BIM usage doubled in the industry between 2012 and 2013, being instrumental in 4% of projects completed in 2012 but 9% last year, according to the compendium of data on the industry in the latest UK Industry Performance Report.
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The KPIs reveal trends on a host of issues, including the percentage of projects finishing on time, to budget, and to client expectations; estimates of industry profitability and productivity, data on carbon emissions in buildings and on site; and a snapshot of the industry workforce.
Among the findings, and contrasting with the BIM results, there was a dip in client’s satisfaction on the provision of information on projects, from 73% in 2012 to 69%.
Alan Wilen, economics director of Glenigan, said: “For the first time, the survey asked whether BIM was being used on a project, and found it being implemented on a small but rapidly growing proportion of projects. This rapid growth in BIM usage has the potential to lift this KPI in future surveys, as well as a host of other measures, including those covering client satisfaction, project predictability and environmental performance.”
The industry’s performance on delivering to scheduled dates still shows substantial room for improvement: just 45% of projects were said to be on time or better, although this has risen from the 34% recorded in 2012. In addition, the slippage in construction programmes itself is less severe, and improving: 67% were said to be on time or better, compared to 42% in 2012.
Despite the problems of delivering projects as building cost inflation took hold in 2012-13, the industry’s record on completing projects to budget slightly improved in the latest report, when 69% were completed at or below the predicted cost, compared to 61% in 2012.
But contractors’ median margins, before interest and tax, fell to 2.1% in 2014, compared to 2.7% in 2012 and a record of 9.9% in 2009.
Client satisfaction with buildings and the industry’s service were fairly stable between the 2012 report and this year’s, but there was a dip in satisfaction with value for money, standing at 75% (scoring their experience at 8/10 or better) compared to 78% in 2012.
However, there was better news on productivity, which has seen a sustained improvement throughout the recession years – as companies built out projects while shedding staff – and in the recovery. Adjusted for inflation, the median value added per employee was £61,400 in 2014, compared to £60,000 in 2012, £45,400 in 2009 and a low of £39,800 in 2001.
Glenigan gathered the data by sending a questionnaire to the client, main contractor and principal consultant on every project it recorded as completed in 2012/13.
