Scan-to-BIM Deliverables
| Deliverable | Format | Use | | --- | --- | --- | | Point cloud | E57, PTS | Primary data | | Floor plans | DWG + PDF | Design reference | | Revit model | RVT | BIM coordination |
2025 Scan-to-BIM Costs (ex VAT)
| Property | LOD 200 | LOD 300 | LOD 350 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2–3 bed | £800–£1,200 | £1,200–£1,800 | £1,800–£2,500 | | 4+ bed | £1,200–£1,800 | £1,800–£2,500 | £2,500–£3,500 |
Scan-to-BIM ROI Calculator: Time and Cost Savings vs Traditional Survey
Scan to BIM costs more than a traditional measured survey upfront. But when you factor in the downstream savings — reduced design time, fewer on-site problems, faster construction, lower FM costs — the return on investment can be significant. icelabz provides scan to BIM services across the UK.
The Upfront Cost Difference
The most visible difference between scan to BIM and a traditional measured survey is the upfront cost. A traditional measured building survey for a typical residential property costs from around £400 to £700. A scan to BIM survey for the same property — producing a point cloud and a Revit BIM model — costs from around £800 to £1,500.
The additional cost reflects the higher equipment cost (a laser scanner is significantly more expensive than a laser meter), the additional processing time (the point cloud must be registered and the BIM model built), and the higher skill level required for both capture and modelling.
Where Scan to BIM Saves Money
Despite the higher upfront cost, scan to BIM delivers savings in several areas that can more than offset the additional cost:
Design time: Architects working from a BIM model can extract dimensions, areas, and volumes directly from the model — no need to re-measure from drawings or estimate from approximate plans. This reduces the design time spent on existencing analysis and can save several days of designer time on a typical project.
Design coordination: With a BIM model in Revit format, the architect can coordinate their design with the structural engineer, the M&E consultant, and other disciplines directly in the model. This reduces the time spent on coordination issues and reduces the risk of clashes that require expensive redesign during construction.
Construction planning: A BIM model allows the contractor to plan construction sequences, logistics, and prefabrication more accurately. The model can be used to generate material schedules, fabrication drawings, and assembly instructions directly from the model data.
Facilities management: A BIM model delivered as part of the as-built documentation provides a permanent digital record of the building that the facilities management team can use for space planning, asset management, and maintenance scheduling. This reduces the cost of ongoing building management and can extend the useful life of the building.
Future surveys: If the building needs to be surveyed again in the future — for a renovation, an extension, or a change of use — the original point cloud can be re-processed without returning to site. This can save the full cost of a new survey.
Quantifying the ROI
The return on investment from scan to BIM depends on the specific project and how the BIM model is used. Here are some indicative figures:
Architectural design time saving: On a typical residential extension project, the architect spends two to four days on existencing analysis using traditional measured drawings. With a BIM model, this can be reduced to half a day to one day — a saving of one to three days of designer time at typical charge-out rates of £100 to £200 per hour.
Design coordination saving: On a commercial fit-out project, clash detection using a BIM model can save one to two weeks of coordination time by identifying and resolving clashes before construction begins. At a typical construction cost of £1,000 to £5,000 per day for a commercial project, the saving from avoiding clashes is significant.
Construction saving: A contractor using a BIM model for a commercial fit-out project can typically reduce the programme by 5 to 10 percent through more efficient planning, prefabrication, and logistics. On a £500,000 fit-out project with a three-month programme, a 5 percent saving is worth £7,500 to £15,000.
FM saving: A property manager using a BIM model for space management and asset tracking can typically reduce FM costs by 5 to 15 percent through more efficient space utilisation, better asset tracking, and more accurate maintenance scheduling.
ROI by Project Type
The return on investment from scan to BIM varies by project type:
Residential extensions: For a typical residential extension, the ROI from scan to BIM is modest — the design time saving is real but relatively small. Scan to BIM is most valuable where the existing building is complex or where the design involves significant structural or M&E coordination.
Commercial fit-out: For a commercial fit-out project, the ROI from scan to BIM is more significant. The design coordination saving, the construction programme saving, and the FM value combine to more than offset the additional survey cost.
Heritage and conservation: For heritage buildings, scan to BIM provides a detailed, permanent record that can be used for conservation planning, monitoring, and future work. The value of this record — which can be re-processed without returning to site — can be very high.
Portfolio documentation: For property investors and portfolio managers, scan to BIM provides a consistent digital record across a property portfolio. The value of this record for portfolio management, benchmarking, and disposal can be significant.
When Scan to BIM Does Not Pay Off
Scan to BIM is not always the right choice. For simple, straightforward projects where only basic floor plans are needed, a traditional measured survey may be more cost-effective. The additional cost of scan to BIM is only justified where the BIM model is actually used — if the model is produced but not used for design coordination, FM, or future surveys, the additional cost is not recovered.
Projects with very tight short-term budgets may also find the upfront cost of scan to BIM difficult to justify, even where the long-term ROI is positive. In these cases, a traditional measured survey with a point cloud add-on may be a useful compromise — the point cloud provides the permanent record at a lower cost than a full BIM model.
Getting Started
To calculate the ROI from scan to BIM for your project, consider the specific savings that apply to your project type and use the indicative figures above as a starting point. If the ROI is positive — or even borderline — scan to BIM is likely to be the better value choice.
icelabz provides scan to BIM services across the UK, with particular coverage in London and the South East. Contact us to discuss your project and receive a fixed-fee quote for scan to BIM services.
A Worked Example: Commercial Fit-Out ROI
Consider a commercial fit-out project for a 500 sqm office space. The project involves a new partitioning layout, a new suspended ceiling, and a full M&E fit-out. The total construction cost is £800,000 and the programme is 12 weeks.
A traditional measured survey for this project costs around £2,000 to £3,500. A scan to BIM survey — point cloud plus Revit model at LOD 200 — costs around £5,000 to £6,000. The additional upfront cost is around £2,000 to £2,500.
The ROI calculation:
- Design coordination saving (clash detection): 1 week at £3,000 per week = £3,000
- Construction programme saving (5% of 12 weeks = 3.6 days at £8,000 per day = £28,800)
- FM saving (5% of £80,000 annual FM cost = £4,000 per year)
Total saving: £35,800 in the first year. Against an additional upfront cost of £2,500, the ROI is strongly positive.
Even on a conservative estimate — with programme saving of only 2 days rather than 3.6 — the total saving is around £18,800, still significantly more than the additional survey cost.
Factors That Affect Scan to BIM ROI
The ROI from scan to BIM is not fixed — it varies depending on how the BIM model is used and how effectively the project team adopts BIM working practices. Key factors include:
Level of BIM adoption: The ROI is highest where the project team uses the BIM model actively — for design coordination, construction planning, and FM. If the model is produced but not used, the ROI is zero.
Project complexity: The ROI is higher for complex projects where coordination issues are more likely and where the programme savings from prefabrication and logistics planning are more significant.
Team experience: Teams with experience of BIM working practices get more value from the model than teams that are new to BIM. Investing in BIM training for the project team can significantly improve the ROI.
Software compatibility: The BIM model must be in a format compatible with the project team's software. Revit is the most widely used BIM platform in the UK, but IFC format provides interoperability for teams using other software.