业主经常呼吁专业服务公司简化项目以完成并保持市场脉动。新利18备用网址最近，公司同意，脉搏正在赛车。新利18备用网址去年被搁置的项目正在迅速重新启动，而更新，更复杂的建筑计划则填补了管道，驱使许多所有者寻求超越通常的团队来管理数量的支持。

没有公司可以预测未来，但是专业服务公司可以帮助业主弄清楚下一步可能会发生什么。Stantec执行副总裁兼首席执业官Steve Fleck说：“当我们从大流行中恢复中，有一个不言而喻的理解，即我们的行业预计未来会有前所未有的基础设施工作。”弗莱克说，期待只会为已经火热的市场增加燃料，这也是2021年专业服务公司排名前100名的主要情节。

Although the aggregate construction management and program management revenue from the Top 100 was down 5.8% overall in 2020 compared to 2019, median firm revenue was up 14.05% to $43.6 million, from $38.05 million—which signals that volume is growing among ranked firms of all sizes. Going into the 2021-22 post-pandemic cycles, firms anticipate projects of all sizes vying for scarce market resources.

“The influx of current and upcoming work is creating a war on talent to attract experienced project management leaders,” Fleck says, and firms are racing to grab the top talent they need to meet the demands of clients. Many of those needs have transformed over the course of the pandemic.

Different Business Than Usual

With early pandemic chaos still fresh in mind, more owners want operations resilience and help packaging their projects into well-planned, coherent programs, explains Michael B. Smith, Americas president of Hill International. It is a different approach from the usual siloed project system.

“Clients, especially in the public infrastructure sectors where Hill is particularly strong, are recovering quickly from the pandemic and in some cases are accelerating their project plans to make up for lost time,” says Smith. But beyond timelines, clients aren’t after a quick fix, he says. “We find that owners are demanding a more comprehensive assessment of how their program investments provide long-term value to their organizations,” Smith explains. That includes support to understand how “future disruptions can be anticipated, minimized and/or mitigated,” he adds.

Last year, domestically, Top 100 services firm revenue fell 9.9% while international revenue rose 8% (see chart, p. 46). Homing in on those percentages, the major difference in revenue appears in the top five rankings, which decreased by 15%— a more than $2.4 billion drop. All firms ranked in last year’s top 10 filed this year, so the decreased revenue could be the result of firms being more selective or sector slowdowns during the pandemic.

Ranking data shows there are seven firms new to the Top 100 list and to ENR survey rankings, including Galaxy Builders Ltd., Industrial Project Innovation LLC (IPI), Horne LLP, Hudson Meridian Construction Group, Ardmore Roderick, Entech Engineering Inc. and RGM Kramer Inc. Among those firms, many reported that their performance over the last few years is a deciding factor in filing this year.

“The ability to continue business despite adverse conditions is now a standard program management offering and is getting much more attention today than pre-COVID-19,” says Smith about the changing market for services firms. “We see clients adding a PgM, PM or CM function to their teams. This is true of all delivery methods, including design-build, progressive design-build, construction management-at-risk and integrated project delivery, as well as more vanilla types of contracts.”

史密斯说，为了解决大流行引起的供应链问题和严重的劳动力市场，业主不希望服务公司像往常一样经营业务，他们寻求熟悉的项目交付和知识深度。他说：“无论是在设计过程中确定节省成本的机会还是可能加速施工时间表的方法，在提供任何复杂性或规模的项目时，对团队的公正[主题专家]观点都有意义。”

Risks and Rewards

Although the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be in the rearview mirror, owners recognize that markets are still reeling from residual effects. As a result, there is heightened sensitivity around cost certainty and risk control, says John Robbins, managing director for the USA at Turner & Townsend.
“One of the biggest priority shifts has been toward risk assessment. This global event completely reframed how our clients think about cost certainty, contract and commercial agreements, supply chains and business continuity,” says Robbins.

他补充说：“许多客户都在问我们如何最好地设置流程和保证，以通过改变生活的事件（例如Covid-19）来管理资本计划。”“我们正在帮助客户查看应急计划以及如何以更有弹性的方式设置系统，以通过类似情况进行管理。”

罗宾斯指出，希望早期的预防措施将长期奖励所有者，并降低风险。他说：“许多（即使不是大多数）企业在大流行期间进行了非常艰难的会计年度谈判，并保持其资本项目的流利。”新利18备用网址“此外还有重大的供应链破坏和建筑材料的波动，例如木材，钢和混凝土产品以及商品价格。”

一个积极的结果,EnTech工程代表orts, is that clients are more open to the flexibility that new technology provides, such as virtual meetings, jobsite inspections and 3D design collaboration. “Project owners have always placed a heavy emphasis on efficient project delivery, but the pandemic has caused an even greater focus on schedule and budget,” says Sue Bayat, founder and president of EnTech. “This has helped accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies, like BIM, as owners look for smarter solutions that help deliver projects faster and more economically.”

How well professional services firms can help owners maneuver through market conditions and avoid risk will be a major determinant of success next year, says Christopher Payne, president and CEO of McDonough Bolyard Peck Inc.

“At a high level, our clients are really not as confident in what they’re trying to build, given the changes we’ve seen,” he says. “We’re seeing more curiosity from clients about prefabricated and off-site assembly to help control schedule and reduce the risk of on-site construction.”

佩恩补充道:“作为服务提供商,我们艾达pting our thinking to how we can extend our expertise across the whole supply chain.”

乔纳森·凯勒（Jonathan Keller）的其他报道。