Assessing usefulness of 4D BIM tools in risk mitigation strategies

Abstract

With an increasing demand for mitigating the impact of infrastructure projects on their surrounding environment, contractors are demanded to incorporate risk mitigation strategies in their bids for public projects. There is, however, little knowledge available on how 4D BIM tools can best be used during the procurement phase to support the development of more effective risk mitigation strategies. An in-depth qualitative case-study was conducted to understand how the use of 4D BIM tools could support the process of risk mitigation. The case-study was the procurement phase of a billion-euro canal lock expansion project in The Netherlands, where each of the competing contractors made use of 4D BIM tools to mitigate planning risks. The findings show how the use of 4D BIM tools could greatly support the development of highly effective risk mitigation strategies. This study extends 4D BIM literature by presenting empirical evidence on the use of 4D BIM tools during the procurement phase of a complex infrastructure project. • Use of 4D BIM tools supports the development of effective risk mitigation strategies. • 4D BIM tools are useful in evaluating various design and process alternatives. • Risk mitigation strategies yield benefits for contractors, client and users.