Civil Contractors Optimistic About 2021
Latest findings from The Civil Quarterly show expected increases in profit margins, opportunities for work
HAMILTON, NJ – January 13, 2021 – Dodge Data & Analytics’ latest findings from The Civil Quarterly (TCQ) found that civil contractors are increasingly optimistic about the outlook for new business over the next 12 months. The report confirms that contractors have had a challenging year but believe that the market will rebound in 2021. It also details the impact that the pandemic has had on businesses, with most contractors reporting their backlog levels have dropped against their ideal level of backlog for the third quarter in a row, from a ratio of 92 in Q2 to 79 in Q4.
Among the civil contractors surveyed in Q4, TCQ found:
- More than half (58%) say that they have high or very high confidence in the market’s ability to provide them with new business in the next 12 months, up six points from the previous quarter.
- One-third (32%) are also expecting to see their profit margins increase in that time frame, compared with 25% in Q3.
- The majority (65%) of those expecting an increase in profit margin or revenue also expect to see more opportunities for work.
- Nearly half (45%) believe this increased pipeline will allow them to be more selective about targeting more profitable work.
However, the future outook isn’t entirely bright. The challenge of finding skilled workers has remained consistent with levels reported in Q2 2020. Given civil contractors’ optimism about the volume of work available over the next year, it is not surprising that the majority of those surveyed (66%) expect the cost of skilled workers to increase in the next six months, a 13 point increase over Q2 data.
In addition to regular business conditions, the Q4 report focuses on two emerging trends that could have a long-term influence on the industry: digital twins and remote inspection. While still not widely adopted across the industry, both are receiving increased attention.
Digital Twins:
Just 10% of those surveyed were familiar with the digital twins concept, and even fewer (9%) have had project owners express interest in digital twins. However, despite these low percentages, the majority (71%) of contractors believe that at least some owners will seek to create digital twins in the future, indicating a need for handover materials to support that goal. Typically, a digital twin uses a building information model (BIM) as its base, but Q4 data found that only 39% of the contractors are currently using BIM. This suggests that the industry is not yet prepared to support owner interest in digital twins, despite their belief that it is likely to occur. It also suggests that contractors well-versed in BIM may have a competitive advantage in the future.
Remote Inspection:
Remote inspections are also not yet widely used. Only 14% of the industry report experience with them, and of that number, only half state experience prior to the start of the pandemic -- revealing that the need to reduce in-person interactions did not have a major impact on inspections. The Q4 report findings confirm the industry is in the early adopter phase of using these tools. However, it also confirmed that more than half of contractors -- including the majority of those with experience with remote inspections and over half of those without -- expect that the share of inspections done remotely will increase over the next three years.
Dodge Data & Analytics will be conducting a series of webinars on the findings of this report, looking at these critical trends. More information will be provided soon.
TCQ provides a quarterly snapshot of the current business health of contractors operating in this dynamic environment and explores trends in the industry. The report is the result of a partnership with Founding partner Infotech®, Platinum partner Hexagon and Gold partners Command Alkon and Digital Construction Works, and is based on original research collected from civil contractors and engineers. It is available for free download to help all those who have a stake in the U.S. civil construction industry. Future editions will continue to address a wide range of related topics providing a comprehensive view of this complex and ever-changing segment of the construction economy.
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About Dodge Data & Analytics: Dodge Data & Analytics is North America’s leading provider of commercial construction project data, market forecasting & analytics services and workflow integration solutions for the construction industry. Building product manufacturers, architects, engineers, contractors, and service providers leverage Dodge to identify and pursue unseen growth opportunities that help them grow their business. On a local, regional or national level, Dodge empowers its customers to better understand their markets, uncover key relationships, size growth opportunities, and pursue specific sales opportunities with success. The company’s construction project information is the most comprehensive and verified in the industry. Dodge is leveraging its more than 125-year-old legacy of continuous innovation to help the industry meet the building challenges of the future. Learn more at www.construction.com.
About Infotech®:
Info Tech, Inc., DBA Infotech (Infotech) is a leading SaaS solutions provider for the infrastructure construction industry. Informed by DOT relationships and decades of experience, Infotech develops software solutions that bridge the gaps between owners, consultants, contractors, and other project stakeholders. Whether it be tools for construction administration and inspection or secure online bidding, all of Infotech’s solutions are built to increase transparency, productivity and the availability of data. Infotech is the developer of Appia®, Bid Express®, and Doc Express®, as well as the official contractor for AASHTOWare Project™. For more information, visit infotechinc.com.
About Hexagon: Hexagon is a global leader in sensor, software and autonomous solutions. We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, and quality across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, safety, and mobility applications.
Our technologies are shaping urban and production ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous - ensuring a scalable, sustainable future. Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 20,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 3.9bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.
About Command Alkon: As the provider of the leading Supplier Collaboration Platform for Heavy Work, Command Alkon solutions deliver supply chain digital collaboration across the heavy construction community. CONNEX, a technology platform built for the industry, enables business partners to automate and integrate business process, capture real-time visibility into heavy material orders and deliveries, and share knowledge to promote certainty of outcomes. Command Alkon is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama and has offices in locations around the globe. For more information, visit commandalkon.com.
Digital Construction Works: Founded in 2019, Digital Construction Works, Inc. (DCW) is a leading digital integration services and solutions organization providing digital integration services, a digital integration platform with project insights, digital twin services, and fit-for-purpose solutions. With our product-agnostic approach, we enable construction organizations and owner/operators to better utilize current applications or integrate fit-for-purpose solutions to automate and optimize the construction process from planning through to operations. With an emphasis on heavy civil infrastructure, DCW is transforming the construction industry from its legacy document-centric paradigm and simplifying and enabling digital automated workflows and processes and technology integration for infrastructure. www.digitalconstructionworks.com.
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Lacey Jones
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Infotech
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