Trends We Turn Into Wins
The ground is moving under small AEC firms. Owners are leaning harder into best-value and alternative delivery, AI is raising the bar on proposal speed and interview polish, long-lead items push risk earlier in pursuits, and capacity stays tight. In this market, growth comes from selection and leverage—not more headcount.
Our job is to turn those shifts into execution. We map each signal to specific moves inside your firm: focus on pursuits where you can command fees (DB/CMAR/PDB), sharpen teaming, install proposal and interview “co-pilots” using your own content library, bake long-lead mitigation into capture plans and schedules, and enforce fee/scope guardrails so wins stay profitable.
Here are the shifts we’re seeing now—and how we turn each into wins.
AI gets real (but cautious)
Leaders still expect AI to help, but confidence cooled: 69% now say AI will enhance their industry (down from 78% last year), and 48% worry it could destabilize it. We implement practical, private “proposal & interview co-pilot” workflows with a simple use policy—so you speed drafts and polish interviews without data risk.
Alternative delivery is surging
Design-build is on track to deliver ~50% of U.S. construction spend by 2028; DB projects are documented 102% faster with 3.8% less cost growth than design-bid-build. We pivot your pursuit mix toward DB/CMAR/PDB, sharpen teaming, and run interview labs to win where the scoring weight is.
Long-lead items are constant
Transformer lead times still stretch into years at transmission scale; switchgear averages ~44 weeks and other critical MEP gear remains extended. We front-load alternates, procurement narratives, and schedule risk language into pursuits—so owners see a credible plan (and you protect margin) to avoid unnecessary time delays.