BIM and OSTs
BIM is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building. The BIM concept envisages virtual construction of a facility prior to its actual physical construction.
Importantly for Quantity Surveyors, quantities and shared properties of materials can be extracted easily. Scopes of work can be isolated and defined and Bills of Quantities created with greater ease then the conventional 2D drawings.
With this in mind AQSA has invested significant sums in the latest software in order to be in a position to offer our clients the benefits of this software. This includes the two more advanced systems;
iTWOcostX® - The Complete 3D and 2D Estimating Solution and
Autodesk Assemble® - Condition and connect BIM data to design reviews, estimating, change management, scheduling and progress tracking
There are a large number of On Screen Take-off software(s) available in the market. These allow measurement to be completed in the more traditional 2D drawing style and provide printable marked-up pdfs that can be used to demonstrate what's been included in the works.
AQSA can use any software in the market but has chosen to use ActiveTakeoff® as it's preferred software, this is both for it's proven ease of use and low entry cost point.
OSTs are the starting point of any detailed Bill of Quantities and or detailed construction estimate and are particularly useful for low value projects whereby the BIM models might not represent good value for money, given the extra design team coordination required for an efficient BIM model.
