adoption of BIM principles and the way in which it should be working there would be a substantial saving of time – from ALL parties. This is particularly relevant in the current fast-paced environment that we find ourselves. A lot of the time, the consultants are appointed very late in the process and the contractor is urgently calling for information. Using BIM technologies is a way to enable this.

Access to Info

Using a Common Data Environment (CDE) is a way to ensure that all relevant stakeholders have access to the latest (and most correct) info. It reduces the likelihood of incorrect information being issued.

Usability of Info

The info that is placed into the CDE is generally intelligent as opposed to be a static document. This leads to informed decisions being made. Whether it is measuring constructability, comparing changes made to info issued in different revisions or measuring info for inclusion in a Bill of Quantities. All the info is centralized and controlled so it should all be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Integration of Multi-disciplinary Info

The opportunity for integration of all info in one place in one model is invaluable in the coordination process. The knock on of this is that clashes can be picked up before the contractor even moves to site. The theory behind this is that there should be very little abortive work on site and hence major cost savings.

Efficient Workflows

The efficiency of the workflows is a huge contributing factor to the adoption of these BIM processes. Especially in the current localized environment in which we find ourselves. There is a huge amount of pressure on the bottom line for all stakeholders. From developers, to consultants, to end users and even the facilities management teams. So, the old adage of “Time is Money” rings true in that by being efficient, there is a time saving and hence a cost saving.

Risk Mitigation

With the adoption of clear and concise consolidated information, all risks for all stakeholders in the process can be mitigated.

Clear Deliverables

By using ISO principles in the planning phases before the “real” work starts, there is a clear definition of what information needs to be delivered at what stage of the project and what that information is to be used for. This translates into time savings as well as the associated risk mitigations as mentioned previously.

Better Decision Making

With access to better information, there is the opportunity for better decision making from a financial, design and opportunity point of view.

Contractor Integration

The final point is that the BIM processes allow for greater contractor involvement from an earlier stage which enables design decisions to be made based on Contractors work flows, processes and construction methodologies.

The adoption of a BIM Policy is an absolute necessity in our opinion, but, it was widely realized and understood that the theory and the implementation are often two widely separate issues. It was our belief that the starting point to enable the adoption is to be driven through the above principles into the Private Sector and once clients in particular start insisting on the adoption of these principles, the rest of the stakeholders will be pulled along and the benefits of adoption will be realized.

Facilitator: Rudd van Deventer (Director, Spaceworx).

Delegates: Nick Tenner (VDC Manager, WBHO), Dash Coville (Technical Manager, Special Projects, GBCSA), Bridgette Hattingh (Training and Accreditation Administrator, ASAQS), Rudi Vermaak (HOD Structures, iXEngineers)

The table had representatives of the professional and construction side of the industry and the discussion was focused on the practicalities of rolling out BIM.

Who

An interesting aspect to come up was the descripting from FEDIC that BIM was a ‘Way of Doing’ and not a Deliverable!

Why

Integrated Project Delivery - The biggest reason for the adoption of BIM or Digital modelling was the ability to run an integrated project.

‘Into a wall’ was a description of the current status with people requiring 2D from 3D models to work on site. There was a bit of a misunderstanding about the capabilities of the authoring software which can set up 2D views in the model so that a separate version of the information is not generated.

It was understood that the National Annex would provide the necessary guidance and define the roles in producing a digital project.

BIM Execution Plan – there was a need to set up many aspects of a project at the outset and to get all parties to agree on timelines and deliverables. There was not an understanding of the ‘Level of Information Need’ (LOIN) definition with confusion with other LoD descriptions such as Detail and Development.

There was a call for Estimating Software that can work with the main digital model and not require a separate database. Measure rates, Value and duration for managing the construction process. Hopefully this software will not require a BIM co-ordinator as a project overhead. What was also mentioned was the need to have rules and a policy around the model preparation – another necessity to be covered in the National Annex.

There was a concern that there needs to be a process to finalise the digital model to include information that informs the type of construction contract and terms. The value of the digital model was discussed and the loss of embodied knowledge through a lack of a repository for the information and an extract of the relevant information for Facilities Management.

The primary benefits for all parties were from Collaboration and Integration – this requires a focus on teaching and a set of common standards, formats, and policies. These will support the environment.

How

The national Annex once explained was seen as an essential part of the adoption of Information Management for Building (IMfB) or BIM. The primary focus must be on educating the built environment!

It was also seen as an opportunity to promote Buy-in through the value chain with each person having a stake in the success.

The procurement methodology for both Public and Private entities was seen as part of the education and roll-out process.

Facilitator: Ginika Egwuonwu (Founder, Project Management Consultant, The Closed Circuit).

