Critical Risk Factors of Stakeholder Collaboration Impacting BIM Implementation in High-Rise Residential Building Projects Under the DBB System: A Delphi Survey

Abstract

Although the design-bid-build (DBB) system has poor stakeholder collaboration due to the separation between architects, engineers, and contractors in its linear process, resulting in longer schedules and cost overruns, DBB remains the most widely used project delivery system due to its benefits, such as higher competition and the owner’s absolute control over the project. Researchers and practitioners expect building information modeling (BIM) implementation to improve stakeholder collaboration due to its potential to bridge the collaboration gap between these stakeholders, ensuring better coordination and motivating cost reduction. However, the fragmented nature of DBB still poses significant challenges to effective stakeholder collaboration, impacting BIM implementation negatively. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify and rank critical risk factors (CRFs) related to stakeholder collaboration impacting BIM implementation in the context of high-rise residential building projects delivered by DBB. By adopting a Delphi procedure, this study identified such CRFs by triangulating the knowledge from the literature and the experience of an expert panel recruited from the construction industry. Seven CRFs were selected and ranked through three rounds of a Delphi survey. Analysis revealed that the rankings remained unchanged despite the increasing degree of consensus among experts. The highest-ranking negative CRFs were “Inappropriate mindset of BIM collaboration process,” “Awareness of additional roles and responsibilities,” and “Disconnection in the information flow and BIM process.” A matrix of nine recommended solutions that can be applied across different CRFs was collected from the expert panel to improve the productivity of BIM collaboration under DBB. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the CRFs of BIM-based collaboration between stakeholders under a nonintegrated delivery system like DBB. The findings of this study can ensure successful project completion by creating awareness and allowing professionals and researchers to develop practical strategies for delivering BIM-based DBB projects.