AEC firms—architecture, engineering, and construction companies—design and build everything from hospitals to highways. They're the organizations behind the built environment, and they win work by proving their people and projects are the right fit for each opportunity.
This guide covers what AEC firms actually do, who the major players are, and how the most successful ones consistently outcompete their peers for new business.
What is an AEC firm
AEC firms specialize in architecture, engineering, and construction, delivering integrated services across design, technical planning, and building for projects ranging from office towers to highways. You'll see this written as A/E/C firm or A E C firm too—same thing, different formatting. Major global players include AECOM, Gensler, Stantec, and WSP, though the industry spans everything from ten-person boutique studios to multinational organizations with offices on every continent.
What sets an AEC firm apart from a standalone architecture practice or a general contractor? Integration. Rather than handling just one slice of a project, AEC firms typically offer services that span multiple phases—from early concept sketches through construction administration. For clients, this means fewer vendors to coordinate and more continuity as a project moves from idea to finished building.
Understanding the A/E/C industry
The A/E/C industry touches nearly every type of built environment you can think of. Infrastructure projects like bridges, tunnels, and water treatment plants. Commercial buildings including hospitals, offices, and retail centers. Residential developments from single-family homes to high-rise apartments. Industrial facilities such as manufacturing plants and data centers.
Within this landscape, the three disciplines each play a distinct role:
- Architecture: Design of buildings and spaces, balancing aesthetics with how people actually use them
- Engineering: The technical systems that make buildings work—structural integrity, mechanical and electrical systems, civil site work
- Construction: Physical building and project execution, coordinating labor, materials, and subcontractors
Project delivery methods vary depending on the client and project type. Design-bid-build separates design and construction into sequential phases, with the owner hiring an architect first, then bidding out construction separately. Design-build consolidates both under one contract, which often speeds up timelines. Construction management at-risk puts a CM firm in charge of delivering the project within a guaranteed maximum price.
Top AEC firms in the United States
When industry publications rank AEC firms, they typically look at annual revenue, project volume, geographic reach, and reputation within specific market sectors. These rankings help orient newcomers to the industry and give context for competitive positioning.
Leading architecture firms
Gensler consistently tops architecture rankings, with a portfolio spanning workplace, hospitality, and mixed-use projects globally. HOK and Perkins+Will are known for healthcare, education, and corporate interiors. HKS has built a strong reputation in sports and entertainment venues, while Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is synonymous with iconic skyscrapers.
Leading engineering firms
WSP, AECOM, and Jacobs operate at massive scale, handling infrastructure, environmental, and building systems engineering across continents. Arcadis brings particular strength in water and environmental projects. Arup is renowned for innovative structural engineering on landmark buildings and bridges.
Leading construction firms
Turner Construction and Skanska dominate commercial building construction in major U.S. markets. Bechtel takes on some of the world's largest infrastructure megaprojects. Kiewit specializes in heavy civil work like highways, dams, and power plants.
Why AEC firms struggle to win more work
Even firms with excellent technical capabilities and strong reputations often hit a ceiling when it comes to business development. The challenge usually isn't a lack of qualified opportunities—it's the internal friction that slows down pursuit efforts.
Inefficient proposal workflows
Bid teams spend enormous amounts of time hunting for content scattered across shared drives, email threads, and outdated spreadsheets.
When an RFP lands with a two-week deadline, the first several days often disappear into searching for the right project descriptions, tracking down current resumes, and reformatting everything to match the client's requirements.
All that manual copy-pasting and reformatting is tedious, error-prone, and pulls senior staff away from strategic activities. The result? Firms either miss deadlines entirely or submit rushed proposals that don't reflect their true capabilities.
Poor differentiation in competitive bids
When five qualified firms respond to the same RFP, generic proposals blend together. Selection committees see the same boilerplate language, the same stock project photos, and the same vague claims about "commitment to excellence."
Clients want to see relevant experience tailored to their specific project. They want to know your team has solved similar challenges before. Yet many firms submit the same proposal content regardless of whether they're pursuing a hospital, a school, or a manufacturing facility.
Underutilized people and project experience
Here's the frustrating part: most AEC firms have deep expertise that never makes it into their proposals. The senior engineer who solved a tricky foundation problem on a similar site. The project manager who delivered a comparable building under an aggressive schedule. The firm's track record with a specific building type or client sector.
This institutional knowledge often lives only in individual files, memories, or hallway conversations. When it's time to assemble a proposal, bid teams can't surface the right credentials quickly enough to meet deadlines.
How high-growth AEC firms win more bids
Firms with consistently strong win rates approach business development differently. They treat proposal operations as a strategic function, not an administrative afterthought.
