William Eliopoulos was quoted in a January 3, 2017, article in Construction Dive about the top construction industry trends to watch in 2017. He predicted one of the trends to watch will be collaborative project delivery methods.
“It’s taken a few years, but [P3s] have definitely caught on in the United States. [Agencies] just don’t know how to do it,” said Eliopoulos, head of the construction industry practice at Rutan & Tucker. “As a delivery method, they’re used to the old traditional way. This is new. They’re giving up a little more control, which is a good thing. They’re going to rely now on a private developer to do some of the things they used to do themselves.”
Another trends is rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, as a lack of steady federal funding has left many contractors uncertain about when their next projects will start. With a potential $1 trillion funding infusion, companies in that sector are optimistic about the years ahead — if Trump and Congress are able to agree on a path forward.
“When Trump says at his victory speech he wants to put $1 trillion into infrastructure and mentions public-private partnerships, that gets everybody excited,” Eliopoulos. “His plan is short on details, so it’s difficult to tell exactly what he’s got in mind.”
The impact of such a massive infrastructure plan goes beyond firms in the infrastructure sector, according to Meurer. “Anybody that does both might focus more on [infrastructure projects] and allow opportunities for the other projects to spread to the market,” creating a boon for firms in the vertical construction business, he said.
