Specialized Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 4,400 specialized heavy and civil engineering construction firms engage in a broad range of non-residential construction work. Major project categories include mass transit (railroads, subways); marine construction (dredging, navigational channels, locks, docks); tunnels; outdoor recreational areas (athletic fields, parks, trails, golf courses, campgrounds); conservation and development (dams, drainage canals, flood control); and harbor and port facilities.
Uneven, Seasonal Demand
Demand for specialized heavy and civil engineering construction services is uneven and seasonal.
Dependence on Government Funding
Demand for specialized heavy and civil engineering construction services is driven by public construction projects, which rely on government funding.
Industry size & Structure
The average specialized heavy and civil engineering construction company operates out of a single location, employs about 18 workers, and generates $5.5 million in annual revenue.
- The specialized heavy and civil engineering construction industry consists of about 4,400 firms that employ almost 79,000 workers, and generate over $23 billion in annual revenue.
- The industry is concentrated at the top and fragmented at the bottom. The top 50 companies account for about 48% of industry revenue.
- Large firms include Herzog Contracting (rail), Railworks, Railroad Construction Company, Orion Group Holdings (water resources), and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (water resources).
- The US is a “closed” market for dredging with government regulations restricting dredging operations in US waters to US-owned and operated vessels staffed by US crews.
Industry Forecast
Specialized Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Oct 8, 2024 - DOT Report: Less Than Half of IIJA Spending Announced
- According to a recent report by the US Department of Transportation (DOT), only 40% of the $550 billion in new spending funded through 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has been announced, suggesting a lag in progress. The funds provided through the IIJA will be available until they are spent, so the funding could go beyond the law’s five-year scope. However, securing IIJA funding is cumbersome, as it flows from more than 400 programs through federal, state, and local entities. Analysis of White House data by CNBC suggests the bulk of IIJA funding has gone to road and bridge projects, followed by rail, broadband, power, and water projects. According to the DOT report, IIJA funding has been announced for 10,200 bridge projects, 1,000 airport projects, 500 port and waterway projects, 170 rail projects, and 11,200 public transit projects.
- Developers are feeling more optimistic about construction conditions, which may be leading to fewer project abandonments, according to recent data from ConstructionConnect. In September 2024, project abandonments fell 49.8% compared to the same period a year earlier. Abandoned projects are those that have a delayed bid date, been paused, or have been cancelled. Within the private sector, project abandonments fell 9.4% in September 2024 compared to September 2023, projects put on hold dropped 6.8%, and delayed bid activity was flat with a 0.1% decline. Public projects saw a 17.6% year-over-year drop in projects put on hold in September, and abandonments fell 5.5%. Developers are likely feeling more optimistic after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.5 percentage points on September 18.
- Spending related to transportation projects - including rail, airports, and ports – is projected to rise 3% in 2024, 7% in 2025, 9% in 2026, 5% in 2027, and 3% in 2028, according to FMI’s third-quarter 2024 North American Engineering and Construction Outlook. Airport spending will outpace rail and port expenditures amid an anticipated doubling of air passenger and cargo volumes before 2040. Construction spending for conservation and development projects is expected to drop by about 2% in 2024 as Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding awarded in 2022 and 2023 levels off. Conservation and development funding will then decline 2% in 2025 and 2026 before rising 3% in 2027 and 5% in 2028. Investments in dams, levees, dredging, and coastal and intercoastal conservation will be among the main drivers of conservation and development spending through 2028.
- The specialized heavy and civil engineering construction industry is expected to experience flat but steady sales growth in the coming years. The industry’s year-over-year sales increased by 5.9% in 2021 and 12.4% in 2022 before dropping to 5.2% in 2023, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Sales growth is projected to fall to 4.6% in 2024, then rise to 4.9% in 2025. The industry will then see flat but steady average annual growth of about 4.9% through 2028, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.
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