A firm is considering a new office. One principal points to population growth. Another has heard from two clients that their capital programs may expand. A third asks which owners would give the firm a chance to compete. The leadership team has promising signals, but it has not yet tested the decision.
Market research is most useful when it begins with a choice: whether to enter a region, develop a service, deepen relationships with particular clients, or pursue a major project. The question is what the firm needs to know before committing people and money.
The question behind the new office
Consider what a national figure can and cannot answer. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated July 2026 construction spending at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.158 trillion, 3.8% below July 2025. That describes work being put in place across the country. It does not reveal which owners in the proposed region have approved funding, when they will select a team, or whether they would consider a new firm.
A useful study would test three questions before the office decision goes to a vote:
Where is work actually moving toward procurement? Look at owner capital plans, funding approvals, public notices, and project schedules. Distinguish projects under discussion from work with a path to authorization.
Who could the firm credibly serve? Speak with owners, partners, and people familiar with how teams are selected. An owner may be planning work yet have established relationships the firm cannot quickly replace.
What would the firm need to deliver well? Test its relevant experience, leadership capacity, recruiting prospects, local partnerships, and the cost of building a presence before projecting revenue.
What a useful answer looks like
The answer may be to open the office. It could also be to build a partnership first, invest in existing clients with a growing presence in the region, or postpone the decision until a funding milestone is met. Each is more actionable than a general statement that the market is growing.
At Cameron MacAllister Group, our market intelligence and client research bring external conditions together with direct client perspectives and an honest assessment of a firm’s capabilities. The work should make the assumptions behind a decision visible, including those that do not survive a closer look.
If your firm is weighing a new market, office, or service, reach out to Larisa to discuss the decision and the evidence that would help you make it.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Construction Spending, July 2026, release CB26-140
Larisa Forester Gilday, CPSM, Assoc. AIA, is a principal consultant with Cameron MacAllister Group. With a background in architecture and an MS in Marketing, she advises AEC firms on market intelligence, marketing and business development, and strategic growth. Her perspective draws on dozens of market studies and hundreds of interviews with owners and industry professionals.