Delegates: Amanda Filtane (Lecturer of Construction Management, UCT), Vuyani Gxagxama (Vice President - Technical Divisions, IMESA), Otto Botha (MD, WACO), Brian Mahachi (Director, Artis Quantity Surveyors)

Why aren't we using BIM in SA?

THERE'S A TRUST DEFICIENCY BETWEEN THE different roles players on a construction project. It also raises the question of how does one protect their IP.
There is a perception of one losing their competitive edge by being overly transparent and cooperative.
The contracts and industry is set up in a way that doesn't foster collaboration amongst the different role players, but makes things more adversarial.
The competition commission also encourages the protection of IP and competitive edge, which doesn't encourage a collaborative environment. In the public sector space, the use of BIM would introduce transparency and expose the errors, faults and corruptive practises of people. In the public sector space, there is no incentive to share success stories between agencies as there are usuaully political agendas to portray the one political party as being better than others. There is also no incentive to implement long-term solutions that would go beyond one's service tenure. Also, government agencies have mandates to spend money or their budget which contradicts to the benefits of BIM finding ways to save money.
The other aspect why people arent BIMing like they should is the perceived benefit of its investment. Many professionals can't see ROI, they also feel like the cost of investment might be significant and hence they aren't compelled to make the investment

Why BIM and How to Adopt it?

It will make projects more efficient, it would allow for the continual improvement of the information and structure, it creates transparency and a common goal.
For the public sector, it would speed up processes and would speed up South Africa's goal to deliver infrastructure.
It would lead to increased cost certainty.
We need a public sector and private sector approach -

Public sector approach:

Implementation of ISO 19650 and Policy to compel public sector works to implement BIM.
Getting public sector and private sector to work together. We need incentives for municipalities or districts to transfer best practise knowledge between themselves. Right now, due to politics and different municipalitoes being managed by different political parties, there isn't collaboration as each party wants to put perform each other.

For private sector:

Get the design team and the execution of the design on the same contractual team, so there are shared risks and shared reward, which would foster and open & collaborative atmosphere and approach.

Facilitator: Marius Bierman (VDC Manager, MD Construction).

Delegates: Nathan York (Managing Director, York Bros), Ketumile Mojanaga (Research Architect, CSIR), Wally Mayne (Manager, Contractual Affairs, CESA), George Young (CAD Coordinator, DRA Global), Lungelo Sibande (Draughting Engineer, Maninga Engineering)

Why BIM

Our discussion initially highlighted the following keywords/phrases:

Collaboration
Total cost management
Time management
Information
Makes life easier
Increases productivity
Better life cycle management
Complex to simple
Optimizing of lifecycle phases
Accuracy and live up to date data
Less time waste
One stop shop (CDE) for data
Same playing field
Inspires trust

Our discussion covered topics from a top-down and a bottom-up perspective. Top-down discussion included lofty ideals where collaboration is key but does not really address the why. We then looked from a different approach, i.e. bottom-up. We attempted to distil all of the keywords and phrases to answer the question ‘why’. BIM is human-centric, and the discussion leads to a more individualistic view. The industry practitioner first needs to realise the benefit and value add proposition of why BIM needs to be implemented. We concluded with a benefit statement that reads. “BIM is a collaboration tool that increases my productivity, increases the productivity of my colleagues and has immense possibility to improve the productivity of our industry that fosters transparency and inspire trust, this in turn create value for all involved”.

In closing, when we realise the benefit on an individual, company and industry level at large one then sees the need for a policy to unify all practitioners.

TASK TEAM: Digital Built SA - Policy Development

People
- skills
- competencies
- environments

Technology
- soft
- hard
- infrastructure
- interoperability

Process
- collaboration
- security

Transition

Stakeholders

TASK TEAM: Governance

Governance - BIMcommUNITY.Africa

Task Team - EXCO (approx 4 executive members)

Framework for
- policy development
- policy components
- collection of best practice (sample globally)

Determine task team deliverables

Open Mic Session

Proposed CBE
- critical for a unified Digital Built Environment policy development.

MOU for:
- appointment of members/individuals/organisations/institutions/associations to be part of the extensive task team;
- collection of best practice and pilot project data in order to validate recommendations in the policy.

Forward thinking
- housing of the Digital Built SA Policy: custodian/enforcer body.

MOU acceptances:

iX Engineers
IMESA
CIDB
Lyt Architects
CKR Engineers
Zutari
ASAQS
DRA Global
UP (University of Pretoria)
UJ (University of Johannesburg)
GBCSA
MD Construction
Archimus
WBHO
CSIR
VWSA
CESA
Maninga Engineering
UCT
SAICE
TUT (Tshwane University of Technology)
WACO