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CIRT leaders aren’t just optimistic, they’re signaling a shift. The Sentiment Index jumped to 65.0 this quarter, fueled by strong pipelines and renewed confidence in the U.S. economy. Yet with the Design Index still reflecting caution, the message is clear: growth is on the table, but it will require careful positioning as you plan for 2026.

This quarter’s current-issue questions focused on market opportunities, comparison of impacts from recent trade and tax policy volatility, drivers for resiliency and anticipated strategic direction for 2026.

Key findings include:

  • Excluding labor, members ranked backlog quality and profitability as the top two drivers of resilience going into 2026.
  • About 40% of members report more projects and 58% report higher dollar volume, producing net increases of 14% and 36%, respectively.
  • Trade policy is widely seen as a challenge, whereas tax policy is viewed more favorably.