“If you build it, they will come” isn’t just a version of a famous film line. For ENR Top 400 listed contractors navigating markets bogged down by supply shortages and delays, it’s strategy. Whether “they” refers to more craft workers, better material lead times or decreased cost risk depends on a firm’s most pressing problems, but contractors overwhelmingly agree that relationship building is a way forward despite the industry’s steadily strained supply chain.

As firms enter a busy construction year, abuzz with preconstruction planning and anticipation for projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Top 400 contractors report that their biggest challenges stem from trying to control what seemingly is uncontrollable.

Pricing volatility, tariffs on building materials, such as lumber and steel, and supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19 shutdowns and the war in Ukraine all fall under that category. The wide-reaching effects of these challenges are boosting demand in some markets while reducing it in others.

总体而言，前400家公司的总收入在2021年上升到了创纪录的4210亿美元，比前一年提高了1.49％，这是连续增长11年。尽管大流行第一年的收入增长放缓，从2019年到2020年的收入增长了0.12％，但自大流行开始以来，公司的收入增长了1.62％。

“Coming out of the pandemic, we thought there would be some normalcy,” says Abrar Sheriff, president and CEO of Turner Construction Co.’s international arm, Turner International. But as international issues continue to impact domestic supply chains, “It’s almost like déjà vu dealing with this,” he adds.

Through its supply chain management service SourceBlue, Turner Construction has been able to use its international relationships in China and Europe to improve project predictability domestically and get materials to jobsites in a timely manner, says Sheriff. The company is ranked No. 1 on the Top 400 list for the second consecutive year.

“我们正在利用我们的长期关系h our manufacturers and suppliers,” says Sheriff. “We feel if we can do that, we can commit to predictability on schedule and cost for our clients and not leave it open-ended.”

With industry’s current challenges of rising costs and shortages, a larger question looms from owners, says Mario Azar, incoming chair and CEO of Black & Veatch. “Are there creative and collaborative solutions that will enable projects to go forward?” he asks. In the last year, Azar says the company has seen examples where, by the completion of final negotiations, projects no longer made financial sense to move forward, for one or both parties.

“ [所有者]知道挑战，因此他们一直在他们的项目早期参与我们的项目，要求我们担任咨询角色。”新利18备用网址
迈克·汤普森, VP, Robins & Morton

Azar说：“过去具有广泛可用性和清晰交付时间表的材料变得越来越昂贵，交货时间延长和供应链成本激增，从而产生了项目所有者和服务提供商之间的根本张力。”新利18备用官网登录

For this reason, he says, working with clients to balance risk, increase flexibility and create a collaborative environment continues to be a major industry challenge.

罗宾斯（Robins＆）的运营计划和支持副总裁迈克·汤普森（Mike Thompson）解释说，诸如通货膨胀，住宅建筑繁荣，自然灾害和国际冲突等市场的影响也可能是特定部门的。莫顿。

汤普森说：“这些因素与通货膨胀相结合，有助于总体成本升级。”“我们从所有者那里收到的最常见的要求仍然是速度到市场。[所有者]知道挑战，因此他们一直在参与他们的项目，要求我们担任咨询角色。新利18备用网址这使我们能够制定项目交付的创造性策略。”这些创意策略通常是为该项目定制的。

“They often involve intently studying the project, understanding the client’s operational goals and tapping our extensive network of trade contractors and vendors for the most accurate up-to-date lead times,” he adds.

Peinado Construction总裁罗伯特·谢尔顿（Robert Shelton）表示，“在这项业务中的关系比以往任何时候都更重要”，以帮助承包商了解不断变化的市场并最大程度地减少对成本上升的影响。新利18备用官网登录

他说：“我们正在努力为自己和客户量化风险和风险概况，并在整个过程中管理风险。”“我们的客户希望我们帮助他们及其合作伙伴在当前和不断变化的市场状况中导航。”