Bill of Quantities with 3D Views Using Building Information Modeling

An approach for enhancing the production efficiency of bill of quantities (BQ) used on construction projects is presented. The approach was developed to integrate the quantities obtained from a building information model of the project into a suitably prepared electronic format of BQ with 3D views. In this format of BQ, the building information modeling (BIM) technology provides enhanced functionality to a contractor's quantity surveyor whose primary task is to accurately determine the quantities from the project drawings. A review of the traditional BQ preparation methods is presented to highlight their characteristics and to reflect on their benefits and barriers. Questionnaire surveys were conducted with various groups of respondents to obtain their opinions about the proposed BQ format. They included experienced quantity surveyors from the public and the private sectors, postgraduate, and undergraduate students studying in BIM-related courses. The results of the questionnaire survey showed mostly a positive view toward the proposed BQ format. Slight differences in the opinions of these three groups were also present. It is expected that the approach as presented in this paper for the development of BQ with 3D BIM views could usefully be incorporated into the standard quantity surveying practices for quantity takeoffs in various countries.