Digitalization of construction. TAdviser 2024 review

The past 2023 was for the digitalization market of the construction of Russia a year of changes and new prospects, significant transformations. On the one hand, state support and the introduction of innovative technologies have stimulated progress in this area. On the other hand, an increase in the credit rate, the upcoming abolition of preferential mortgages, a shortage of highly qualified personnel, an increase in the number of contractor bankruptcies and other factors forced developers to postpone some investment projects, or reduce the pace of their implementation.

The companies studied changes in the composition of vendors in the market and updates of their products, formulated new and refined old functional requirements, taking into account both import substitution and ongoing changes in legislation. The state continued to play an active role in the digital transformation of the industry, providing various support programs, benefits and incentives. And the prepared regulatory framework significantly influenced the functional requirements for software for the transition to electronic document management.

The development of information modeling of construction facilities (BIM), artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital building twins and other technologies has helped companies improve project management, optimize existing business processes, reduce time and resource costs, improve work quality and labor safety.

At the same time, negative factors were observed on the market. The shortage of personnel remained an acute problem, especially in the IT sector. And the associated increase in wages further influenced the inability to invest in digitalization.

In light of the withdrawal of foreign companies from the market, import substitution has become one of the key triggers of development. Domestic IT companies have actively developed and offered their solutions that can replace foreign counterparts and ensure data security.

2024 marks a new phase for the construction IT solutions market. In a changing economic environment, companies are focusing more on sustainability and innovation. New technologies are used to improve energy efficiency, preserve the environment, and develop new materials and construction methods.

AI for design and construction, import substitution are still in focus. Digitalization of sales continues to actively develop, which can be indirectly judged by the growth of online transactions for the purchase of real estate.

However, with the digitalization of the construction cycle, so far not everything is so rosy: most companies are limited to the design stage. Thus, this area should be outlined as one of the next important stages of market development.

A new ranking of the largest IT suppliers for the construction industry brought together 23 companies. The leader was BARS Group. Its revenue from the implementation of IT projects in construction amounted to 759.2 million rubles, which is 6.6% less than a year earlier.

The total revenue of all companies in the rating amounted to almost 3 billion rubles.

Digitalization of construction opens a new page in the history of the industry, where innovative technologies such as BIM (TIM), IoT, AI, 3D construction printing and robotics, including drones, are ready to significantly improve the efficiency and quality of construction projects.

Artificial intelligence is used to analyze data and optimize processes, including forecasting timing and cost. Solutions for working with Big Data allow you to accumulate and use gigantic amounts of information, including for analysis. The Internet of Things improves security and efficiency by monitoring and monitoring equipment health.

Common data environments continue to evolve, becoming an important tool in managing information assets and digitalizing business processes.

In accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2357, developers in the field of capital shared construction should switch to digital models (CIM) from July 1, 2024, and in the field of low-rise construction - from January 1, 2025.

If the architectural and construction design has already achieved certain effects from the use of TIM, then among the direct manufacturers of construction work there is a misunderstanding of the requirements for the mandatory transition to TIM and the feasibility of information modeling at the construction site.

The customer or developer may require contractors to form a construction information model (IM), but often such a model does not have a three-dimensional representation, but is only a collection of interconnected information, documents and materials formed in electronic form, i.e. from systematized sets of files decomposed into folders, which are called "information containers." The same approach is used by contractors in the creation of as-built documentation (as-built documentation). At the same time, they use a digital information model (CIM) from the design stage and only supplement the necessary technical documentation in electronic form. It can be argued that the new requirements do not cancel the existing traditional processes for the formation and maintenance of ID, and the use of CIM as an "executive and construction quality model" will become commonplace in the future, but this will take another 2-3 years.

The construction industry is on the verge of another wave of digitalization: from July 1, 2024, all developers will have to use information modeling technologies (BIM) in their work. TAdviser interviewed market participants and found out what were the main stages of the digital transformation of the industry, implemented with the participation of the state, as well as what barriers hold back digitalization to this day.

The TAdviser analytical center has released a new map "Digitalization of Construction," on which IT companies developing products for the digitalization of construction processes noted.

The map shows about 150 domestic companies - product developers for the construction industry. During the preparation of the map, their solutions were segmented into 11 categories. In particular, the map reflects sections with vendors of software for design and preparation of design documentation, estimate and as-built documentation, developers of solutions for construction project management and construction control, developers of common data environments, products and services for automation of supply, and others.

As of July 2024, the TAdviser database contains information on more than 3.5 thousand. IT projects carried out in companies in the construction industry. Among the different classes of IT solutions, most often such enterprises implement ERP systems, electronic document management systems (EDMS/ECM), as well as solutions for automating business processes and human resources management. These solutions account for the largest number of projects completed during the observation period since 2005. Data on other classes of systems are shown in the diagram below.

For each class of IT systems implemented in certain industries, the TAdviser database allows you to identify the most popular solutions and vendors of these products. See the chart below for which companies are developing the systems most commonly implemented in the construction sector.

Let's separately consider the vendors of BIM systems. As of July 2024, the TAdviser database contains information on 175 projects completed using such technologies. Most of them are projects in Russian companies.

The construction industry is less covered by digitalization, which means it has a unique opportunity to learn from other people's mistakes. Experts interviewed by TAdviser pointed to various problems and challenges that companies continue to face in 2024. However, it is estimated that this market should grow multiple times, especially if housing construction maintains dynamics and profitability.

The personnel issue will continue to influence the digitalization of the industry. According to the report of the Institute for Statistical Research and Knowledge Economics of the Higher School of Economics, the construction industry, along with the agricultural industry, is in the most difficult position in terms of digital skills - here only a third of organizations are fully provided with digital competencies. At the same time, the staffing of ICT specialists in construction turned out to be even higher than in the financial sector.