...and “no material exposure,” says Scott Lamb, vice president of investor relations. “We prefer not to speculate on the implications of the current situation in that region,” he says, adding that work in the Middle East makes up only 16% of its global engineering and construction backlog.

Hill International, also publicly held, says it has demobilized about 170 non-Libyan staff and ceased work on several university building projects but expects to return “once the situation has stabilized,” says a spokesman. “We believe that when the current civil unrest is eventually resolved, the probability is high that we will continue to work on these projects,” Chairman and CEO Irvin E. Richter said on March 7 in announcing the company’s 2010 results. “We also believe that the amounts due will be collected. However, if we are unable to do so, there would be an adverse financial impact on Hill.”

Construction services firm MWH, Broomfield, Colo., had been executing a $5-million contract since 2009, also on the Great Man-Made River project, but work now is suspended and two company employees were flown back to Dubai, the project headquarters, says a spokeswoman. The firm’s work had been set for a midyear completion. “MWH will attempt to make contact with our client once the current situation stabilizes, sanctions and travel restrictions are lifted, and there is confirmation that travel to Tripoli is safe,” she says.

Stanley Consultants, Muscatine, Iowa, and CDM, Cambridge, Mass., have suspended operations of their joint venture that was working on utility reconstruction and other projects in Libya since 2009, says Gregs Thomopulos, Stanley chairman. “We have no idea when, or if, these will be resumed,” he says. Thomopulos says the impact on revenue will not be significant. “Even before this unrest, payments from Libya were not very timely,” he says.

Other global firms also are coping. Vienna-based STRABAG SE reports the shutdown of nearly $700 million of work, with a workforce of 900 at five infrastructure sites. Spokeswoman Diana Neumüller-Klein says the firm evacuated 30 expats. “We hired security firms to protect the sites, but we hear that some are destroyed,” she says. “We will not return to Libya to have a look at this, unless is it safe for our employees.” Neumüller-Klein says the firm’s annual volume in Libya was only about $139 million, “but it was defined as a growth market that certainly won’t materialize.”

A spokeswoman for Indian contractor Punj Lloyd Ltd., Gurgaon, confirms “the safety and security of its employees and assets in Libya.” The firm did not disclose the value of its work or number of employees in country, but it has 1,800 Indian nationals working there on $1.8 billion worth of projects, according to a published report.

No Clear Rules or Laws

Italian and Chinese firms are also active in Libya, with ENR data showing 14 from each country in 2009. “Libya has proven … to be quite difficult to do business [with] for a newcomer [such] as we [are],” says a spokesman for Italy’s SICIM S.p.A., Busetto, which has worked there since 2005. He notes a law soon after that required foreign firms to link with local firms to do work, but then that law was repealed. “To make it short, there [are] no clear rules or laws,” he says. “This unrest caught us while trying to repatriate all our assets. We have now to wait and see. Maybe it’s for the better.”

Montreal-based engineer SNC Lavalin, involved in airport, water supply, environmental and other infrastructure projects, says it evacuated most of its 4,500 foreign national employees as of March 1, says Vice President Leslie Quinton. “But there remain a handful of people in country who continue to supervise the sites,” she says. “For the moment, we are waiting for clarification on international sanctions about working in Libya, although we feel confident that the kind of work we are doing there is essential for whoever is in government. For the moment, there is instability, but we have a long history in this country and feel there will be an opportunity to continue to grow infrastructure for these people.”

Other company executives are unclear about this latest impact on the region’s prospects. “While the country has been welcoming U.S. firms to do business in Libya prior to the unrest, it is unlikely that many will rush back to Libya if the current regime stays in power,” says Stanley’s Thomopulos. “Even if there is a change, we will all take time to assess the stability and safety of our employees before going back to resume our operations. The situation could be destabilizing to nearby countries, especially Tunisia, but, again, it is too early to tell.”

However, some firms report that work in Egypt is returning, although not without difficulty. “Our Egypt workforce was small and local. They have stayed, although business is very tough,” says Richard D. Fox, CEO of CDM, which has U.S.-backed environmental infrastructure work there. “The work environment is not threatening but very difficult.” He notes that Egypt-based U.S. Agency for International Development staffers who were evacuated in February have not returned. “Work is not likely to resume in earnest until they do. The prognosis is that work will return, maybe in good form, but it will take a while—weeks, maybe months.”