Summer months are famously busy season for construction firms. Good weather and dry ground make projects easier to manage and execute. But, because every firm is racing to benefit from these conditions, other challenges arise.
Firms find themselves competing for the same limited labor pool, especially in skilled trades. Materials sourcing and delivery schedules get over-subscribed. Smaller projects fall victim to the buying power and leverage of larger ones. Instead of just battling the calendar and the elements, smaller firms often find themselves also competing with other construction companies for the resources they need even after the contract has been won.
As with so many aspects of modern business, advanced technologies are helping smaller players compete and win against larger ones. For construction firms, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a key technology that can deliver strategic advantage.
While definitive data is hard to come by, some studies place the rate of BIM adoption in the U.S. construction industry as high as 74%. The advantages of receiving and iterating plans with BIM data from architects and engineers are well known. But some firms are discovering how to leverage the tool internally to speed construction and increase the efficiency of materials and labor utilization.
Understanding the Challenges of Busy Seasons in Construction
The challenges of the construction industry are the same all year. The busy season just multiplies them and makes them harder to solve. Because so many projects “come to life” in the busy season, construction firms can find themselves managing a nearly impossible number of jobs. And because all the other firms in their area are in the same situation, they have a harder time finding the people, materials, and even the equipment they need.
Even though the work is flowing, in some ways it can be business as usual. Projects can suffer unexpected delays. Fluid materials costs can complicate budget management. Outside forces like inspections can disrupt scheduling.
All these issues ultimately fall on the home office. Rarely can the staff you have for routine operations handle a full-on busy season. Just as you bring extra crews onsite during these periods, you should plan on staffing up the main office for the busy season. But just throwing more people at the problems isn’t enough (and might even make the situation worse).
That’s where BIM technology comes in.
What is Outsourcing in the Construction Industry?
Instead of bringing in temporary staff who need to be onboarded and trained up, consider outsourcing many of the tasks that need to be accomplished in real time. An outsourcing provider with expertise in the construction industry will understand the requirements of your active projects and can start producing faster.
Chief among those skills should be BIM experts who can convert the project data into job functions, materials orders, and – most importantly – schedules, that will speed the contracting process and minimize waste. If there are gaps in the project, those can be identified in the data instead of in the field.
This approach maximizes the productivity of the time contractors spend on your job, minimizes the time required to complete their work, and saves money in the process.
To maximize the money saved, consider nearshoring your outsourced resource. Nearshoring taps talent in more cost-effective geographies; providers are more remote than a local company but closer than those overseas.
If a nearshore provider features BIM expertise, they can take receipt of project data and quickly perform a range of administrative tasks with virtually no confusion. These tasks include:
- BIM modeling
- CAD operations
- Contractor recruitment
- Project coordination and assistance
Connected data systems enable remote work of all kinds, and nearshoring these functions can lower costs considerably. So construction firms might also think about nearshoring their IT support as part of a larger service package. Such capabilities can do the same for construction-adjacent services like:
- Architectural Designers
- Data Engineers
- Software Developers
- Quality Assurance
How Building Information Modeling Helps with Peak Demand
Leveraging BIM data addresses one of the chief concerns about outsourcing or nearshoring administrative tasks on a construction project: clear communications. The same advantages that BIM gives the core team of clients, architects, engineers, and construction managers can be extended to the project administrators, in the office or remotely.
With a clear understanding of what the project requires – in skills, budget, and schedule – nearshore providers can seamlessly and cost-effectively execute on a range of tasks:
- Overcome local labor shortages. A nearshore provider is well-positioned to access a wider pool of tradespeople.
- Quickly ramp your workforce up or down as needed. An outsource contractor of back-office functions gives general contractors scalability and flexibility in managing overhead.
- Free up your internal team to focus on core business needs. By reducing the administrative burden of active projects, client relations and business development can get the attention they need to help grow the business.
The BIM data informs the task list and timeline for the work to be done. And a nearshore resource enables a firm to do that work more consistently and cost-effectively than trying to manage it all in-house.
Easily Navigate Peak Demands with Solvo’s Construction Outsourcing
As a tech-powered nearshore resource, Solvo performs business process outsourcing (BPO) services for a range of industries, with construction being one of the main focuses. Solvo can bring BIM data utilization to every project that needs it. When combined with Solvo’s service orientation, clients can get all the support they need with greater clarity and precision.
Construction firms can more quickly and cost-effectively address the challenges of busy season: locating contractors more quickly, securing supplies and materials within budget, and managing worksite schedules. Not only can GCs run their projects more efficiently, but they can also use the experience to help them in bidding and winning projects going forward.
If you’re struggling during busy season or looking for even better ways to take your firm to the next level, talk to Solvo and turn information into your most powerful building tool.
