Russian BIM specialists have revealed the prospects of the construction market after the departure of foreign software

In March 2022, Autodesk, one of the world's key developers of BIM technologies, announced a temporary suspension of work in Russia. For many companies, the news was a blow, since all the processes were tailored to work with this particular tool. Other organizations continued to work as before, as they have been using domestic programs for a long time. The participants of the Russian BIM Technologies Forum, which is held annually as part of the International Construction Forum and the 100+ TechnoBuild exhibition, told in more detail about what is happening in the field of BIM design now.

Today, the foreign tool is still available to users under current licenses, but it is difficult to say what will happen when they expire. According to Natalia Agafonova, head of the BIM design development department at GORPROEKT CJSC, a significant disadvantage of Russian programs compared to imported ones is that they are disparate - the competitor gave all specialists the opportunity to work in the same environment.

"Russian companies are too young and immature. At this stage of their development, it is impossible to carry out technically and geometrically complex projects," Natalia Agafonova believes. – Although they certainly have advantages, Russian standards for documentation are taken into account and catalogs of items are created in accordance with grades and GOST standards. This is the main thing that foreign software lacks, which is why designers have to spend their resources at the start of implementation."

It may take about three years for Russian developers to create a decent answer, Natalia Agafonova predicts. This is the time needed to complete the tasks of the designers. It will take about two more years to provide the functionality to customers – developers and builders.

Other market participants disagree with the expert. In their opinion, the existing Russian tools already fully cover the needs of customers and are constantly evolving, and the race to create analogues is not necessary.

"Being a catch-up is always unprofitable. I doubt that such a position can bring satisfaction to both the developer and his audience, who do not want to, but are forced to come to him," says Andrey Belkevich, director of BIM–Cluster. "Proper product development depends on the need, on solving the pain, on the desire to improve the process. If the priority is different in the current situation, I am sure that many brands will definitely not develop it."

Maxim Nechiporenko, Deputy Director of Renga Software, adds that demand for domestic products has been growing over the years. This is due to the fact that they are adapted to the legislation of the Russian Federation, do not depend on fluctuations in exchange rates, and are not subject to sanctions restrictions. In addition, Russia has a decree on the mandatory use of information modeling technologies, and those enterprises that are involved in construction within the framework of government contacts are now mastering the product.

"Of course, those organizations that have worked on foreign software are now facing a number of difficulties," says Maxim Nechiporenko. – Meanwhile, a number of companies with a more flexible approach used domestic developments along with foreign software. Today, they were able to avoid the problems of finding alternative solutions and the costs of acquiring and implementing new software."

He adds that in the near future, Russian manufacturers should be expected to develop product programs. In the meantime, the main government support measures are needed not by them, but by customers. One of these measures could be subsidizing enterprises when purchasing domestic BIM software. Another is mortgage subsidies: the pace of the development business will continue, and the demand for developers' products will continue.

A discussion on which software is better: foreign or domestic, will take place at the International Construction Forum and the 100+ TechnoBuild exhibition. It will be held in Yekaterinburg from October 18 to 21, 2021 and will be open to all comers.