14 Most Expensive BIM Project Mistakes

• Relying on one person for model review: Expecting one person to cover engineering, IT, and software is unrealistic. Without full team involvement, especially from major stakeholders, critical issues often go unnoticed.
• Asking for what you don’t use: High LOD, detailed LOI, extensive accuracy - it all costs. If it’s not being used, why pay for it? Start by defining project and BIM goals, then decide which BIM requirements actually help achieve them.
• Relying on friends over experience: Choosing long-time partners over experienced BIM professionals can lead to delays, overruns, and stress. A team is only as strong as its weakest link.
• Not using what you asked for: Major design issues still appear on-site because BIM was required but wasn’t actually used during design. If you ask for BIM, be involved and use the provided information - for design review, QTO, or any other purpose.
• Letting BIM managers decide what matters: BIM managers often focus on technical details that may not align with project priorities. Don’t outsource your EIR to someone who doesn’t understand your goals. If you do outsource, work together to define what really matters.
• PMs not involved or inexperienced: When PMs think BIM has no real impact on schedule or budget, projects tend to run over time and over budget. If you are a PM, train yourself and use BIM to support project execution.
• Doing 2D first, then BIM: If BIM was required from the start, switching from 2D mid-process introduces misalignments and rework.
• Not extracting drawings and quantities from models: These are core BIM uses. If you’re not leveraging them, why use BIM at all?
• Unclear EIRs: A vague EIR leads to scope reduction and unmet expectations; a broad EIR can cause misalignments or demand more than you actually need. Example: asking for 4D without defining when or why will likely result in a low-detail animation with little value.
• Data loss: Still happening in 2025. Whether from poor naming conventions or weak version control, data loss remains a costly problem. Have a strategy to reduce risks right from the start.
• Poor communication: Not documenting meeting decisions leads to disputes. Even with trusted partners, write everything down - especially for handovers or legal situations. Always plan for the worst-case scenario.
• No one checks deliverables: A solid EIR means little if no one checks the outputs. Get competent people to write it and keep them on the project to ensure compliance.
• Late or missing stakeholder involvement: When major stakeholders don’t use BIM or join too late, design changes occur in late stages. BIM means collaboration - don’t exclude people who influence key decisions.
• Skipping piloting / mobilisation: Rolling out inefficient quality checks and processes without piloting only creates problems that are harder to fix later.