In recent years, design engineering has made a big step towards development and reliability. Companies constantly improve their work and use new software packages for designing and calculating industrial and civil facilities.

Software helps to perform work efficiently and fast and creates a result that encourages the customer to cooperate with companies, using modern technologies. 

But nevertheless, calculation of design cost and survey works for construction, carried out on the territory of Ukraine is still performed in accordance with DBN D.1.1-7-2000. Design companies cannot include the cost of using software in their work cost calculations, therefore these expenses are not covered by the customer. 

As of 2024, there is no legislative requirement for the mandatory use of BIM (Building Information Model) for design and calculations. 

It should be changed, because BIM technologies are a new approach to managing digital information in construction industry, allowing a facility to be virtually simulated before the construction starts. 

Today, the Ukrainian design market without BIM technology has become uncompetitive in the world, because all large European companies or holdings have been working hard on it for a long time and look more attractive. 

Currently, such companies as METINVEST and ArcelorMittal have been using BIM technologies in the field of metallurgy in Ukraine for more than 5 years and use their own corporate standards. 

It is worth noting that BIM design allows for better tracking and verification of the required volumes of materials and equipment during construction of facilities, and it reduces the possibility of manipulation of construction costs, especially when using budget funds. 

BIM programs improve work at all design levels from the initial stage to the completion of the facility construction. 

Benefits for the Purchaser of BIM modeling:

1. Fast attaining desired objectives;

2. Simultaneous work of many design departments and work quality control;

3. Fast search of collisions in a project;

4. Openness and transparency of work;

5. 3D visualization for the Customer at all work stages;

6. Control of purchased materials during the design process;

7. Reducing construction costs and optimizing operation costs;

8. Using a BIM model at all operation stages of the facility;

A possibility for the Customer to select a program for execution of the order at the initial stage of the project by himself.

Based on the above advantages, we can confidently say that the transition to BIM design at the national level will have a positive impact on all sectors of the Ukrainian economy and namely: 

will reduce costs and project implementation times and allow for a better operability of the facilities, complying with the requirements of the BIM model; 

will increase the ability of inspection bodies to analyze quantities of building materials provided, thereby reducing the possibility of misuse of funds. 

Currently, there is only “DSTU ISO 19650-1:2020 Organization and digitalization of information on buildings and structures, including building information modeling (BIM). Information management using building information modeling.” Legislative proposal No. 6383 – “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Introduction of Building Information Modeling (BIM Technology) at All Stages of the Life Cycle and Scientific and Technical Support, Improving the Procedure for Surveying Facilities taken in Operation as Required by Law” has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It was presented by a Committee on Organizing state power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning» and is in the second reading. 

The purpose of the adoption of the legislative proposal of Ukraine. On Introduction of Building Information Modeling (BIM Technology) at All Stages of the Life Cycle and Scientific and Technical Support, Improving the Procedure for Surveying Facilities taken in Operation as Required by Law ” is to create legal conditions for using modern technologies of construction information modeling as one of the main tools for further modernization and digital transformation of the construction industry of Ukraine. 

Therefore, we propose to include mandatory using of BIM programs in design engineering processes and, accordingly, add a clause for accounting software cost with the rules of determining design and survey work costs for constructions, carried out on the territory of Ukraine in accordance with DBN D.1.1-7-2000. 

Oleksandr Vynohradov – director and founder of the company “M TECHNOLOGY” LLC, Kharkiv.