Article - July 8, 2024

Harnessing AI for Excellence: Nibbi’s Client-Focused Approach with Firmus

At Nibbi, our highest priority is helping our clients find solutions to achieve their goals. Our core value of client focus drives us to continuously strive for better service through collaboration, innovation, and efficiency. One such innovative solution is our integration of Firmus, an AI-powered tool, into our QA/QC and preconstruction process. Firmus has transformed how we conduct constructability reviews, ensuring our projects are executed precisely and efficiently and ultimately delivering superior results for our clients.

Client Focus in Action

Since 2022, Nibbi has utilized Firmus over fifteen projects during the Construction Documents (CD) stage. This widespread adoption demonstrates our commitment to leveraging AI technology to enhance service delivery and meet our clients’ needs.

Firmus significantly impacted the Hawthorn Housing Development for the Santa Clara County Housing Authority by helping us meet stringent preconstruction requirements and deadlines. It generated insightful comments on drawing health, improved team communication, and resulted in a more complete drawing set. Consequently, our estimates became more accurate, ensuring project timelines and budgets were met, ultimately benefiting our client.

Quality Assurance Project Manager Anita Hsieh emphasized the transformative impact of Firmus: “When AI first entered the construction space, many were uncertain about its implications and feared job security issues. I was excited about the potential time savings on mundane tasks. Seeing Firmus’ analysis firsthand, I realized it highlighted issues like missing pages and discrepancies that I wouldn’t have time to find myself. This tool provides crucial information I might otherwise miss.”

Enhanced Collaboration and Communication

Firmus has significantly improved collaboration with our project partners, a foundation of our client-focused approach. Hsieh noted, “We recently had a project where the architect was impressed we’re using an AI tool. We started scanning drawings in the mid-CDs, and overall, you can sense the drawing competency increases each time they submit. The architect appreciates having multiple tools at their disposal. It’s a team effort.”

This collaboration leads to cohesive and efficient project execution, benefiting our clients by fostering a cooperative environment where all stakeholders are aligned and working towards a common goal.

Firmus as a Best Practice

Firmus has become a standard part of Nibbi’s QA/QC and preconstruction process, particularly during the CD phase. The AI tool’s ability to assess drawing health allows our QA staff to focus on intricate building details, optimizing our overall review process. The reports generated by Firmus are sent to the project team, complementing our constructability reviews and ensuring a comprehensive analysis of the project documents.

By incorporating Firmus into our workflow, Nibbi demonstrates our commitment to leveraging advanced technologies to serve our clients better and our dedication to innovation, efficiency, and excellence in all our projects.

Looking Ahead

Our use of Firmus keeps us innovative while prioritizing our clients’ best interests. By embracing technology and fostering collaboration, we deliver exceptional results and exceed expectations.

Please review the full Firmus Case Study for detailed insights into how Nibbi is transforming QA/QC and preconstruction processes.