Outsourcing BIM Professionals vs Hiring Dedicated Resources: A Comparative Analysis

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Ar. Ankit Kansara

CEO | Think Tank

Last Updated:

Sep 10, 2024

Outsourcing BIm vs hiring dedicated resources

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction(AEC) sector has long been affected by high project costs, disruptive communication, and delayed deliverables. This can be majorly attributed to a lack of efficient collaboration between project stakeholders.

Global development and emerging trends are transforming the processes and technology involved in the architecture and construction process.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”
- Arthur C. Clarke, Science-fiction author

One such magical technological advancement witnessed by the AEC sector is Building Information Modeling(BIM). The implementation and integration of BIM services is becoming a pressing need for the AEC industry to deal with complex project execution and management.

BIM is an intelligent, 3D model-building tool that provides the user with a digital representation of the structure and its functional characteristics. The building data provides detailed insights to the users into space planning, design, construction, and management.

The 3D BIM model consolidates various phases of a building's design and execution into a centralized space. This unified approach to building design facilitates easy problem identification and quick decision-making for the stakeholders.

The information collected in a BIM model is shared through a mutually accessible platform known as a ‘Common Data Environment’, and the collected data is referred to as an ‘Information Model’. Information models are helpful at all project stages, from inception to execution, along with redevelopment and renovation.

Since the rapid use and integration of BIM services, the global market has seen a significant transformation with wide acceptance from project stakeholders.

As per a Mordor Intelligences Report, the estimated market size is at $8.72 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $16.72 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 13.09% in 2024-2029.

Insight image

Now, How can the AEC firms integrate BIM services into their projects? The firms can hire professionals who are equipped with the knowledge of BIM working and hold expertise in the 3D BIM modeling process.

Multiple professionals and companies are actively engaged in learning, understanding, and analyzing various aspects of BIM to meet the evolving project requirements and stay up-to-date.

For firms who are not willing to hire permanent employees to cater to their BIM requirements, they are provided with two other viable options.

  • Outsourcing BIM professionals
  • Hiring Dedicated Resources

Understanding the Key Benefits of Outsourcing BIM Professionals

Outsourcing BIM professionals refers to the practice of employing external BIM experts or companies to handle different BIM-related aspects of the project on hand.

Outsourcing BIM professionals

Rather than hiring full-time, in-house staff, AEC firms prefer contracting experts to third-party service providers to cater to their specific project requirements.

Outsourced BIM experts can offer a wide range of services, including:

  • 3D modeling and Visualization
  • 4D and 5D BIM
  • Clash detection and Coordination
  • Documentation
  • Facility maintenance and Management
  • Scan to BIM services

By partnering with specialized BIM experts, firms can leverage advanced skills and enhanced efficiency. Let’s look at the key benefits and challenges of outsourcing BIM professionals:

Benefits of Outsourcing BIM Professionals

Access to Specialized Global Talent:

One key benefit of outsourcing professionals is access to specialized skill sets and expertise worldwide. The AEC firms can outsource professionals with core expertise to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of project execution.

The field experts hold knowledge about the latest tools, technology, and processes, ensuring a seamless execution with desired specifications.

Faster Turnaround Time:

By outsourcing BIM professionals, firms can expedite project timelines by enhanced 24/7 global work cycles and efficiency of the process.

Outsourced professionals can manage their schedules to meet tight deadlines and accelerate progress.

Cost Efficiency:

The firms dealing with small or middle-scale projects face limited resources and incur financial burdens while hiring in-house resources.

Outsourcing BIM professionals alleviate this financial burden and enables firms to work with experts within budget constraints and reduce initial expenses.

Challenges of Outsourcing BIM Professionals

Data Security and Confidentiality:

Outsourcing involves security concerns related to proprietary data about the project including architectural plans, site details, engineering details, and more. It is risky to share such sensitive data with an external source.

The firm needs to ensure complete data security to prevent intellectual property theft or data breaches.

Communication and Coordination:

For project teams to be on the same page and work in synergy, efficient communication is imperative. Complying with time-zone differences, cultural factors, and remote collaboration tools is a difficult task while working on complex projects.

Understanding the Key Benefits of Hiring Dedicated Resources

Hiring Dedicated Architects and Engineers refers to employing professionals who work exclusively on a specific project or tenure to cater to the client's demands.

Hiring dedicated resources

Dedicated resources are fully committed to the project, ensuring their time and expertise are solely invested in the employer's needs.

