BIM: “Contractors with 51-100 employees report working on more projects utilising BIM tools than bigger contractors”

I’m really proud to have been involved in the research, analysis and drafting of the NFB’s ‘BIM: Ready or Not?’ report. The key message is that although many (but not all) contractors recognise the business case for BIM, fewer SMEs (businesses with less than 250 full-time employees) appear to have the necessary technical skills to take up BIM, have considered how to implement it on projects or are planning to invest in training. Amongst those who don’t perceive there to be a business case for BIM, there is a call for more evidence in order for them to be able to make an informed decision. Fair enough. On the basis of these findings, the NFB calls for stronger communication and discussion of the business benefits for SMEs and support for those who think there are business benefits to be had to think more practically about the implications for their projects.

However, one of the most interesting results for me was the finding that contractors with 51-100 employees reported working on more projects utilising BIM tools than their larger counter-parts. It appears this might be down to the greater degree of subcontracting in this group than in the 101-250 employees group. In other words, you’re more likely to have experienced a BIM-enabled project if you subcontract to a large main contractor that has already adopted BIM than if you’re a large SME tier-one supplier that hasn’t adopted BIM. Sounds logical. Explanations aside, I think it’s worth shouting about this important group of smaller contractors that is bucking the trend, will be learning-by-doing, and may well be helping lead the BIM way in future.