Construction and built environment firms are entering 2026 with a familiar set of pressures: economic uncertainty, rising client expectations, complex project delivery, skills shortages and the constant need to protect already tight margins
What is changing is the way leading firms are responding. The conversation is no longer simply about adopting new technology. It is about using digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and integrated project management systems to improve delivery certainty, protect profitability and build more resilient businesses.
Deltek Clarity Study highlights move to tech execution
The latest Deltek Clarity study, based on research among senior leaders across architecture, engineering and consulting firms in the UK, Germany and Australia, highlights a sector moving from technology experimentation to operational execution.
The study surveyed 375 senior strategic decision-makers, including CEOs, managing directors, C-suite leaders and heads of finance, operations, delivery and projects.
Technology is becoming a core part of project management
For PBC Today readers, the findings are highly relevant. Architecture, engineering and construction organisations are being asked to deliver faster, manage risk more effectively, improve sustainability performance, demonstrate stronger governance, and maintain commercial control across increasingly complex project portfolios.
The firms that succeed will be those that treat technology not as a bolt-on, but as a core part of project delivery and business performance.
Construction firms are operating in a more complex market
The operating environment for construction-related professional services has shifted. Projects are more complex, clients expect greater certainty, and boards are placing more scrutiny on risk, cost control, and return on investment.
According to the Deltek report, more than half of firms are extremely or very concerned about global political uncertainty, inflation, cybersecurity risks and recession. These external pressures are not abstract. They directly affect procurement, project confidence, supply chain resilience, labour availability and programme delivery.
For firms working across planning, design, engineering, infrastructure, housing, public-sector frameworks, and the wider built environment, operational discipline is becoming a competitive advantage.
Winning work is no longer enough. Businesses need to understand whether the right work is being won, whether it can be properly resourced, whether project teams have the right data, and whether each project contributes to profitability.
This is where digital transformation in construction becomes more than a technology issue. It becomes a commercial issue.
AI in construction is moving from hype to operational value
Artificial intelligence has dominated headlines across the construction sector, but the most important shift is not the existence of AI tools. It is the move towards embedding AI into real project workflows.
The Deltek study found that 91% of professional services firms believe AI is important to their organisation’s success, while 68% plan to increase AI investment in 2026. The report also notes that firms are embedding AI across planning, forecasting, resourcing and reporting.
For construction and built environment firms, the opportunity is significant. AI can support project planning, risk identification, scenario modelling, resource forecasting, document management, bid analysis, cost reporting and client communication.
However, AI will only create value where it is connected to reliable data and clear processes. A firm using AI on top of fragmented spreadsheets, inconsistent project reporting and disconnected systems will struggle to achieve meaningful gains.
The real opportunity is not simply to automate isolated tasks. It is to improve decision-making across the project lifecycle.
For example, AI-supported project management could help firms identify early warning signs of cost overruns, forecast resource pinch points, compare project performance across regions or sectors, and reduce the time senior teams spend manually assembling reports.
This is particularly important in construction, where small delays and poor information flow can quickly turn into margin erosion.
Cybersecurity is now a construction business risk
Cybersecurity is often treated as an IT issue, but that view is increasingly outdated. In construction and the built environment, cyber risk is now a board-level business risk.
The Deltek report found that two-thirds of firms had been targeted by a cyber-attack in the past three years, and nearly a third had suffered financial losses as a result. It also highlights cybersecurity as a business performance issue, with implications for operational continuity, client confidence and margin protection.
This matters because modern construction firms are deeply connected. Project teams share drawings, models, contracts, payment information, design data, client records and supply chain communications across multiple platforms.
A successful cyber-attack can disrupt live projects, delay reporting, compromise client data, damage reputation and create direct financial loss. For firms working with public sector clients, regulated environments, critical infrastructure, or major frameworks, cybersecurity maturity can also affect procurement confidence.
The lesson for construction leaders is clear: cybersecurity should be considered part of project governance and commercial risk management.
Firms investing in AI, cloud platforms, common data environments, digital twins, BIM workflows and integrated project management systems must ensure that cyber controls keep pace with digital adoption.
Digital maturity without cyber resilience is a vulnerability.
Integrated project management is becoming essential
One of the most important themes for construction professionals is the need for integrated project management.
