With less than a week to go until the 2016 RICS BIM4SME Awards presentation on Thursday it’s time to come together to celebrate the best SME BIM projects again. This year’s event will once again be held at the Westminster Boating Base in Pimlico which looks across the Thames to the rapidly progressing Embassy quarter and Battersea Power Station developments.
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A great deal has changed over the last year with the April deadline for the level 2 BIM mandate coming and going and the Level 2 validation October milestone not far away. One cannot ignore the other major event of the year – the narrow majority vote to leave Europe. While the warnings of the economy falling off a cliff edge have not followed Brexit it is clear that the uncertainty it has created has caused a pause as we wait to see what the government’s next move will be.
In times of uncertainty SMEs, often at the bottom of the food chain and without substantial resources, are made to suffer disproportionately. Investment becomes harder, so in the current difficult climate companies that are still pushing forwards with adoption of Level 2 BIM and innovating around it are to be celebrated. This is what the RICS BIM4SME Awards are about.
Once again we have established a panel of renowned judges, led this year by Anne Kemp from Atkins and chair of the newly formed UK BIM Alliance. Stefan Mordue from RIBA Enterprises joins us for the second year as the host for evening and this year’s keynote will be once again be delivered by Richard Saxon CBE.
The awards and BIM4SME are unique in their support for SMEs across the construction industry on their BIM journey. This is a difficult balance, between the day-to-day education role and helping SMEs new to Level 2 BIM to see that it is achievable while countering the lazy off-hand commentary that characterises SMEs as unprepared in an environment where the reality is the definition of Level 2 BIM changes with each large company requiring it.
In this environment recognising the innovation and downright determination of SMEs to embrace Level 2 BIM, often in a volatile environment, requires vision. Certification and documentation is generally focused the upper tiers where tier 3 and 4 of the supply chain are only affected by parts of the process, and are reliant on the larger contractors or consultants running the project for the quality and predictability of the process.
The awards are a great opportunity to meet and network with companies that have taken significant steps on their BIM journey already and learn from them.
This year’s shortlist comprises:
- Alinea Consulting
- Baxall Construction
- coBuilder
- DSG Quantity Surveyors
- Howard Russell Construction
- Interserve
- Ostick + Williams
- The B1M
- The BIM Hub
- Tony Meadows Associates
- University of Westminster
- White Frog Publishing
Follow the build up to the awards on twitter #bim4smeawards
The RICS BIM4SME Awards are on Thursday 29 September 2016, from 7pm until 11pm with canapes and an open bar.
In times of uncertainty SMEs, often at the bottom of the food chain and without substantial resources, are made to suffer disproportionately. Investment becomes harder, so in the current difficult climate companies that are still pushing forwards with adoption of Level 2 BIM and innovating around it are to be celebrated.
– Robert Klaschka
