Leveraging Building Information Models to Support Supply Chain Decisions in Construction Projects

This study uses Vrijhoef and Koskela's model on the four roles of supply chain management (SCM) in construction to investigate how building information modeling (BIM) can be used in the management of construction supply chains. Two important facts are known about supply chains in general: 1. supply chains compete for projects, not isolated companies; and 2. participants who can see each other's needs are able to better manage their business and ultimately better serve their clients. In this environment, BIM may be used as a catalyst to provide visibility in terms of product, project, and participants' requirements to the extended supply chain working to deliver a project. The authors identify cases provided by the literature and ongoing case studies in which BIM has been utilized to exchange information with suppliers. The cases are categorized using the model to identify which SCM roles are currently being used for different products based not only on the characteristics of the products but also the supplier's approach to delivering product and services. The findings point out the supply chain decisions that were enabled by BIM as well as opportunities for further application of models to facilitate the implementation of supply chain practices in construction.