Cătălin Podaru, CEO Leviatan Design & Ubitech Construcții

In 2023, the construction industry faces multiple challenges, which have a direct impact on the costs of design and execution services. First and foremost, there is a shortage of specialists in both design and execution, as well as among skilled and unskilled personnel for construction sites.

At the same time, the price of design and execution services is influenced by financing costs, which have doubled over the past year. Financing costs have a significant impact on large-scale projects, given that financing is essential for the successful completion of projects.

Additionally, the costs of execution services are influenced by the rampant increase in prices and the problems recorded in the supply chain, which affect orders for construction materials and equipment.

Salaries are another element reflected in the price of design and execution services. Although our companies increased salaries by 20% on average this year, the price increases generated by inflation and other factors have created real challenges in providing salaries that motivate staff, so they do not consider emigrating.

The lowest price in the bidding phase can lead to multiple problems and errors in design

Beneficiaries should clearly define their requirements, specifically their space usage needs, so that the design team can determine the optimal technical specifications for the project in relation to the established budget. Obviously, space usage varies from beneficiary to beneficiary, depending on their scale.

Also, choosing the design and execution company is very important. In introductory meetings, beneficiaries should request the presentation of work methods and the methodology used during the project’s implementation and execution, as well as concrete examples of their implementation.

It is imperative that the presentation of work methods and management capacity be in accordance with the price offer, given that many beneficiaries choose the lowest price in the bidding phase, and later encounter multiple problems and errors during the project implementation.

Beneficiaries should also ask the design and execution company for a portfolio of completed projects, both for the design phase and for the execution phase, in accordance with the BIM standard. Even if most beneficiaries are still not familiar with this process standard, they can research the benefits it brings in the design and execution phases, as well as in the exploitation phase. Only in this way can beneficiaries make the right decision, which ensures a high level of project quality.

BIM allows beneficiaries to monitor the progress of the project implementation almost in real time

The beneficiaries’ interest in new materials and technologies is continuously increasing, given the multiple advantages they offer, both for beneficiaries and for design and execution companies. However, it should be emphasized that major beneficiaries are more inclined towards sustainable projects, while small beneficiaries are more reluctant to implement sustainable solutions in construction projects, considering that these involve higher costs.

The BIM technology is certainly among the beneficiaries’ preferences, thus following the trend recorded at European Union level, where BIM is becoming a necessity.

The use of BIM methodology in design and execution provides beneficiaries with more transparency and direct control elements at all stages of the project, losses are reduced, and the number of remediation works for errors is decreased. BIM ensures rapid coordination between specialties, and beneficiaries can understand the technical and design implications of the project, already in the design phase, even without having technical knowledge. Moreover, beneficiaries can monitor the progress of implementation and how quality requirements imposed in the project are respected almost in real time.

It is very important to mention that BIM contributes to reducing decision-making time during project realization and implementation, and the biggest benefit for beneficiaries comes in the operation phase, as BIM provides beneficiaries with detailed information about the built space and the possibility of intelligent exploitation.

Sustainable construction materials are also among the preferences of more and more beneficiaries, which means that the projectswe carry out can be increasingly energy-efficient, with a reduced impact on the environment.

Read the full article on Arena Construcțiilor >>>  https://bit.ly/3Z9CBP5.