specificationVersion: "1.0"
id: autodesk-bim360-finops
name: Autodesk BIM 360 FinOps Framework
description: >
  Financial operations framework for managing Autodesk BIM 360 API costs through
  Autodesk Platform Services (APS). BIM 360-specific APIs are non-rated and
  remain free with no consumption-based costs. Rated APIs (Model Derivative,
  Automation, Flow Graph Engine, Reality Capture) consume Flex tokens or incur
  Pay as You Go charges when free tier monthly caps are exceeded. The APS
  business model effective December 8, 2025 uses a token system where 1 token
  equals 300,000 Basic Interaction API calls.
framework: FinOps Framework 1.0
focus:
  currency: USD
costManagement:
  - category: API Call Costs
    description: BIM 360-specific API calls (non-rated)
    cost: 0
    notes: Account Admin, Issues, Assets, Cost Management, Model Coordination, RFIs, Checklists, Data Connector, Locations, Relationships, and Document Management APIs are all free with no per-call cost
  - category: Rated API Tokens
    description: Flex token consumption for rated APIs (Model Derivative, Automation, Flow Graph Engine, Reality Capture)
    unit: token
    unitEquivalent: 300000 Basic Interaction API calls per token
    minimumPurchase: 100 tokens
    tokenValidity: 1 year from purchase
    volumeDiscountThreshold: 5000 tokens
  - category: Pay as You Go Rated APIs
    description: Monthly billing for rated API usage above free tier caps with no upfront commitment
    billingPeriod: monthly
    notes: Available in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, EEA, UK, Switzerland
  - category: Subscription Included Usage
    description: Monthly API usage credits included with qualifying Autodesk product subscriptions
    cost: 0 (included in Autodesk product subscription)
    notes: Reduces or eliminates token purchases for qualifying BIM 360 and ACC subscribers
optimization:
  - strategy: Leverage Non-Rated APIs
    description: >
      Prioritize use of BIM 360-specific APIs (Issues, Assets, Cost Management,
      RFIs, Checklists, etc.) which are non-rated and free, avoiding rated API
      usage where possible.
  - strategy: Monitor Rated API Consumption
    description: >
      Track monthly consumption of Model Derivative, Automation, Flow Graph,
      and Reality Capture APIs against free tier caps to avoid unexpected
      suspension or overage charges.
  - strategy: Bundle with Autodesk Subscription
    description: >
      Organizations with existing BIM 360 or Autodesk Construction Cloud
      subscriptions should leverage included monthly API credits before
      purchasing Flex tokens.
  - strategy: Prepay vs Pay as You Go Analysis
    description: >
      For predictable high-volume usage of rated APIs, Flex token prepurchase
      with volume discounts (5,000+ tokens) is more cost-effective than Pay as
      You Go monthly billing.
  - strategy: Token Expiry Management
    description: >
      Flex tokens expire one year from purchase. Plan purchases to match
      expected annual consumption to avoid waste from unused tokens.
allocation:
  - dimension: Project
    description: Track API usage per BIM 360 project using project IDs in API calls
  - dimension: API Module
    description: Separate cost tracking per API module (Issues, Assets, Cost Management, etc.)
  - dimension: Application
    description: Track costs per APS application (client ID) to attribute usage across teams
reporting:
  - metric: Monthly Non-Rated API Calls
    description: Total calls to free BIM 360 APIs; informational only with no cost impact
  - metric: Monthly Rated API Token Consumption
    description: Flex tokens consumed by rated APIs; tracked against annual token balance
  - metric: Free Tier Cap Utilization
    description: Percentage of monthly free cap consumed for each rated API to predict overage
  - metric: Cost Per Construction Project
    description: Apportioned API costs allocated per active BIM 360 project for chargeback