Hard Dollar Introduces 5D-BIM Server Uniting Design, Resources, Cost, Schedule and Project Control to Deliver Centralized Project Management and Connectivity
April 21, 2009 – Scottsdale, AZ – Hard Dollar Corporation, the industry innovator of Project Cost Management, today announced the industries first 5D-BIM Server (Building Information Modeling) providing dynamic “Oneness” integration between CAD designs, estimating, scheduling, project controls, and accounting; fulfilling the industry’s vision of elevating BIM to the 5D level. According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s SmartMarket Report on BIM, “Contractors reported achieving up to a 1,000% ROI using BIM” and should experience even greater returns once 4D and 5D capabilities become available.
BIM represents an evolution from traditional 2D CAD design to a dynamic 3D model built around a database of a project’s physical and functional characteristics. To date the advantage of using BIM in building projects has been for visualization and clash detection. Hard Dollar’s latest 5D-BIM Server delivers 4D (scheduling) and 5D (cost) capabilities simply and automatically to drive rapid adoption by Contractors, Construction Managers and Owners.
According to the McGraw-Hill Construction Interoperability in the Construction Industry SmartMarket Report, lack of interoperability between software systems adds a minimum of 3% to every construction project and costs the industry approximately $14 billion dollars per year. The 5D-BIM server provides a standard for data exchange throughout the construction project lifecycle.
The 5D-BIM Server creates an integration layer that enables dynamic access to any third-party data across and throughout the project from design to completion. Hard Dollar’s Project Cost Management system is a fully integrated suite of modules providing estimating, scheduling, project controls and analytical reporting. Using BIM, Hard Dollar provides the industry’s most robust, dynamic real-time, bi-directional integration to leading scheduling systems from Oracle Primavera and Microsoft Project. The “Oneness” integration to scheduling completes the cycle of converting CAD design data into a production based cost and resource loaded schedule.
The integration between the estimate, the schedule and Project Controls provides highly accurate, real-time Earned Value Reporting. “The benefits are enormous and immediate for Contractors and stakeholders of a construction project,” stated Doug Nicholas, CEO of Hard Dollar.
Incorporating BIM with Project Cost Management provides Construction Operations the flexibility and real-time information required to execute complex capital projects and eliminates duplicate data entry while maintaining integrity between Operations and the financial ERP system. “Our customers have realized up to 30% increases on project gross margins by having real-time production data and the flexibility to easily model cost and schedule changes,” stated Nicholas.
The 5D-BIM Server incorporates over 50 BIM integration points to handle data requirements from many leading industry products. Standard integrations support industry leading CAD and construction modeling solutions from Bentley Systems, AVEVA, Intergraph and Autodesk. Scheduling system integrations include Oracle, Primavera, Microsoft Project, and over 35 financial ERP systems including Timberline, Viewpoint, Computer Guidance Corporation, JD Edwards, SAP, and Oracle financials. The 5D-BIM Server also provides dynamic integration with Microsoft Excel and estimating data from 3rd party products including HCSS, Bid2Win, US Cost, Timberline, MC2-Ice and WinEst. Integration to other estimating systems provides Contractors with the ability to gain the advantages of 5D-BIM and advanced project controls without reinvesting in new estimating software.
The 5D-BIM Server is priced modularly and is available now from Hard Dollar and its authorized partners around the world.
About Hard Dollar
Founded in 1989, Hard Dollar Corporation is the world’s leading provider of Project Cost Management systems for Owners and Contractors. The comprehensive software is designed specifically to manage the rigorous and ever-changing demands of enterprise-scale projects to maximize profits and control costs. The company’s patented technology is the only functional, single-view solution on the market offering: real-time, multi-user collaboration through the managed interaction of resources, cost, escalation, cash flow, and scheduling from either Microsoft Project or Primavera throughout the entire life of the project.
Hard Dollar systems have been used to construct over $1 trillion in capital projects. For more information on the company or its products, visit harddollar.gate6dev.com.
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