Frame 5D Cost Analysis
This case study connects BIM quantities with cost rates inside a Power BI report generated from Frame. Revit and IFC element data is filtered to the items being priced, quantity properties are pivoted into usable columns, and a rate library is joined through each element’s external ID. The resulting dashboard shows total and earned cost, remaining cost, cash flow, cost by phase and level, and a color-coded 3D model. When the design changes, refreshed model quantities flow through to the cost view, while each total remains traceable to the model elements and rates that produced it.
Key Facts
View key facts for "Frame 5D Cost Analysis".
Business Impact
- Model-linked cost visibility
- Faster design-change reviews
- Traceable quantities and rates
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Tools Used in the Case Study
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Frame
Connect BIM models to ready-to-use Power BI dashboards, Excel workflows, and interactive 3D.
User Experience
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Why this tool/tech was selected
Frame was selected to keep cost analysis connected to the model while allowing the team to work in familiar reporting tools. The workflow needed to combine model quantities, project rates, schedule fields, and interactive 3D context without rebuilding a separate data pipeline for every design issue. Frame provides structured BIM datasets and ready-to-use Power BI templates, so the model can remain the source of quantities while the cost team controls its own rates and measures. The embedded viewer also lets reviewers move directly from a cost total or chart selection to the elements behind it, making the report useful for both commercial review and design coordination.
Challenges the Client Faced before
The main challenge was keeping quantities, rates, phases, and model versions aligned. Static exports made it difficult to explain why a total had changed or trace an unexpected cost back to the specific elements responsible.
The previous method used
Previously, quantities were exported or copied into spreadsheets and then joined to cost rates manually. When the model changed, the team had to repeat the extraction, reconcile versions, and check whether formulas and joins still referred to the right elements.
Time / Money saved & the Business Impact.
The connected workflow replaces repeated quantity-copying with a refreshable dataset linked to the model. Cost changes can be reviewed by phase, level, category, or individual element, with the 3D viewer preserving spatial context. Because rates are joined through stable external IDs, the cost library remains controlled outside the model while quantities stay tied to their source. This makes design-change reviews clearer, shortens the path from a changed model to an updated cost view, and gives project controls and BIM teams a shared report for discussing variance. The case study demonstrates a repeatable 5D workflow without claiming a fixed ROI across every project.
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Original Case Study
Additional Information
Built from Frame’s Starter Power BI template by joining rate data to model quantities through the element external ID.
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