BIM and Small Contractors with Alex Harris
BIM Success for Small Contractors: Doing More with Less
Show notes
We were thrilled to have Alex Harris, Digital Engineering Leader at Bielby, join us to discuss navigating digital delivery from a small contractor's perspective. Alex shared invaluable, real-world lessons in doing more with less. He stressed that Tier 2 contractors must adopt the Jack of all trades mentality and be leaner. His key takeaway? Prioritize quality outputs and avoid the rush to submit things too quickly. Since BIM isn't a consistent requirement yet, the strategy focuses on less is more, detailing the model only to the level that adds actual value, because perfection is the enemy of good. For low-cost, high-impact digital wins, Alex hailed AI as a game-changer. It has made scripting accessible and has allowed them to solve problems without buying expensive commercial platforms. He noted that collaboration and compromise, learned through his multidiscipline experience, are critical to avoiding project silos. Regarding the Queensland infrastructure landscape, he sees the digital bar rising sharply, driven mostly by state government mandates. Alex is excited about new, innovative software players challenging the status quo and young engineers coming straight from university equipped with digital engineering concepts. Listen now for these practical insights!