How to Tackle Corruption in Construction through BIM?
Did you know construction is rampant in the construction industry? Did you know that corruption in construction can make up for 10% to 30% of the total project cost? Did you know that in developing countries this figure can reach up to a mammoth 45%?
Corruption in the construction industry undermines economic growth, increases project costs, and diminishes public trust (which, in the case of developing countries, has already reached the lowest possible levels). However, you can harness the power of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to make your projects more transparent. How? Well, this is exactly what our experts are going to answer. So, stay with us!
Corruption in Construction
Corruption in construction comes in a wide array of forms such as bribery, fraud, kickbacks, and bid-rigging. These unethical practices occur at any stage of the project, including planning, procurement, execution, and maintenance.
One of the biggest impacts of corruption on any project is increased costs. It occurs in the form of inflated bids, unnecessary delays, and substandard materials. When costs are inflated, it results in compromised quality and when quality gets compromised, it means the project will be plagued by safety hazards. As a result of which public trust is diminished.
The New Delhi airport T1 roof collapse is a perfect example of that. Bloomberg reported, “ The deadly roof collapse at India’s busiest airport is the latest in a string of infrastructure failures, raising safety questions as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to spend billions of dollars to improve transportation.”
See, an isolated incident happened, and it has already broken the trust of the public and foreign investors in the Indian government. Now, let’s move to the topic:
Corruption in Construction: How BIM Tackles It?
BIM plays a key role in tackling corruption. Let’s explore how;
Enhanced Transparency & Accountability
One of the biggest features of BIM is that it establishes a single data repository to ensure that all project information is stored in a single location. This repository acts as a single source of truth and is accessible to all stakeholders. Such enhanced transparency leaves no room for corrupt practices to go unnoticed. You might be wondering how? Well, every action in the BIM environment is logged, creating a clear audit. This makes it extremely easy for you to track changes, identify the parties responsible for these changes, and detect irregularities.
Likewise, you can use BIM software to set stringent control regimes over who can access and modify data. Restricted access to sensitive information will completely reduce the risk of data tampering.
Improved Project Monitoring and Reporting
BIM empowers you to enable real-time monitoring and reporting. This real-time information flow means you now have a comprehensive overview of the project’s progress at your fingertips. This feature of BIM is extremely helpful in tackling corruption as stakeholders regularly receive updates on project milestones, budgets, and timelines. Access to real-time data further increases the likelihood of receiving manipulated reports.
Additionally, you can use 3D BIM models to visualize and identify potential discrepancies, and deviations from the original plan.
Streamlined Procurement Processes
This phase in any construction project is the most vulnerable to corrupt practices. However, BIM comes to your rescue again in this critical stage. How? Well, in this phase, you need to leverage the power of BIM standardized documentation; doing so ensures that all bids are evaluated based on the same criteria. Likewise, BIM enables competitive bidding as it provides detailed project specifications and requirements. It translates into completely eliminating the likelihood of biased selections.
Quality Assurance & Control
Using BIM, you can set up rigorous quality assurance and control measures to combat corruption-related quality issues. BIM’s clash detection capabilities identify conflicts between different building systems early in the design phase, preventing costly rework and reducing opportunities for fraudulent claims. Similarly, BIM tracks materials from procurement to installation, ensuring that specified materials are used and reducing the risk of substandard substitutions.
Efficient Communication and Collaboration
Another area where BIM excels is that it makes communication and collaboration a lot more efficient. The same is critical to minimize corruption. BIM forces all parties to use centralized communication channels to ensure that all stakeholders remain on the same page throughout the project lifecycle. Doing so reduces the likelihood of miscommunication. Similarly, BIM integrates workflows across different disciplines. This feature of BIM fosters collaboration while keeping the risk of isolated decision-making at bay.
Suggested: BIM and collaboration
Data-Driven Decision Making
Data-centric approach lies at the core of the BIM. This data-driven method of project delivery means there will be less reliance on subjective judgments and potential manipulation. When any practice adopts BIM, the former uses the latter’s feature of predictive analysis to forecast any potential issue. The same is used to optimize project outcomes. It enables you to avoid chances of unforeseen complications that could be exploited.
Furthermore, you can use BIM’s performance metric to track the progress throughout the project lifecycle. These performance metrics provide critical data to evaluate progress and identify areas of concerns.
Corruption in Construction – BIM Adoption is The Way Forward
Several countries have leveraged BIM to combat corruption in construction. For instance, the United Kingdom’s mandate for BIM Level 2 on public projects has led to significant improvements in transparency and accountability. Likewise, Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority has implemented BIM to enhance project management and reduce corruption. Malaysia has recently mandated BIM for all public and private projects. Norway is another example where public sector projects have adopted BIM to improve efficiency and reduce corruption.
Those countries that are still struggling with BIM adoption will continue to pay the price in the form of unabated corruption. By enhancing transparency, improving project monitoring, streamlining procurement processes, ensuring quality control, fostering collaboration, and enabling data-driven decision-making, BIM can significantly reduce the opportunities for corrupt practices.