BIM adoption in integrated supply chains: A multiple case study

Abstract

This paper explored the status of BIM adoption in construction Supply Chains (SC). The benefits of BIM are found from design management, to virtual construction and site management. The study is structured upon the assumption that BIM not only supports intra-firm collaboration, but also improves inter-firm collaboration in projects with SC management (SCM) application. Next, a set of real-world SCM projects was analysed empirically via interviews and questionnaires. These BIM-based SCM projects displayed various degrees of SC team integration and BIM collaboration routines. The multi-case analysis suggested that BIM-readiness was a significant parameter for choosing partners and forming the SC partnership. Finally, the paper compared various levels of BIM collaboration to SC maturity and discussed the benefits and lessons learned from combining BIM technology and SCM theory.