While I truly believe BIM (Building Information Modeling) can benefit anyone planning for a new building—whether large or small—one of the biggest challenges with BIM is determining what you actually need versus what might actually help. After more than a decade managing BIM across various projects, I’ve observed two major pitfalls that stem from over exaggerating BIM requirements.

Clients new to BIM often assume that asking more equals to getting more, requesting highly detailed models packed with attributes aka parameters. In theory, this data could serve multiple purposes, but in practice, much of it goes unused. Requesting such detailed models can inflate project bids in the tendering phase or lead to overspending during design and construction.

In my experience participating in hundreds of tenders as a supplier (on the designers or contractors side), I’ve frequently observed clients requesting extensive BIM requirements without a clear rationale. This forces us to account for these ambiguous requirements and risks, resulting in costly proposals. In some cases, this has led to BIM being dropped from the project requirements entirely, with clients concluding that BIM is simply too expensive for their project. This outcome is unfortunate, as BIM can provide immense value when used effectively.

Especially in public tenders, some clients accept these inflated proposals only to end up not using the information produced. As a result, they overpay—sometimes by tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is frustrating not only for clients but also for the project teams, who may feel they're doing wasteful work. And for those mindful of public spending, seeing such funds go to waste is doubly frustrating. 

Albert Einstein’s quote, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough,” perfectly encapsulates the approach that clients should take as they begin their BIM journey. Understanding what to request and why is crucial. For most projects, focusing on four core BIM uses—3D modeling for solution decision-making, blueprint creation, and quantity takeoffs (QTO) and constructability analysis—is proven to add value without unnecessary complexity. By focusing on these essentials, projects stand to benefit rather than suffer from BIM’s advantages.