Tailoring proposals to each opportunity
Winning firms customize every resume and project sheet to match RFP requirements. If the client emphasizes sustainability, the proposal highlights LEED-certified projects and team members with green building credentials. If the project involves a compressed schedule, the proposal features examples of fast-track delivery.
Relevance beats volume here. Showing three highly relevant projects is more persuasive than listing fifteen loosely related ones. Selection committees notice when a firm has clearly read the RFP and responded to what matters most.
Centralizing resumes and project credentials
A single source of truth for CVs, project descriptions, and firm qualifications changes everything. When all credentials live in one searchable system, bid teams can assemble tailored proposals in hours instead of days.
Centralization also eliminates version control nightmares. No more wondering whether you have the latest resume for a key team member or whether that project description has been updated since last year.
Investing in proposal operations
Leading AEC firms treat their proposal teams as strategic assets. They provide dedicated resources, clear processes, and purpose-built tools. They track metrics like win rate, proposal volume, and time-to-submit.
This investment pays off in both quantity and quality. Firms can pursue more opportunities without burning out their teams, and each proposal receives the attention it deserves.
How AEC professionals streamline proposals and project pursuit
If you're looking to improve your firm's proposal process, here's a practical roadmap based on what we've seen work across hundreds of AEC organizations.
1. Build a single source of truth for credentials
Consolidate all resumes, project sheets, and firm qualifications into one searchable system. This eliminates the content hunting that eats up so much time during active pursuits. The system works best when it's easy to search by project type, client sector, team member expertise, and other relevant criteria. Platforms like Flowcase are designed specifically for this purpose.
2. Automate formatting and document assembly
Automation removes the repetitive tasks that slow down proposal production. Instead of manually reformatting a resume every time a client requires a different template, the system generates compliant, branded documents automatically. This isn't just about speed—it's about consistency. Automated formatting ensures every document meets your firm's quality standards, regardless of who assembled it or how tight the deadline was.
3. Enable self-service for consultants and project managers
Technical staff are often the best source of accurate, current information about their own experience. Yet in many firms, updating a resume requires routing requests through an overloaded marketing coordinator. Self-service capabilities let consultants and project managers update their own profiles directly. This distributed ownership improves data accuracy and keeps credentials fresh without burdening the proposal team.
4. Track win rates and proposal metrics
You can't improve what you don't measure. Tracking proposal volume, win rates, and time-to-submit helps teams identify bottlenecks and prioritize high-value pursuits. Over time, this data reveals patterns: which project types does your firm win most consistently? Which team configurations perform best? Where do proposals tend to stall in the review process?
How proposal automation helps AEC companies scale
Proposal automation means using technology to reduce manual effort so teams can respond to more RFPs without adding headcount. For AEC firms, this typically involves software that manages resumes, project credentials, and document assembly.
The largest AEC firms have used dedicated proposal software for years. What's changed is that these tools are now accessible to mid-sized firms as well, leveling the playing field in competitive pursuits. Flowcase is built specifically for professional services firms that sell on people and project experience.
BenefitImpactFaster turnaroundRespond to RFPs in days instead of weeksConsistent qualityBranded, compliant documents every timeScalable capacitySubmit more bids without growing the teamBetter win ratesTailored proposals that highlight relevant experience
Build a winning proposal process for your AEC firm
Winning more work requires both strategy and the right tools. The firms that consistently outperform their competitors have invested in systems that let their bid teams focus on strategy and storytelling rather than content hunting and reformatting.
Book a demo to see how Flowcase helps AEC firms create sharper, more tailored proposals at scale.
Frequently asked questions about AEC firms
What does AEC stand for?
AEC stands for architecture, engineering, and construction—the three disciplines that collaborate to design and build the physical environment. The term is used interchangeably with A/E/C and A E C throughout the industry.
What is the difference between an AEC firm and a general contractor?
An AEC firm typically offers integrated design and engineering services, often spanning multiple project phases from concept through construction administration. A general contractor focuses specifically on construction execution, coordinating subcontractors, managing schedules, and overseeing the physical building process. Some large AEC firms include construction capabilities, while others partner with separate contractors.
How do AEC firms typically win new projects?
Most AEC firms win work through competitive RFP responses, qualifications-based selection (QBS), or relationships developed through repeat client work. Public sector projects often require formal procurement processes, while private clients may use invited competitions or direct negotiations with preferred firms.
What qualifications do clients look for when selecting an AEC firm?
Clients typically evaluate relevant project experience, key personnel credentials, technical approach, and the firm's ability to meet schedule and budget requirements. For public projects, compliance with specific RFP requirements often determines whether a firm even makes the shortlist. References from similar past projects carry significant weight in final selection decisions.
How large is the AEC industry globally?
The global AEC industry represents one of the largest sectors of the economy, encompassing everything from residential construction to major infrastructure and commercial development projects.
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