Procore

By KERRY SMITH, EDITOR, ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE

According to a survey released by Procore Technologies, Inc. and the Associated General Contractors of America, 78 percent of civil and infrastructure construction firms anticipate that their project backlog will increase or remain the same in 2024 as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding ramps up.

The report, Top Civil & Infrastructure Trends: “Today’s Industry Challenges and Opportunities,” found that many firms are worried that labor shortages and productivity challenges could undermine their success with these projects.

“With increased backlogs prompted by once-in-a-generation government investment in the U.S. and Canada, civil and infrastructure organizations are on the precipice of historic projects across North America,” said Sandra Benson, VP of industry strategy at Procore. “To achieve these massive undertakings – while also navigating the ongoing labor shortage – companies will have to find innovative solutions, improve self-performance and leverage clean data to build better.”

The report surveyed nearly 500 general and specialty contractors.

Civil and infrastructure builders reported an average increase of 25 percent in their backlogs, meaning projects that they’re contracted to complete but have not yet started since the pandemic. A total of 78 percent of firms surveyed expect their backlog to grow or remain level over the coming 12 months. Many firms reported they’re investing in software and technology to help overcome these key challenges.