Zweig Group, the leading provider of management consulting, research, and education for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, has released the 2026 Marketing + Business Development Report of AEC Firms, its most comprehensive look at how firms are evolving their marketing and business development functions.
Based on two years of AEC industry responses, the report includes more than 100 data points on strategy, staffing, technology, spending, and performance.
Among the report’s key findings:
- Principals and owners remain central to business development, with 89% of firms naming them as primarily responsible for business development. However, project managers account for 59% of total business development effort, compared with 12% for principals and owners.
- Relationship-first positioning continues to dominate, with 51% of firms relying primarily on a client-driven positioning strategy.
- More than half of firms use outside marketing consultants, most commonly for video production at 47%, public media and relations at 36%, and strategic marketing planning at 36%.
- Artificial intelligence is now part of day-to-day marketing and business development at 76% of firms.
- The median proposal win rate for the past fiscal year was 45%.
- Conferences and events ranked as the most effective marketing channel in 2026, cited by 63% of firms, followed closely by social media at 62% and firm websites at 58%.
“Marketing and business development are becoming more integrated, more data-driven, and more closely connected to firm strategy,” said Chad Clinehens, president and CEO of Zweig Group. “This report gives AEC leaders a clearer view of how their peers are approaching those functions and where firms may have opportunities to improve.”
