The global construction market continues to boom and large international contractors are reaping the benefits. The demand for big-ticket projects, from petroleum production facilities and powerplants to major infrastructure upgrades and signature buildings, has made the demand intense for world-class contractors with the size and expertise to deliver these projects. As a result, big firms around the world are scrambling to grow, either organically or through acquisition, to meet this demand.
The scope of the hot market can be seen from the revenue figures provided by ENR’s Top 225 International Contractors. The Top 225, as a group, generated $310.25 billion in 2007 revenue from projects outside their respective home countries. This is a startling 38.3% increase over 2006’s mark of $224.40 billion. The Top 225 had total contracting revenue in 2007 of $826.96 billion, a 27.1% increase over 2006’s figure of $650.66 billion.