Engineering and architecture competitions: +67,1% In the 2026

The engineering and architecture competitions 2026 confirm a phase of strong expansion in public demand. In the first half of the year the overall value of the tenders for engineering and architectural services, including the executive planning envisaged in the integrated contracts, he reached 1,6628 billions of euros, recording a growth of 67,1% compared to the same period of 2025.

The data comes from’OICE/Informatel Observatory and represents the value of published procedures. It therefore does not coincide with the turnover already accrued by professional firms or engineering companies. However, it is a very useful indicator, because it clearly shows where the Public Administration is concentrating investments and what skills will be required in the coming months.

For those who work in design the signal is positive. The increase in tenders indicates a more dynamic market, in which the demand for design is growing, technical coordination and digital management of processes. Of course, the value of the competitions will not automatically translate into the same volume of assignments, but it still represents an important measure of the vitality of the sector.

For the entire construction chain, from designers to material producers, passing through companies and technical consultants, these numbers anticipate the directions in which public investments are moving. Understanding these trends means you can better prepare for future opportunities.

The technical services market surpasses 1,66 billions of euros

The data for the first half of the year show a market that continues to remain at very high levels.

In detail, the total value includes:

• 1.504,4 million euros relating to engineering and architecture services;
• 158,4 million euros allocated to executive planning included in integrated procurement;
• a total of 1.662,8 million euros;
• a growth of 67,1% compared to the first half of 2025.

This is not the absolute record of recent years, but of one of the most important results from the 2018, lower only than the peaks recorded in 2022 and in 2023.

The data takes on even more value if we consider the context. After a phase characterized by the launch of numerous interventions financed with the PNRR, in fact, the market continues to show sustained demand for technical services. This means that design remains a central element for planning and implementing increasingly complex public works.

Behind these numbers it is not just the economic volume of procedures that is growing. The quality of the question also changes. Administrations are increasingly looking for integrated skills, capable of accompanying the project from the initial study phases to the digital management of information throughout the entire life cycle of the work.

In other words, today it is not enough to develop a good project. It becomes essential to know how to work within multidisciplinary teams, use shared digital tools and ensure continuous dialogue between design, execution and management.

June strengthens growth

The acceleration of the half-year was also supported by the performance of June. In the month of June alone the value of tenders increased by 90,7% compared to the same month of 2025.

Such a marked increase may also depend on the publication of some particularly high-value tenders. For this reason it is always advisable to read the data within the entire semester and not consider it as a trend valid for every single month.

However, one aspect remains evident: public demand continues to maintain a strong pace. For operators in the sector it means a flow of opportunities distributed across multiple project areas, from infrastructure to public construction, up to urban redevelopment interventions.

Competitions dedicated to design alone are also growing

One of the most interesting aspects concerns the design competitions, that is, those procedures that most directly concern architectural firms and engineering companies. In the first semester 2026 this segment reaches an overall value of 446,4 million euros, with a growth of 62,4% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The data demonstrates that the increase in the market does not depend exclusively on large multidisciplinary assignments. In fact, the demand for design also continues to strengthen, involving numerous professional activities.

Among those most requested are::

• technical-economic feasibility design (PFTE);
• definitive and executive design;
• coordination between design disciplines;
• verification of design quality;
• digital management of models and information.

For many practices this represents an important change. Public commissioning increasingly requires transversal skills, organizational skills and strong integration between different professional skills.

It is therefore not sufficient to present a technically correct project. It becomes essential to demonstrate experience in managing complex processes, respect increasingly stringent deadlines and use digital tools capable of facilitating coordination between all the subjects involved.

The design, in this scenario, takes on an even more strategic role. In fact, a good design phase allows you to reduce unexpected events during the execution of the works, improve cost control and increase the overall quality of the work. It is precisely for this reason that administrations are investing more continuously in technical services.

Framework agreements, BIM and integrated procurement drive demand

The increase in engineering and architecture competitions 2026 it does not depend on just one factor. Above all, the market is supported by certain methods of entrustment which are taking on an ever-increasing weight in the strategies of the Public Administration.

Among these, framework agreements stand out, the diffusion of BIM and the growth of integrated procurement. They are different tools, but they have one thing in common: they require organization, multidisciplinary skills and increasingly structured project management.

The weight of framework agreements

In the first semester 2026 framework agreements recorded a growth of 44,7%. This type of procedure allows the contracting authority to select one or more economic operators and to define in advance the conditions for future assignments. In practice, a contractual framework is built within which individual tasks can be assigned.