This hiring model enables AEC firms to have direct control over the resources, establishing alignment with their objectives and processes.

Dedicated Resource Model(DRM): A tailored approach to hiring dedicated professionals

The Dedicated Resource Model allows the AEC firms to hire the top 1% of architects and engineers through VBS within 3 days.

The firms can add 10 professionals across different teams or a single expert with specialized skills. DRM enables 200+ fully trained architects and engineers to boost the project efficiency instantly.

By using DRM solutions the firms can eliminate the burden of sourcing, recruiting, training, and recruiting talent.

The model offers the flexibility of meeting the short-term and long-term goals of the company with immediate access to the top-notch talent pool.

Let’s look at the key benefits of Hiring Dedicated Resources with DRM:

Benefits of Hiring Dedicated Resources

More Elaborative Experience and Knowledge:

Hiring a team of architects or engineers will facilitate the integration of elaborative knowledge and expertise into project execution, leading to better project outcomes.

The dedicated professionals are equipped with the understanding and handling experience of various projects with changing specifications.

The vast knowledge spectrum enables them to provide better solutions and suggestions for specific project demands. Professionals hired with DRM solutions are amongst the top 1% of architects and engineers, especially trained and examined to ensure top-grade results.

Cultural Fit Talent:

Hiring dedicated MEP Engineers and architects who go through a rigorous screening process for their soft and behavioral skills. Hiring the suitable fit ensures seamless integration of the new hire with the other team members and an easy cultural fit into the company.

Hiring dedicated resources with DRM provides access to professionals who have experience working in the US among other locations.

Scalability:

Hiring dedicated architects and MEP engineers provides the flexibility of easily ramping up and down the team of professionals as and when required. This flexibility is invaluable as it enables the firms to meet fluctuating project demands.

Companies can adjust the dedicated professionals according to specific project needs without having to hire full-time staff.

With DRM solutions, the companies can drive their team expansion within 3 days of onboarding time and without the pressure of any lock-in periods or long-term commitments.

Success Story of Hiring Dedicated Resources with DRM

Lexent Design, an Interior Design firm based in Ohio, operated under an entrepreneurial spirit but faced challenges with tight project deadlines and freelancer reliability issues, leading to project delays. Integrating the proprietary DRM solution empowered the entrepreneur to enhance their client portfolio and garner success.

The firm decided to hire a dedicated architect with no long-term commitment, starting with a one-month trial supported by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The DRM model promises to secure a dedicated architect within just 3 days, along with the potential for substantial cost savings—up to 4 times their previous expenditure, attracting the attention of the client and generating interest in the service.

It eventually offered significant benefits to Lexent Designs with soaring profits, enhanced efficiency, and timely delivery of the projects.

Considerable Factors for Choosing a Suitable Hiring Model

  • Project Size and Scope: Elaboratively analyzing the complexity of the project, the skill set required to cater to the desired specifications, and the duration of the project profoundly influences the decision-making for a suitable choice.
  • Timeline and Completion Deadline: The clarity of the timeline for each deliverable and final project handover is crucial to deciding how quickly the firm needs the team to be up and running.
  • Budget Constraints: A detailed comparison between short-term cost savings and long-term value is imperative for adhering to the financial limitations.
  • Existing In-house Expertise: The firm can examine the capabilities of the in-house team, and if their expertise resonates with the project specifications.
  • Geographic Preferences: The firms need to understand the team dynamics and decide accordingly between locally dwelling candidates or employing global talent.

Conclusion

Both models- Outsourcing BIM professionals and Hiring dedicated resources, have their unique benefits. Choosing the right model depends on the project’s scope, timeline, budget, and long-term strategic goals.

Integrating DRM solutions comes with the benefits of both hiring models at the cost of one while eliminating the challenges of outsourcing, making it a suitable choice for AEC firms looking to expand their team with specialized expertise and as per project demands.

Hiring Dedicated architects or MEP engineers offers deeper integration with the company goals and objectives, enabling professionals to drive consistent and efficient outcomes.

Integrate DRM solutions for Expedited Project Success
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Ar. Ankit Kansara

Ar. Ankit Kansara is the visionary Founder and CEO of Virtual Building Studio Inc., revolutionizing the architecture and construction industry with innovative BIM solutions. With a strong foundation in architecture and a global presence, Ankit leads the company in providing cutting-edge AEC services, embracing technology and pushing boundaries

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