What A/E/C End-Users Really Want in 2026: Technical Expertise + Direct Access

fusebd2017

Dec 2, 2025

3 min read

Insights from the 2025 A/E/C End-User Survey https://www.fusionbdllc.com/our-technology

From the 114 End-Users who completed the 2025 survey—Vice Presidents of Facilities, Directors of Plant Operations, COOs, and leaders across healthcare, higher ed, manufacturing, and pharma: If there's one message that came through loud and clear End-Users want more access to the people who actually do the work.

Below is a summary of the recurring themes End-Users emphasized—what they value, what they avoid, and what they expect from A/E/C firms in 2026.

1. Direct Access to Technical Expertise

End-Users made this unmistakable:

49% more likely to respond to a cold call from a Principal/Project Leader than BD staff.
61% respond when a Principal reaches out from a recognized firm (vs 42% for BD).
92% go directly to Principals/PLs with RFP/RFQs.
They prefer relationship-building with Principals 3× more than with BD professionals.

Why?

Because technical leaders:

Understand the work
Understand the risks
Understand the constraints
Can answer real questions
Have decision-making authority

End-Users don’t want a filter. They want someone who knows.

2. Authenticity Over Salesmanship

One of the strongest signals from the survey:

End-Users do not want to be “sold.” They want to be educated, guided, and informed.

They trust:

Judgment
Experience
Candor
Technical clarity

They do not trust:

Sales scripts
High-volume outreach
Generic messaging
Meetings “just to connect”

They want meaningful dialogue, not “checking in” or “seeing if you have upcoming projects.”

3. Quality Over Quantity of Outreach

End-Users are overwhelmed:

78% receive 7–15+ BD meeting requests per week.
Several admitted they automatically ignore BD outreach.
A few stated they refuse to meet with BD people at all.

The numbers speak for themselves:

High-volume outreach does not convert. High-value outreach does.

Principals request far fewer meetings—and End-Users are twice as likely to take them.

4. Loyalty Lives With People, Not Firms

Perhaps one of the most eye-opening trends:

68% of End-Users will follow a Principal or Project Leader when they change firms.
Only 28% will respond to a BD person they previously knew.

This isn’t about branding or reputation.

It’s about trust built through:

Delivering a project
Solving problems
Sitting at the table together
Navigating decisions
Being accountable

In End-Users’ words: “They want access to the leadership of an A/E/C firm—not someone who acts as a gatekeeper.”

5. They Want the Interview Team to Be the Project Team

Another major trend:

89% of End-Users “sometimes” or “always” exclude BD staff from formal interviews.

Why?

They told us plainly:

Interviews are for evaluating technical competence
They want to see the actual team
They want real answers to project questions
They don’t want to “spend interview time on a sales pitch”

The takeaway is clear:

If the interview team doesn’t reflect the delivery team, End-Users see it as a red flag.

6. They Want Principals/PLs Leading Relationship-Building

Whether it's:

Dinners
Events
Golf
Site tours
Conferences
One-on-one meetings

End-Users overwhelmingly prefer this time with Principals and Project Leaders.

Because for them:

Real relationships = real conversations
Real conversations = real insight
Real insight = smarter decisions

This is not personal toward BD—it’s functional. They want conversations that help them run facilities, solve problems, and make capital decisions.

7. They Want Less Noise, More Relevance

A consistent frustration expressed in comments:

Too many messages
Too many “touch-base” emails
Too many generic BD calls
Too many non-technical conversations

What they do want:

Expertise
Relevance
Insight
Credibility
Guidance
Responsiveness
Simplicity

In short:

They want fewer conversations—but higher quality ones.

The Real Headline for 2026

The A/E/C industry has talked about the Seller-Doer model for years. Fusion BD’s 2025 End User Survey makes it undeniable:

End-Users prefer Seller-Doers. They prefer technical depth over BD volume. They prefer expertise over access. And they prefer direct relationships over intermediaries.

To win more work in 2026, firms must embrace what End-Users are clearly saying:

“Send us the people who actually know how to do the work.”

I’m Steve McGill, I help A/E/C principals align their BD efforts with End-Users preferences to win more work.

Fusion BD is not like other consulting firms. I don’t just give advice. I put my 25 years as an A/E/C business developer to work for you to implement and drive customized, data-driven strategies and pursuit plans that help you and your team engage more End-Users and win work.