Practice Management Member Conversations

My office recently received a change order on a project that had contractor BIM costs associated with it. The contractor BIM costs were more than the cost of the work in the change order. Does anyone have experience with a similar situation? How did you resolve it?

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Gregory Swanson AIA
State of Illinois
Springfield IL
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I suggest reading your contract's general conditions to see what is included in the definition of "overhead" for changes. 

If the BIM work is only for contractor's convenience, it would seem to be their cost, not to pass on to you.

If you require that they turn over BIM documentation at closeout as a form of as-builts, there might be a leg for them to stand on.

Then, talk to whoever is responsible for editing your general conditions and come up with something that is reasonable and fair, for future projects. 

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Joel Niemi AIA
Joel Niemi Architect
Snohomish, WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 9/20/2023 6:21:00 PM
From: Joel O. Niemi AIA
Subject: RE: BIM Change Orders

I suggest reading your contract's general conditions to see what is included in the definition of "overhead" for changes. 

If the BIM work is only for contractor's convenience, it would seem to be their cost, not to pass on to you.

If you require that they turn over BIM documentation at closeout as a form of as-builts, there might be a leg for them to stand on.

Then, talk to whoever is responsible for editing your general conditions and come up with something that is reasonable and fair, for future projects. 

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Joel Niemi AIA
Joel Niemi Architect
Snohomish, WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 9/22/2023 5:29:00 PM
From: Michael L. Katzin AIA
Subject: RE: BIM Change Orders

Just a few thoughts.......

In the General Conditions if Division 01 - Close out Document requires the contractor to document field changes in a BIM platform - a request for additional compensation should be rejected for BIM updates since they should have had the cost in their original General Conditions costs.  

In Division 01 - Submittals, if the contractor is required after contract execution to do new or multiple shop drawing revisions in a BIM platform do to architect design changes onj a shop drawing (which is bad practice), those BIM costs may then be valid to request additional compensation.

Michael L. Katzin, AIA

p | 470.469.5586 

e | mlkatzin@gmail.com 

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