Among the opportunities he sees are work on renewable energy facilities as well as increased emphasis on energy-efficient building automation systems such as smart lighting and temperature controls. 

Still, firms continue to face significant obstacles. “The supply chain is very tough right now,” he says. “The commodity market has made it difficult to get key materials such as aluminum, steel and copper, and the costs continue to rise.” 

The crunch has resulted in longer lead times on projects and more detailed pretask planning, creating an additional drag on projects in development. As a result, the hoped-for construction revival in the San Francisco area seems to be taking its time to arrive. “We’ve still got quite a bit of slowdown in the Bay area,” DiMare says.