01
Federation strategy
Agree what is federated, how often, on what coordinates, and who is responsible for each model. Most coordination problems are actually federation problems.
BIM coordination and clash detection services
Clash detection produces a number. Coordination produces a decision — what actually conflicts, why, whose model has to move, and evidence that it did.
BIM coordination
The engineering position
A clash count is not a coordination report
Eleven thousand clashes is not information. Most of it is insulation touching insulation, the same duct counted against forty hangers, and two disciplines that were never going to conflict in reality. A report nobody can act on is worse than no report, because it consumes the time that should have gone into the two hundred findings that matter. We group, prioritise and classify before anything is issued.
Most coordination failures are not collisions
The parts do not touch; they just cannot be installed in that order, or maintained afterwards, or reached at all. Soft clashes — clearance, access and maintainability — do not appear in a hard clash test, and on a services-dense project they outnumber true clashes. We test them as explicit rule sets that a client can review and disagree with.
The issue history is a deliverable
Why a duct moved in March is usually in someone's inbox. The next stage inherits the geometry without the reasoning and re-litigates it. Our coordination appointments produce an auditable record — finding, cause, decision, who accepted it, and the re-test that proved it closed.
Deliverables
What is actually produced and issued
Any of these can be appointed on their own or combined. Nothing here depends on buying the intelligence layer, which is not for sale in any case.
DeliverableFederated models
Architectural, structural and MEP models federated on shared coordinates, with Navisworks NWC/NWD coordination models prepared as agreed.
DeliverableHard and soft clash detection
Hard clash, clearance, access and maintainability reviews, including MEP-versus-structure and MEP-versus-architecture analysis.
DeliverableClash reports and matrix
Clashes grouped, prioritised and classified in a clash matrix, reported with screenshots and viewpoints as PDF or Excel.
DeliverableIssue tracking
Clash issue logs and status reporting, with BCF exchange where the project platform supports it, and coordination meeting action logs.
DeliverableClash resolution and model revision
Duct, pipe, cable tray and ceiling coordination, with updated models and a closure report where resolution is in our scope.
DeliverableModel QA/QC and audits
Model QA/QC, standards checks, audit reports, worksharing and linked-model support, and BEP/standards implementation.
Catalogue scope
Every scope item, with its typical output
The full list from the BIMRACE service catalogue. Each item can be included or excluded in a proposal; the code is the one used in our scope documents.
BIM-01Architectural, structural and MEP model federation
Federated model.
BIM-02Multi-discipline Revit model coordination
Coordinated model and issue log.
BIM-03Hard clash detection
Clash report and viewpoints.
BIM-04Soft clash and clearance checking
Clearance review report.
BIM-05Access and maintainability clearance reviews
Access/maintenance issue list.
BIM-06Duct, pipe, cable tray and ceiling coordination
Coordination model and layouts.
BIM-07MEP versus structural clash analysis
Clash report.
BIM-08MEP versus architectural clash analysis
Clash report.
BIM-09Clash grouping, prioritization and classification
Clash matrix.
BIM-10Clash reports with screenshots and viewpoints
PDF/Excel report.
BIM-11Navisworks coordination model preparation
NWC/NWD files as agreed.
BIM-12Clash issue tracking and status reporting
Issue log / BCF where supported.
BIM-13Clash resolution and model revision
Updated model and closure report.
BIM-14Coordination meeting support and issue logs
Meeting action log.
BIM-15Model QA/QC and standards checks
QA/QC report.
BIM-16Model audit and standards compliance checks
Audit report.
BIM-17Revit worksharing and linked-model support
Configured model workflow.
BIM-18Model exchange and federation support
Exchange package.
BIM-19BIM execution/modeling standards implementation
BIM standards or BEP support.
BIM-20Model progress and coordination reporting
Progress dashboard/report.
How it runs
The sequence, and why it is in this order
Sequence is not a formality on this kind of work. Most of the expensive rework we are asked to fix was produced by doing step four before step two.
02
Rule set definition
Write the clash, clearance and access rules down and have the project agree them before the first run.
03
Model health check
Every received model checked for coordinates, units, naming and parameter completeness before it enters the federation.
04
Test and classify
Run the rule sets, then group, prioritise and classify by cause and responsible discipline rather than presenting a raw count.
05
Resolve and record
Route findings, track decisions, record who accepted what.
06
Re-test and evidence
Close nothing without a re-test that proves it.
What we need to start
The inputs that decide whether a start is a real start
Missing any of these is survivable. Not knowing which of them are missing is not, so we establish it at enquiry stage rather than at forty per cent.
- Discipline models (RVT/IFC) or drawings to be modelled
- Shared coordinates and model origin
- Clash rules, tolerances and priorities — or ours, if none are stated
- The BEP or coordination procedure the project runs to, if any
- The issue tracking environment the project uses, if one is mandated
AI & automation
Where AI and automation apply to this work
AI is used throughout our delivery workflow, and an engineer reviews every output. Every line carries its real status.
AIAI clash grouping and prioritisationLive
Clashes clustered by cause and responsible discipline, ranked by impact, with issue descriptions drafted for the coordinator.
AIAI-drafted coordination reportsLive
Clash reports and meeting action logs drafted from issue data and checked before issue.
AutomationRule-based clash and clearance testingLive
Hard clash, clearance and access run as defined rule sets across the federated model on every cycle.
AutomationClassification by causeLive
Findings clustered so that one template error producing two hundred findings is reported as one cause, not two hundred tickets.
AutomationModel health checking on receiptLive
Coordinates, units, naming, classification and parameter completeness tested on every incoming model.
AutomationPrioritisation and routingIn development
Severity and responsible-discipline assignment proposed automatically for review. In development, used on our own delivery.
Scope boundary
What this appointment does not include
Published because a scope boundary discovered at month three is a dispute, and the same boundary stated at enquiry stage is just information.
- Clash detection identifies coordination issues; it does not automatically authorise design changes or certify that a model is construction-compliant.
- We do not accept responsibility for another party's design decisions; the originating designer resolves.
- We do not close an issue without a re-test.
Request a quote
Get a quote: BIM coordination & clash detection
Tell us the building, the stage and what you need. An engineer replies within two working days with approach, deliverables and a fee basis.
Quote request received
Thank you — an engineer will reply within two working days.
Have drawings ready? Use the full enquiry form to attach them.
What a useful quote needs. Building type and approximate area, the disciplines, the project stage, and which drawings or models exist. If you have them ready, the full enquiry form takes file uploads.
NDAs. We sign before drawings or models are shared, as a matter of course.
FAQ
Questions we are asked at enquiry stage
What is the difference between clash detection and BIM coordination?
Clash detection is a geometric test that produces findings. Coordination is the process of deciding what those findings mean, who resolves them, and evidencing that they closed.
What is the difference between a hard and a soft clash?
A hard clash is a physical intersection between elements. A soft clash is a breach of a required clearance — access, insulation or maintenance space — even where elements do not touch.
Which clash workflow and tools do you use?
Revit models coordinated through Navisworks NWC/NWD files, with BCF issue exchange where the project platform supports it. Where a project mandates a different environment we work in it.
Can you coordinate models authored by other consultants?
Yes — that is the normal case. We check each model's health on receipt and will report where an incoming model is not in a state that can be coordinated.
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