NM Group is set to introduce a virtual collaboration space, as part of its next phase of BIM development in their journey towards full lifecycle asset data management and big data.
The engineering and construction company has invested in cloud-based Viewpoint for Projects to give its project teams and clients instant, secure access to a complete, up-to-date picture of every contract.
Gary Ross, Head of BIM at NM Group, said: “This substantial investment in project collaboration technology will significantly enhance our company-wide BIM capability. The roll-out will help us make data work smarter to improve all aspects of project delivery for our clients – enhancing processes and efficiency.”
As a central store for assets such as drawings, submittals, contracts, photos and project models, Viewpoint for Projects facilitates sharing and collaboration between NM Group’s project teams and their clients. Using 3D visualisation, they can walk together through the most current version of project models enabling earlier design reviews and clash avoidance.
Via desktop or mobile web browsers, users can access project data from any location. The software also enhances security and control of data quality and movement– particularly important with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforceable from next year.
Designed specifically for the construction industry, Viewpoint for Projects will support the BIM Level 2-compliant processes in place across all five of NM Group’s divisions, including document change tracking, workflow approval, reports and requests for information. BIM Level 2 compliance is now a prerequisite for construction suppliers tendering for centrally-procured government projects.
“Vast amounts of digital project data are now being shared and moved around in the construction industry,” said Ross. “With Viewpoint for Projects as our CDE (Common Data Environment) in line with PAS 1192, we can bring everyone’s information together in a virtual space, strengthening our culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration.”
NM Group, which operates across the Construction, Highways, Power, Telecommunication and Water industries, will use the new software to constantly monitor, measure and improve processes. Ross predicted that would help enhance efficiency by 10-20 per cent over the next two years. Viewpoint for Projects will be fully adopted by NM Group by March 2018 by which point every employee will be able to use it.
Ross added: “It’s our pathway to BIM Level 3 and is fundamental to our future direction as a business. Better use of BIM files is our first and crucial step towards using individual asset data to drive a big data approach to lifecycle asset management.”