Digital Twins at the Point of Maximum Value:
How Nextspace Enables the Transition from EPC to Operations
Across asset-intensive industries, a consistent pattern emerges: assets rarely fail because they were poorly designed or constructed. They fail because the information required to operate them effectively is incomplete, fragmented, or unusable by the time operations teams take ownership.
This transition — from Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) into Operations — is one of the most critical yet least optimised phases in the asset lifecycle. It is also where digital twins can deliver their greatest long-term value.
The lifecycle imbalance
Design, procurement and construction typically represent around 15% of an asset’s total lifecycle cost, while 80–85% is incurred during operations, with decommissioning accounting for the remainder. Despite this imbalance, most digital investment still focuses on the front end of the lifecycle.
McKinsey estimates that poor data continuity across capital projects can erode 20–30% of lifecycle value, long after construction is complete. Facilities and asset managers inherit large volumes of models, drawings, documents and spreadsheets — yet much of this information is not structured for operational use.
The EPC–Operations disconnect
From an EPC perspective, handover is often treated as a contractual milestone rather than a strategic information transition. BIM models are frozen, documents are archived, and responsibility shifts — but the operational questions are only just beginning:
Traditional BIM and construction platforms excel at authoring and coordination. However, they are not designed to serve as long-term operational systems of record.
Where Nextspace fits
Nextspace addresses this gap by acting as an operational digital twin platform, purpose-built for the period after construction and at the point of handover.
Rather than competing with design or construction software, Nextspace connects and contextualises the information those tools produce. It unifies as-built BIM, GIS, asset registers, documents, IoT data and enterprise systems into a single operational view of the asset.
At handover, Nextspace enables EPC outputs to be transformed into an operationally aligned digital twin, where:
This approach ensures that the value created during EPC is not lost at the moment it matters most.
What a Nextspace-enabled handover looks like
A Nextspace implementation does not replace BIM or EAM systems. Instead,it provides an information layer that sits above them, enabling continuity across the lifecycle.
In practice, this means:
This transforms handover from a static data drop into a living operational capability.
Why this matters across industries
This challenge is universal — across transport, energy, water, airports, industrial facilities and the built environment. Asset owners and operators consistently report that poor information handover leads to:
By contrast, organisations that invest in an operational digital twin at handover consistently realise lower lifecycle costs and better long-term performance.
A practical strategy for EPC players
The future of digital twins in the EPC sector is not about extending construction tools indefinitely. It is about ensuring that operational value is preserved.
By aligning EPC deliverables with an operational digital twin platformsuch as Nextspace, organisations can protect the 85% of lifecycle value that occurs after construction ends.
The most effective digital twin strategies do not start at first sketch— they start at the moment an asset becomes operational, and they continue delivering value every day thereafter.
