Project Management, 4D Planning & BIM-based QS The programme, the model and the quantities move together.
We plan, track and report projects on one model: a critical-path programme linked to the BIM model in 4D, quantities and earned value from the same elements, and every RFI pinned where it happens.
4D BIM links the construction programme to the Building Information Modelling (BIM) model, so each activity shows the elements it builds. 5D adds cost. AIM United plans, tracks and reports projects on one model and takes BOQs and progress valuations from the same quantities. We manage giga-projects and private developments in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the GCC.
The problem
The programme says one week. The site says another.
01 · Programme
The Gantt chart nobody reads.
Hundreds of bars, no clear critical path, and an update once a month.
02 · Sequence
Clashes in time, not just in space.
Two trades booked into the same floor in the same week, found on site.
03 · Quantities
The BOQ is measured twice.
Once from drawings, once again on site, and the two never agree.
04 · Reporting
The report is a week old when it lands.
Progress, quantities and risks in five spreadsheets, stitched together by hand.
Stage 1 · 4D programme on the model
Every element belongs to an activity. Drag through the 52 weeks.
The model of a five-storey office block holds 459 named elements, each tagged with its WBS code and the activity that builds it. The frame rises pour by pour, the façade follows floor by floor, and anything running behind the baseline is drawn in deep yellow.
Week 30
Week 52
Built
In progress
Behind baseline
Not started
Activity013263952
Baseline
Current
Critical
Total float
Click a bar to isolate its elements. Click the model to open an element's activity card. Drag the model to turn it.
Stage 2 · 5D quantities and earned value
Progress measured from the model, not estimated.
Installed quantities are summed from the elements built to date. Earned value is measured from the same elements and weighted by each activity's share of the budget. Cost is shown only as a share of the budget at completion and as an index; the rates stay yours.
Week 30
Week 52
Planned0%of budget at completion
Earned0%measured from the model
SPI · EV ÷ PV1.00On track
CPI · EV ÷ AC1.00On track
S-curve · % of budget at completionPlanned (PV)Earned (EV)Actual cost (AC)
Week 013263952
Installed to date · from the model
Variance view: elements ahead of the baseline are light, behind it deep yellow. Quantities follow the measurement rules your contract names; the model only counts what is built.
Stage 3 · RFIs and issues on the model
Every RFI, NCR and design query, pinned where it happens.
Each issue is raised against a model element and the activity it threatens, so the log shows its float impact, not just its age. Issues travel as BCF topics between the model, the CDE and the design team.
Week 30
Week 52
Status
Discipline
Ages are counted in calendar days from the day the issue was raised. Closed issues stay on the log with their close-out date.
The weekly dashboard
One page the whole project reads every week.
The same programme, model and issue log feed a Power BI dashboard and the weekly report. Move the week and every tile updates.
Office block B02 · Weekly reportWeek 30
Weekly report · PDF · Power BI
Week 30
Progress
0%Planned
0%Actual
Schedule · SPI1.00
On trackCost · CPI1.00
On trackForecast completionWeek 52Critical activities this week
Look-ahead · next 3 weeks
Open issues by ageInstalled this week
Risk register · likelihood × impact
Counts and indices only. The cost tiles read the budget as 100%; no contract values are shown.
What we do
Plan it, model it, measure it, report it.
01
Planning and scheduling
WBS, logic-linked programmes and the critical path in Primavera P6 or MS Project, baselined, then updated every week. XER, XML and PDF.
02
4D simulation
The programme linked to the BIM model in Synchro 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner, so the sequence, access and crane reach are checked before they are built. MP4 and model links.
03
BIM-based QS and BOQ
Quantities taken from the model for the BOQ, variations and progress valuations, to the measurement rules your contract names. XLSX.
04
Progress and earned value
Planned against earned, by package and by floor, from site records and model status, with SPI and CPI every week.
05
Look-ahead and resources
Three-week look-ahead programmes, with labour, plant and materials planned against them and the peaks flagged early.
06
RFIs, NCRs and quality
Issue logs tied to model elements and activities, inspection and test plans, and non-conformance close-out. BCF and XLSX.
07
Risk
A live risk register scored for likelihood and impact, linked to the activities and float it threatens.
08
Reporting and Power BI
Weekly and monthly reports and Power BI dashboards that read straight from the programme, the model and the logs. PDF and PBIX.
How we run it
Capture, model, automate, deploy, evolve.
01
Capture
Your programme, WBS and cost breakdown, read from Primavera P6 or MS Project, with the contract's milestones and measurement rules.
02
Model
Every model element tagged with its WBS code and activity ID, so the programme and the model share one structure.
03
Automate
Our own scripts check the activity links, sum the quantities and calculate earned value from the model each week.
04
Deploy
The 4D model, dashboards and reports published in your CDE, under ISO 19650 naming and status codes.
05
Evolve
Weekly updates against the baseline, recovery plans when float runs out, and a re-baseline only when the change is approved.
4D, 5D and earned value
Progress you can measure, not estimate.
4D adds time to the BIM model: each activity in the programme is linked to the elements it builds. 5D adds cost: the quantities of the same elements are priced with your rates. AIM United keeps both on one model, so the sequence, the quantities and the progress valuation never drift apart.
