The Significance of BIM Adoption for Enhanced Coordination in Small-Medium-Sized Construction Projects

Small and Medium-sized (SMS) Construction projects constitute the backbone of the AEC industry and are embarking on a new era of digital transformation. This study aims to submerge into the interconnection of these emerging technological systems by investigating and exploring ways of adopting BIM within a coordinated environment to optimize the conventional SMS construction project delivery methods, that are often unnoticed. Despite various in-depth research on technology adoption in the AEC industry in the recent past, limited investigation into the project operation of SMS construction projects has been carried out. To address this research gap, the study encompasses a comprehensive literature review and developed theories to formulate a framework that could be put forth to test. The study deploys snowball sampling to collect responses from 264 individuals from varying disciplines within the AEC industry. The study carried out the Bivariate Correlation Analysis and Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis. The empirical findings provided convincing and significant evidence to validate and affirm the research objectives. It also illustrates the impact of barriers of low-risk tolerance and minimal technological readiness while adopting BIM. Lastly, the finding also demonstrates the catalytic role of coordination in accelerating and streamlining the adoption of BIM and interoperability. While this study serves as a well-documented study of key barriers and enablers of technology adoption to optimize SMS construction project delivery, researchers in the future can extend the research by investigating the possible moral hazards and opportunities between existing and non-existing adopters of BIM SMEs.