Evaluation of business strategies in the UK construction engineering consultancy

Invariably, business strategies are methods used to make and sell products or perform services. Often strategies employed are determined by the company’s reaction to events that are beyond its control. In the UK construction industry, consulting engineering firms are exposed to increasing marketplace competition. The rapid change from the traditional contract procurement route to the relatively new design and build, and management contracting towards the end of the 1980s in the UK, has also introduced many consulting firms to a new form of competition. These and other issues have, therefore, led to the investigation of how today’s small and medium sized consulting firms are coping in the present marketplace. Focuses on five key areas of business strategies that are fundamental to a firm’s survival and increased profitability. Discusses the findings of an explanatory survey of partners and chief executives of 57 consulting firms, carried out to identify existing practices in these firms. The survey results support the need for a more co‐ordinated marketing strategy, increased partnership with other consulting firms, and the need for strategic planning through careful environmental analysis.