Why remote CAD/BIM?

Why a remote BIM team is less risky than it sounds

The construction sector has a reputation for being traditional and not very innovative. Although this image is partly based on prejudice, the fact remains that architects and builders are risk-averse. And that’s understandable. Small mistakes in design or execution can have major consequences, and a single misstep can already be fatal for an architect or contractor. Experiments are therefore risky. So how logical does it seem to start working with an international remote team…

Yet that step is less bold than it seems. As early-stage partners, we faced the challenge of finding – and keeping – good BIM modellers who could help us handle a growing number of projects.
When this turned out to be nearly impossible in the Dutch labour market, we started analysing how our projects are developed and how communication within those projects works.

Problems we encountered

In our daily practice, we encountered a number of recognisable problems, such as:

• BIM modelling is demanding and precise work, and its importance is often underestimated. Unfortunately, this makes the profession less popular among Dutch professionals.

• Starters on the labour market often see a modeller position as a first step in their career and are therefore difficult to retain within an organisation. When they leave, they often take valuable knowledge with them.

• More time is often spent on modelling work than initially expected. This puts pressure on drafting departments. As a result, too much project information tends to remain in the project leader’s head instead of in the model. If problems then arise in the project, the project leader becomes the bottleneck.

• Companies experiment with outsourcing seemingly simple – foolproof – drafting work, particularly to India (offshoring). This leads to major challenges due to time zones, quality control, safeguarding of intellectual property, and cultural differences in communication.

We also saw opportunities:

• Much communication with clients and partners takes place via email and Teams.
• Projects increasingly have international teams, making English the working language.
• English-speaking colleagues in our office become surprisingly quickly familiar with Dutch technical terms and regulations.
• In ICT, remote service is already the standard. Large companies have their own offshoring providers in, for example, India, operating under their direct management.
• Those same ICT companies increasingly work with European remote service partners (nearshoring) to simplify communication and quality assurance.

When it turned out that Novi Sad was already a hub for ICT services to Dutch clients, the decision to start a company for remote CAD and BIM services there was quickly made.
A company in Serbia can easily be brought under Dutch management, allowing us to keep communication and quality assurance in our own hands.
We are also literally close to our clients in Serbia – our people can, if necessary, be sitting at the table the very next working day.
And all that while retaining the advantages of offshoring. A solid foundation for good cooperation!

Interested? Get in touch and discover who we are, what drives us and why more and more companies choose our expertise.