Your 2026 ‘Get Work’ Strategy
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It’s never too late to consider your Get Work Strategy for the year ahead.
Some Contractors are flush with work and need to focus on long-range business development; others are hungry and need work now; and many are somewhere in between. Wherever you sit today, here are a few considerations as you build your 2026 Get Work Strategy:
1) Choose your adjacent markets—and the ideal clients inside them
End of year is the time to dream—what would make the year ahead a raving success? Start by mapping where you’re already excellent and actually hitting the target gross margin. Double down on those clients and look for adjacent markets where your strengths transfer. Retail build-outs translate to corporate TI, auto dealerships, and hotel refresh programs. Healthcare new builds often bridge to labs, life sciences, higher education, and more. Civil site packages can jump to distribution pads and data center campuses.
Whichever fits you, ask yourself: what adjacent markets should we be diversifying into in the year ahead?
Do three quick pass/fail tests:
Transferability: Do your crews, subs, and vendors already know 60-80% of the competencies to build in this new market?
Procurement fit: Are these buyers open to negotiated or shortlist pursuits—not just low-bid?
Margin reality: Can you hit your target margin in this market?
Push yourself to name 10–15 specific accounts in an adjacent sector with real opportunities and use that as your target client list for the year ahead. And if a prospect treats you like a commodity—“it all comes down to price”—politely pass and keep moving down the list until you find the prospects that truly understand the value you add. (Don’t give away months of budgeting with no path to win.)
2) Line up 1–3 anchor projects
An anchor project is a large, stable job at the top end (or slightly beyond) your typical size. It stabilizes manpower and backlog for months, which gives you confidence to price the rest of your work at full value. Yes, you may accept a few points below target GP on the anchor—with a plan to earn them back through buyout, schedule flow, operational excellence, and other projects that achieve higher margins.
I can’t tell you how much having work positively impacts the strategic decisions your company makes. Anchor projects relieve pressure and stress throughout the organization.
Anchor project pro tip: Assign a reliable PM to re-takeoff the major quantities within 2 weeks of handoff from estimating. Catch scope/quantity gaps right away. Find ways to do the just more efficiently. Optimize buyout. Get back as many GP points as possible.
3) Turn preconstruction into a revenue-generating advantage
For 2026, decide where you’ll get paid for precon (design-assist, precon services agreements) and where you’ll do selective, high-value “free con” with reciprocity (explicit last look or negotiated path).
For the customers who truly value you, they will be happy to give you a serious shot at the projects where you provide support in preconstruction. For the ones that don’t, it’s often not worth the time and energy of your estimating staff.
One more benefit: intense precon with the right partners is a door-opener into new sectors. It proves your value, and it earns you more opportunities because the team is more oriented toward partnership.
What good feels like
Work is the lifeblood of any organization, and when you win the right work consistently, you will notice a positive demeanor across your team. Yes, you will get some “no’s” from prospective customers. And yes, you will still need to be low in certain instances to get the work. But without a solid plan, you can end up with a bad sales year that translates into a bad year for the business.
Make sure you have your 2026 Get Work Strategy in place today. If you don’t know where to start, reach out any time.
Spark Notes:
It’s not too late to get intentional about your 2026 Get Work Strategy—whether you’re buried in backlog, starving for work, or somewhere in between, clarity now prevents pain later.
The fastest path forward is doubling down on where you already win margin, then expanding into adjacent markets and specific clients where your strengths transfer and buyers value more than just a low price.
Lining up one to three anchor projects stabilizes backlog, reduces organizational stress, and gives you the confidence to price the rest of your work at full value.
When preconstruction is treated as a strategic advantage—not free labor—you earn better partners, unlock new sectors, and build a healthier, more predictable pipeline.
