Jonathan Keller is ENR's Associate Editor for company surveys and rankings. He works on ENR’s Top Lists, collecting, cleaning and analyzing data. Jonathan has a background in data analytics, freelance writing and tragic sports fandom. A native of Buffalo (and therefore a Bills and Sabres fan), he now lives in New York City.
With decarbonization incentives baked into recent federal spending packages, many owners across industrial and infrastructure sectors now have the wherewithal to think green.
In an increasingly complex global construction market, Top 250 firm executives say owners are placing a greater emphasis on meeting basic project goals—delivered on time, under budget and at promised value.
As supply chain disruptions threaten to shelve some projects completely, more owners are using professional services firms to help reconfigure limited staff resources and keep schedules moving forward.
With projects facing rising material costs, crunched schedules and labor shortages, project delivery firms say owners are finding themselves at a fork in the road when it comes to design-bid-build versus alternative delivery models.
“If you build it, they will come” isn’t just a version of a famous film line. For Top 400 contractors navigating markets bogged down by supply shortages and delays, it’s strategy.
As much as COVID-19 has led more firms to put a focus on digital innovation, ENR Top 500 design firms are also finding themselves having deeper discussions with clients about long-term design packages that help cut carbon emissions, execute ESG goals and meet diversity, equity and inclusion markers for stakeholders.