capital efficiency

The base case is zero. The reality is 20 per cent over. Mining’s most expensive assumption isn’t going away.

Will Kendall has a line that lands with the quiet force of something everyone in the room already knew but hadn’t quite said out loud: "Base case is cost overruns of over 20 per cent," Will says, "That’s your base case.

By Jamie Wade on August 27, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Costs, Financial Planning, Contract Management, ESG, Reclamation Projects, Regulatory Adherence, Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, North America, Canada
Iron ore, Rare Earth Elements, Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Lithium, Gold, Copper, Nickel, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

The contractor recovery has a forward visibility problem, and the JV model is quietly rewriting how junior projects get built

There are two stories inside Grant Thornton's latest mining contractors report, and the one getting most of the attention is the wrong one.

By Jamie Wade on April 28, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Mineral Processing, Costs, Financial Planning, Contract Management, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Reclamation Projects, Regulatory Adherence, Long-term Planning, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, North America, Canada
Iron ore, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical), Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Lithium, Gold, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Energy Minerals

Contractors strike gold as profit sharing reshapes the rules of mining and turns service providers into project partners

Australia’s contract mining sector is undergoing a quiet revolution—one that could fundamentally reshape the relationship between contractors and mine owners.

By Jamie Wade on November 11, 2025
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, Contract Management, ESG, Sustainable Practices, Economic Balance, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance, Queensland, Bowen Basin, South Australia, Gawler Craton
Iron ore, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical), Precious Metals, Gold, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Energy Minerals