It's important, But, interpret this data correctly. The economic value of the framework agreement represents the maximum potential of the procedure, but it does not automatically coincide with the work that will actually be entrusted.

It is therefore necessary to distinguish three levels:

• the overall value of the procedure;
• the application contracts actually activated;
• the revenues that the custodians will accrue over time.

This distinction helps to read the market with greater balance. The numbers are very positive, but a part of the resources can only be used progressively, according to the needs of the administrations.

The demand for BIM skills

Digitalisation continues to transform the construction sector and design is one of the most obvious examples of this. The framework agreement Consip and 58 million euros, divided into 11 lots, dedicated to BIM professional services for Public Administration, represents a clear signal of the direction taken.

More and more administrations are asking for professionals capable of working according to shared digital processes. It's not just about producing a three-dimensional model. In fact, BIM allows you to collect, update and share all useful information during the life cycle of the work.

This approach improves coordination between designers, companies and contracting authorities. Reduces the risk of design errors, facilitates the verification of interferences and allows more precise control of times and costs.

For professional firms and engineering companies it means investing not only in software, but also in staff training and internal organisation. Digital competence is becoming an increasingly important competitive element.

Integrated procurement and executive planning

Integrated procurement also continues to grow. In the first semester 2026 the executive planning included in these procedures achieves 158,4 million euros, with an increase of 121,3% compared to the same period of 2025.

In integrated contracts, the executive design and execution of the works are entrusted with a single procedure. This model can speed up the completion times of the works, but it also requires very close collaboration between companies and designers.

The quality of coordination therefore becomes crucial. A well-developed design reduces changes during construction, limits disputes and improves the efficiency of the intervention.

For this reason, the value of organizational skills in addition to purely planning ones grows.

Public-private partnership: procedures increase

Also public-private partnership (PPP) shows significant growth. In the first semester 2026 the procedures initiated have been 463, against them 183 recorded in the same period as 2025. The increase is equal to 153%. It should be noted that this percentage exclusively concerns the number of procedures. It does not indicate their economic value or the number of works already completed.

However, the data remains significant because it highlights a growing propensity of administrations to involve private operators in the implementation and management of complex interventions. PPP finds application especially in urban regeneration, in infrastructure, in healthcare construction, in public services and in the valorisation of real estate assets.

For designers and companies it means dealing with often complex operations, in which technical capacity, economic sustainability and risk management must proceed together.

What opportunities open up for designers and businesses

The evolution of the market does not simply translate into a greater number of races. The skills required and the way of participating in procedures also change.

Today the demand for:

• highly specialized professionals;
• multidisciplinary assignments;
• BIM skills and information management;
• organizational capacity;
• Documentable experience and qualified references.

More and more often, tenders require collaboration between different figures. Architects, structural engineers, installers, geology, environmental specialists and BIM managers work within the same project.

As a result, professional networks acquire value, consortia and temporary groupings. Working as a team allows you to participate in more complex procedures and offer integrated skills, increasingly requested by contracting authorities. Manufacturers can also take on a more strategic role. Make updated technical data available, specifications, BIM certifications and objects facilitate the work of designers and make the integration of products into the pros easierjets. Collaboration between industry and design therefore becomes a competitive element for the entire supply chain.

A growing market, but with some critical issues

The general picture is positive, but there are some aspects to monitor. Some of the framework agreements could only be used to a partial extent. This means that the published value will not always fully translate into actual assignments. The issue of professional fees also remains open, especially in more complex procedures, as well as that of body contracts, which can transfer a significant portion of the operational risk to the designer.

Another critical issue concerns the concentration of the highest value tasks in the hands of already very structured operators. For smaller studios it therefore becomes essential to build partnerships, invest in specialization and strengthen your organizational capacity.

The growth of the market therefore represents a great opportunity, but it also requires an evolution of skills and organizational models.

A market that rewards skills, innovation and collaboration

Data from the first half of the year 2026 confirm that public demand for technical services continues to support the construction sector. Design takes on an increasingly central role and is integrated with digitalisation, information management, technological innovation and collaboration between different professionals.

For designers, companies and companies in the supply chain it is no longer enough to respond to the technical needs of the individual assignment. It becomes essential to build transversal skills, invest in the quality of processes and develop stable collaborations along the entire value chain.

It is precisely this evolution that makes discussion between professionals increasingly important, businesses, producers and operators in the sector. SEEING 2026, scheduled from 27 al 29 November at the Mostra d'Oltremare in Naples, will represent a concrete opportunity to delve deeper into these transformations, learn about new technologies and create useful relationships to face a constantly evolving market.