Nicholas Porter — Construction Technology Advisor and AI Consultant, Melbourne

Construction Technology · AI Consulting · Project Controls

Nicholas
Porter

Construction Technology Advisor & AI Consultant

With 35+ years of hands-on experience delivering some of Australia's most complex infrastructure projects — and now advising construction businesses on how to harness AI and automation — I bridge the gap between the way construction has always worked and the way it needs to work next.

35+ Years Experience Primavera P6 Specialist Melbourne, Australia International Projects
35+
Years in major project delivery
3
Ventures founded
AU, PNG & UAE
International delivery experience

What I Do

Expertise & Capabilities

Decades of real-project experience across the full spectrum of construction planning, controls, and — now — AI-powered automation.

Project Controls & Scheduling

Primavera P6 scheduling, DCMA 14-point compliance, schedule risk analysis (SRA), delay and EOT analysis, and 4D modelling on multi-billion dollar projects.

Primavera P6 DCMA SRA EOT Analysis
AI & Workflow Automation

Practical AI adoption for construction SMEs — workflow audits, n8n automation builds, AI reporting agents, and custom app development. Founder of SmartConstructAI.

AI Consulting n8n Workflow Automation
Infrastructure Delivery

Senior planning roles across rail, tunnelling, roads, airports, and commercial construction. Experience spans Tier 1 contractors and major principal organisations.

Rail Tunnelling Airports Roads
Reporting & Executive Dashboards

Milestone reporting, 4D programme visualisation, and AI-driven executive dashboards that pull live data from P6, cost systems, and site platforms automatically.

4D Modelling Dashboards AI Reporting
Training & Knowledge Transfer

Primavera P6 courses from fundamentals through to resource-loaded scheduling and DCMA compliance — built for real construction professionals. Delivered via Schedule Training Hub.

P6 Training DCMA Compliance Online Courses
Construction App Development

Custom-built apps for site operations — from digital site diaries to inspection registers and compliance tools. Nexa Site Diary is the flagship product built from this expertise.

Nexa Site Diary Site Diary Custom Apps
Aerial Imaging & Drone Operations

Licensed 25kg drone operations for aerial imaging and mapping on construction sites — supporting progress monitoring, volumetric analysis, and 4D visualisation workflows.

25kg Drone Ops Aerial Imaging Site Mapping

Career History

35+ Years of Major Project Delivery

A career built on some of Australia's most complex and high-profile infrastructure projects — and now applying that experience to the future of construction technology.

2025 – Present
AI Consultant & Founder
SmartConstructAI — Melbourne, Australia

Founded SmartConstructAI to deliver practical AI consulting and workflow automation to construction and infrastructure businesses. Advising SME contractors on AI adoption, building n8n automation workflows, and developing custom construction apps including Nexa Site Diary.

AI Consulting n8n Automation App Development
2023 – 2026
Senior Planning Manager
Suburban Rail Loop — Melbourne, Victoria

Senior planning role on the $34.5 billion Suburban Rail Loop — one of Australia's largest ever infrastructure projects. Responsible for programme development, schedule integrity, and reporting frameworks across the early works and tunnelling packages.

Primavera P6 Mega-Project Delivery Programme Management
2016 – 2020
Planning Manager
Melbourne Metro Tunnel — Melbourne, Victoria

Planning and project controls on the $11 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel — Australia's largest infrastructure project at the time. Led schedule development, DCMA compliance reviews, and executive reporting for tunnelling, station, and systems packages.

DCMA Tunnelling Executive Reporting
2013 – 2016
Senior Planner
West Gate Tunnel — Melbourne, Victoria

Senior planning responsibilities on the West Gate Tunnel project, covering programme development, schedule risk analysis, and delay/EOT documentation for the main tunnel and approach works.

Tunnelling SRA EOT Analysis
2008 – 2013
Planning Manager — International
Dubai International Airport Expansion — UAE

Planning and project controls leadership on the Dubai International Airport expansion programme — one of the world's largest aviation infrastructure projects. Delivered complex multi-contract scheduling, resource analysis, and client reporting in a high-pressure international environment.

International Airport Multi-Contract
1989 – 2008
Project Planner → Senior Planner
Various Tier 1 Contractors — Australia & International

Progressed from Project Planner to Senior Planner across a range of major rail, road, building, and civil infrastructure projects in Australia. Built deep expertise in Primavera P6, schedule risk analysis, and project controls across all phases of delivery.

Rail Civil Infrastructure Commercial Construction

Major Projects

A selection of major infrastructure and construction projects from a 35+ year career — from tunnels under Melbourne to airports in Dubai.

My Ventures

Businesses & Platforms I've Built

Decades of construction experience crystallised into products and services — each one solving a real problem I saw on the job.

Founder & Principal
SmartConstructAI

AI consulting and workflow automation for construction and infrastructure businesses. Practical, ROI-focused services backed by real project experience.

smartconstructai.com.au
Founder & Developer
Nexa Site Diary

A purpose-built digital site diary platform for construction teams. Fast, accurate, and audit-ready daily records — built by someone who's used paper diaries on billion-dollar projects.

nexasitediary.com.au
Founder & Instructor
Schedule Training Hub

Primavera P6 and scheduling courses for construction professionals. From fundamentals to advanced DCMA compliance — taught by someone who's used it daily for 35+ years.

scheduletraininghub.com

Let's Work Together

Whether you're looking for AI consulting, project controls advice, or want to explore what automation could do for your construction business — I'm always happy to have a conversation.

nick@nicholasporter.com.au · +61 409 153 678 · Melbourne, Australia