The dimensions, side by side
Dimension
Adds
What you get
4D
Time
The programme on the model: sequence checks, access and crane studies, look-aheads you can see.
5D
Cost
Quantities from the model, priced with your rates: BOQ, variations, cash flow and earned value.
6D
Operation
Asset data for facility management, handed over from the same model. See as-built and COBie.
Progress is reported as earned value. Planned value (PV) is the work scheduled to date, earned value (EV) is the work actually done, measured from model quantities and site records, and actual cost (AC) is what that work cost. Two indices follow:
SPI = EV ÷ PVBelow 1.00 the project is behind the baseline; above it, ahead.
CPI = EV ÷ ACBelow 1.00 the work is costing more than its budget; above it, less.
We show all three as percentages of the budget at completion, so the indices travel in reports without exposing contract values. Read together with the critical path and the float, they show weeks before the monthly report whether a project will finish on time and on budget.
On giga-projects and private developments in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the GCC we work inside the client's own CDE and project management system to ISO 19650, measure to the rules your contract names, and take BOQ quantities from the model built in BIM coordination and clash detection. On government-funded projects we align planning, progress reporting and BIM deliverables with EXPRO's National Manual for Project Management. Changes priced from the same quantities feed straight into contracts management.
Tools and reporting cadence
Your planning tools, one rhythm.
We plan in Primavera P6 or MS Project, link the programme to the model in Synchro 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner, and report in Power BI. 250+ engineers keep the model, the programme and the logs current, week after week.
Every day
Site records
Installed elements, inspections and new issues logged against the model.
Every week
Programme update and report
Progress against the baseline, the critical path and float, the three-week look-ahead, quantities installed, SPI and CPI, open RFIs and NCRs, top risks. PDF and Power BI.
Every month
Progress report and valuation support
Earned value trend, forecast completion, risk review, and measured quantities for the progress valuation.
On change
Impact check
A delay, variation or late design answer modelled on the programme first, with its effect on float and the critical path.
Proof
Planned in 4D, reported in Power BI.
Lucid Motors Manufacturing Plant, Phase 2KAEC · 4D planning · Power BIPhase 2 adds 4D planning and Power BI dashboards connected to the 5D cost data of a 1,043,476 m² automotive plant we model at LOD 300 to 500.Projects →
Qiddiya Speed ParkQiddiya · 4D sequencing4D construction sequences for the overall site and its major structures, built from the project programme and the mechanical and electrical BIM.Projects →
Bin Dawood commercial complexMakkah · our own programmeAs main contractor on the design and build of a 4,800 m² commercial complex, we run the planning and progress reporting ourselves.Contracting →
Questions buyers ask
FAQ
What is 4D planning?
4D planning links each activity in the programme to the elements of the BIM model, so you can watch the building go up week by week and spot sequence problems, access clashes and trade overlaps before they reach site.
What is BIM-based quantity surveying?
The quantities for the BOQ, variations and progress valuations are taken from the BIM model instead of being measured by hand from drawings. When the model changes, the quantities change with it.
Which planning software do you use?
Primavera P6 or MS Project for the programme, whichever your contract names. Synchro 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner links it to the Revit or IFC model, and dashboards are built in Power BI.
How often do you report?
Weekly as standard: progress against the baseline, the critical path, quantities installed, risks and actions. Dashboards update in between, and a monthly report adds the earned value trend and the forecast.
What is the difference between 4D and 5D BIM?
4D links the programme to the model, so each activity shows the elements it builds and the sequence can be checked week by week. 5D adds cost: quantities from the same model are priced with the project's rates, so the budget, valuations and cash flow follow the model as it changes.
What is earned value?
Earned value compares the work done with the work planned and with what that work cost, on one scale. Planned value (PV) is the work scheduled to date, earned value (EV) the work done, actual cost (AC) what it cost. SPI = EV ÷ PV shows schedule performance and CPI = EV ÷ AC cost performance. We report them as percentages of the budget at completion and as indices, so they can be shared without contract values.
Can you build a 4D model from our existing programme?
Yes. We take the programme from Primavera P6 or MS Project, check the logic and the activity coding, and link the activities to the model elements. Where the programme and the model are split differently, we agree the mapping with your planner instead of rewriting the programme.
How do you measure progress?
From model quantities and site records, not from estimates of percent complete. Installed quantities per activity are checked on site, then reported as earned value against the baseline, by package and by floor.
How do you track RFIs and issues?
Every RFI, NCR, design query and site instruction is logged against a model element and the activity it affects, exchanged as BCF topics between the model and the CDE, and reported every week by age and by float impact. An issue on the critical path is flagged the day it is raised.
What does the weekly report contain?
Progress against the baseline, the critical path and float, the three-week look-ahead, quantities installed, SPI and CPI, open issues by age, the top risks and the actions agreed. It goes out as a PDF and as a Power BI dashboard that reads from the same data.
Do your dashboards show costs?
They show cost as a share of the budget at completion and as indices, not as amounts. The quantities come from the model and the rates from your contract, so commercial figures stay with the people who own them.
Can you work inside our own CDE or project management system?
Yes. On giga-projects we usually work inside the client's common data environment and reporting tools, following their ISO 19650 naming, status codes and approval workflow.