Many firms still rely on disconnected tools for time recording, resource planning, finance, reporting, CRM, document management and project delivery. This creates information silos and makes it difficult to understand project performance in real time.
The Deltek study found that managing the full project lifecycle to time, budget, scope, and quality increasingly depends on end-to-end project management systems and measurable controls. While many firms report effectiveness in time tracking and resource management, only around one in five say they are fully integrated end-to-end.
For construction firms, this is a major issue.
Project profitability depends on visibility. Leaders need to know which projects are performing, which are drifting, where resource pressure is building, where scope creep is occurring and where costs are moving beyond plan.
Without integrated systems, project teams often identify problems too late.
An integrated project management platform can connect project planning, resource allocation, financial management, billing, forecasting, and reporting into a single operating environment. This gives directors, project managers and finance teams a shared view of performance.
That single source of truth is vital in an industry where decisions are often made under pressure and with incomplete information.
The skills challenge is as important as the technology challenge
Technology alone will not solve the construction sector’s productivity challenge. Firms also need people with the skills to use it effectively.
The Deltek report identifies AI literacy as the most needed skill over the next three years, followed by data analytics, strong project management and automation literacy. It also notes that training, upskilling and reskilling staff remain major challenges for firms.
This is highly relevant to construction.
Digital transformation in construction is often discussed in terms of platforms, software and systems. But the limiting factor is frequently capability. A firm can invest in the best available technology, but if project managers, commercial teams, finance teams, and senior leaders do not trust or understand the data, adoption will stall.
The next phase of construction technology will require hybrid skillsets. Project professionals will need commercial awareness, technical delivery knowledge, data literacy and confidence using AI-enabled tools.
Similarly, senior leaders will need to ask better questions of their systems. Not just “what happened?” but “what is likely to happen next, and what action should we take now?”
That shift from retrospective reporting to predictive decision-making could become one of the biggest differentiators between high-performing construction firms and those that continue to operate reactively.
Profitability depends on better project intelligence
The construction sector has long struggled with productivity, fragmented data and thin margins. The current market makes those weaknesses harder to absorb.
Inflation, political uncertainty, regulation, skills shortages and supply chain pressures all increase the need for accurate, timely project intelligence.
The Deltek report suggests that firms expect stronger profitability in 2026, driven by tighter cost control, improved KPI discipline and more integrated project management practices.
For construction leaders, the message is direct: profitability is increasingly linked to the quality of operational data.
Firms need to understand the true cost of delivery, the effectiveness of their resource planning, the reliability of their forecasts and the commercial impact of project changes.
This becomes particularly important when dealing with changing client requirements, delayed projects, regulatory pressures or complex multi-location teams.
Poor information flow creates commercial risk. Better data creates control.
What should construction firms prioritise in 2026?
The findings point to five practical priorities for construction and built environment firms.
First, firms should assess whether their project management systems provide genuine end-to-end visibility. If finance, delivery, resourcing and reporting remain disconnected, leaders will struggle to manage performance effectively.
Second, AI should be applied to specific operational problems. The most valuable use cases are likely to be those linked to forecasting, resource planning, risk management, reporting and project controls.
Third, cybersecurity should be elevated to board level. As firms digitise more of their operations, cyber resilience must be treated as part of business continuity, project governance and client assurance.
Fourth, firms need to invest in skills. AI literacy, data analytics, and strong project management capabilities will determine whether technology investment translates into measurable performance improvements.
Finally, businesses should focus on project profitability as a strategic discipline. That means using data to understand where margins are being won or lost, and creating systems that allow intervention before problems become embedded.
A more data-led construction sector is emerging
The construction industry has often been criticised for slow technology adoption, but that picture is changing. Economic pressure, client expectations and the rise of AI are forcing firms to rethink how they manage work, people, risk and profitability.
The most successful firms will not necessarily be those that buy the most technology, but those that connect technology to business outcomes.
AI, cybersecurity, data analytics and integrated project management systems are not separate trends. Together, they form the operating model for a more resilient, profitable and accountable construction sector.
For PBC Today readers, the challenge is clear. Digital transformation must now move beyond strategy decks and isolated pilots. It needs to be embedded in how projects are won, planned, delivered, measured, and improved.
In 2026, construction firms that can combine strong project management, secure digital systems, skilled people and reliable data will be best placed to deliver certainty in an uncertain market.
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