BIM and cost

BIM and 5D cost estimating in Malaysia

A building information model can count and measure what has been modelled. It cannot tell you what the work costs in Johor this quarter, or word an item the way a tenderer expects. This guide covers what 5D BIM means for the estimator and how to get from model quantities to a priced Bill of Quantities.

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What BIM changes for the estimator

In a BIM workflow the design is a model of objects, such as walls, slabs, columns and doors, each carrying its own dimensions and properties. Quantities can be scheduled out of the model instead of being measured from drawings by hand.

5D BIM is the name given to linking cost to that model, alongside the 3D geometry and the programme (often called 4D). The promise is that when the design changes, the quantities change with it and the cost can follow.

What a model gives you, and what it leaves out

What you get

Counts, lengths, areas and volumes of the elements that were modelled, grouped the way the model is organised.

Work that is not modelled

Formwork, excavation, working space, sundries and temporary works are rarely drawn as objects, so they do not appear in a schedule.

Measurement rules

A model reports geometry. A standard method of measurement has its own rules on what is measured, how it is described and in which unit.

Prices

A quantity is not a cost. Rates still have to come from somewhere, for the right period and the right state.

Preliminaries, prime cost sums, provisional sums and contingencies also sit outside the model. That is why model quantities are a starting point for a bill, and why the estimator's judgement still decides what goes into it.

From model quantities to a priced SMM2 bill

Export the quantities. Schedule the quantities out of your BIM authoring tool and save them as an Excel spreadsheet.
Import the spreadsheet. In the Caprix BOQ Builder, Import reads an Excel file in your browser and maps its columns into an editable bill, with multi-sheet allocation for workbooks that hold several bills. Excel import is free.
Bring the wording to SMM2. Rewrite a model-style description to SMM2 wording for 1 credit, and use Items to draft the items a trade is missing, for you to review before anything is added.
Price it. Look up live material, labour and machinery rates from inside a row, or compose a rate build-up and save it to your rate library.
Check it. Review flags missing trades, unit mismatches and suspicious quantities or rates before the bill goes out.
Export it. Preview and export a tender-ready PDF on Pro and Max.

What Caprix does and does not do with BIM

To be clear about the boundary: Caprix does not open BIM models or IFC files, and it does not take off quantities from a model or from drawings. Measurement stays with you and your BIM or take-off tool.

Caprix picks up after the take-off. It is where the quantities become a structured, correctly worded and priced SMM2 Bill of Quantities, grounded in Malaysian rates.

Keeping cost in step with design changes

Models change often, and each change can move the bill. Once a bill is issued, Caprix records each round of changes as a numbered Addendum or Variation Order with a reason, and keeps a running amended total. Compare puts two versions of a project side by side and explains the gap line by line.

Before a model exists at all, Estimate turns a one-line building brief into an elemental budget, so there is a cost target for the design to work to. See how cost per m² estimates work →

Questions about BIM and cost

Does Caprix read Revit or IFC files?

No. Caprix does not open BIM models or IFC files and does not measure quantities from a model or drawings. Export the quantities from your BIM tool to Excel, then import the spreadsheet into the BOQ Builder to structure, word and price the bill.

What is 5D BIM?

5D BIM means linking cost information to a building information model, in addition to its 3D geometry and the construction programme, which is often called 4D. The aim is for quantities and cost to update as the design changes.

Can I use BIM quantities directly in a Bill of Quantities?

Use them as a starting point. A model reports the geometry of what was modelled. A bill has to follow the rules of the standard method of measurement, and it includes work that is usually not modelled, such as formwork, excavation, preliminaries and provisional sums. Check the quantities against those rules before you rely on them.

Do I still need a Bill of Quantities on a BIM project?

Where the contract is let on a bill, yes. Tenderers still need a common, itemised document to price, and the bill remains the basis for valuing variations and interim payments. BIM changes how the quantities are produced, not the need for the document.

How do I price the quantities once they are in a bill?

Inside the BOQ Builder you can look up a live material, labour or machinery rate from any row for 2 credits, compose a rate build-up from components, or pull a saved rate from your rate library. Building the bill and composing build-ups are free on every plan.

Is it free to try?

Yes. The free plan gives you 50 credits that reset every month, with no credit card. See plans →

Turn model quantities into a priced bill

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