How Construction Companies Should Use BIM in Construction: A Take from Frame

Building Information Modeling has fundamentally changed how we design buildings. Yet for many construction companies, especially small to mid-size firms, BIM remains confined to the design phase—a sophisticated coordination tool that rarely makes it to the construction site. The question we hear most often is: “How do we actually use BIM during construction?”

At Frame, we’ve spent years working with contractors and consultants who are trying to answer this exact question. We’re not here to tell you what large enterprises already know. Instead, we want to share our practical approach to extending BIM’s value throughout the entire project lifecycle, with a special focus on where it matters most: the construction phase.

How is BIM Used in Construction

Here’s the reality: BIM is not usually used during the construction or execution phase. Most projects follow a predictable pattern—the design team creates detailed BIM models for coordination and clash detection, those models get approved, and then construction begins with 2D drawings and Excel spreadsheets.

The model that took months to develop becomes a reference document rather than a living tool. Field teams revert to traditional methods because the software required to access BIM is expensive, complex, and designed for designers, not contractors. The disconnect is real, and it’s costing the industry time and money.

This doesn’t have to be the standard workflow. When implemented correctly, BIM can serve as the central nervous system for construction operations—providing real-time visibility, improving communication, and helping teams make better decisions based on actual model data rather than outdated markups.

Who Uses BIM in Construction

The real power of BIM in construction emerges when it becomes accessible to everyone involved in a project, not just the design team. This means creating a two-way communication channel between the office and the field.

Office teams and directors need visibility into what’s happening on-site. They need to track progress, monitor budgets, and identify potential issues before they escalate. BIM can provide this oversight, but only if the data flows back from the field in a structured, consistent way.

Contractors and field teams need practical tools that work with their existing processes. They need to update quantities, verify installations, report progress, and flag issues—all without learning complex software or carrying expensive equipment to the job site.

When both groups can interact with the same model, in their own ways, using tools they already understand, that’s when BIM starts delivering value during construction. The model becomes a shared source of truth rather than a static design artifact.

What are the 5 Benefits of BIM in Construction

Based on our work with construction teams, we’ve identified five tangible benefits that BIM brings to the construction phase when implemented thoughtfully:

1. Greater Project Control BIM gives project managers a comprehensive view of what’s been installed, what’s in progress, and what’s coming next. Instead of piecing together information from multiple sources, you have a single model that reflects reality.

2. Day-to-Day Visibility Track progress at a granular level. See which elements have been installed, identify bottlenecks, and understand productivity trends across different trades and project phases.

3. Improved Error Detection Catch discrepancies between design intent and field reality before they become expensive problems. When field teams can easily compare what’s installed against what’s in the model, issues surface faster.

4. Reduced Budget Overruns Better tracking leads to better cost control. When quantities are verified against the model and progress is accurately measured, payment applications become more precise and disputes decrease.

5. Faster Payment Approvals Owners and project managers can verify completed work directly against the model. This transparency speeds up approval processes and improves cash flow for contractors—a critical benefit for smaller firms.

How Do Contractors Use BIM

This is where Frame’s practical approach comes in. Through our work with contractors and consultants, we’ve learned that the key to BIM adoption in construction is meeting teams where they are, not forcing them to completely change their workflows.

Most construction professionals already use Microsoft Excel for quantity takeoffs, cost tracking, and progress reporting. It’s universal, familiar, and flexible. So instead of asking contractors to learn new BIM software, we bring BIM models into Excel through Frame’s Excel integration feature.

Here’s how it works in practice:

Frame Excel Integration Demo Video

Frame’s BIM for Excel feature connects your Autodesk and IFC models directly to Excel spreadsheets. Contractors can open an interactive 3D model right inside Excel—no specialized software required. You can filter your spreadsheet and see those elements highlight in the 3D viewer. Select elements in the model, and your Excel data filters automatically.

This bi-directional connection transforms how field teams interact with BIM. They can:

• View the model on any device, including tablets in the field
• Create custom properties on the fly to track installation status, issues, or progress
• Color-code elements based on Excel data (complete, in-progress, not started)
• Customize information views without modifying the original model
• Export enriched data to Power BI dashboards for executive reporting

For a detailed walkthrough of these capabilities, visit our Excel Integration Features Page.

The beauty of this approach is that it leverages BIM construction Autodesk technology while keeping the interface familiar. Your team doesn’t need Revit or Navisworks licenses to interact with the model. They work in Excel—the tool they already know.

As consultants, we consistently recommend this approach because it removes the biggest barrier to BIM adoption in construction: complexity. When everyone can participate, the value multiplies.

BIM Construction Management

From a construction management perspective, this approach creates a centralized point of control. Project managers can:

• Monitor multiple projects from a single Power BI dashboard
• Track productivity metrics across different trades
• Compare planned schedules against actual progress
• Generate reports for owners with visual model data
• Maintain audit trails of field changes and decisions

The model becomes more than a design reference—it becomes your project management platform. Every decision, every update, every issue logged in Excel flows back into your overall project intelligence system.

This level of integration is critical for modern construction management. It’s no longer enough to manage projects through weekly meetings and email chains. Teams need real-time visibility, and they need it in a format that supports data-driven decision-making.

BIM Technology in Construction

The construction industry has no shortage of digitalization options. New platforms and technologies emerge constantly, each promising to revolutionize the way we build. It’s overwhelming, especially for small to mid-size companies with limited budgets and bandwidth.

Our philosophy at Frame is simple: start with familiar tools first, prove the value, then expand. Don’t force your team to adopt completely new systems before they understand why they need them.

By connecting BIM to Excel and Power BI—tools most construction companies already use—you create a foundation for digital transformation that feels natural rather than disruptive. Teams see immediate value because they’re working in environments they understand. Once that value is clear, they become more open to additional tools and workflows.

BIM technology in construction should enhance your existing processes, not replace them wholesale. The goal is to make your team more efficient and informed, not to tick a “we use BIM” checkbox.

Summary

BIM doesn’t have to end at the design phase. For small to mid-size construction companies, the key to unlocking value during construction is accessibility—bringing BIM into the tools your teams already use.

Frame’s approach focuses on practical implementation: connecting Autodesk and IFC models to Excel, enabling field teams to interact with BIM without specialized software, and creating data pipelines that feed into Power BI dashboards for management oversight.

The benefits are tangible: better project control, improved error detection, reduced budget overruns, and faster payment cycles. But these benefits only materialize when BIM becomes accessible to everyone involved in a project, not just the design team.

Conclusion

Construction companies should use BIM as a living tool throughout the entire project lifecycle, especially during the construction phase where its value is often unrealized. The path forward isn’t about buying more software or hiring BIM specialists—it’s about making the models you already create accessible and actionable for the people building the project.

If you’re struggling to see BIM value beyond design, start simple. Connect your models to Excel. Let your field teams interact with BIM in a familiar environment. Build from there.

The digital transformation of construction doesn’t require a revolution. It requires thoughtful integration of new capabilities into proven workflows. That’s the Frame approach, and it’s working for teams just like yours.

Ready to bring your BIM models into Excel and unlock construction-phase value? Get started with Frame today.