AECOM's Backlog Points to More Business in 2026

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

AECOM is looking forward to the coming year after its backlog hit a record high and executives raised the company's full-year guidance.

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Transportation Projects Drive Backlog

Despite year-over-year dips in revenue and earnings, executives at engineering and design-build firm AECOM were all smiles earlier this week when reviewing their most recent quarterly results. Executives pointed to a strong backlog and "book-to-burn ratio" (which weighs new orders secured against those fulfilled) as indications of healthy demand and a promising 2026. Industrial Info is tracking more than $54 billion worth of active and proposed projects worldwide featuring AECOM's services, including more than $27 billion in the U.S. and Canada.

"We outperformed our expectations on every key financial metric in the quarter and raised our full-year guidance as a result," said Troy Rudd, the chief executive officer of AECOM, in a quarterly earnings-related press release. "Importantly, backlog increased by 9%, highlighted by a 1.5 book-to-burn ratio that featured some of the largest and most iconic projects in the world."

The company's record-high backlog includes the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2nd Avenue subway expansion in East Harlem, for which AECOM is performing design-engineering services, and a new multimodal container terminal at the Port of New Orleans, for which AECOM is a design consultant. The subway expansion is designed to relieve overcrowding on New York's Lexington Avenue Line, while the New Orleans terminal will be connected to the Mississippi River, Interstate 10 and six Class 1 railroads.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can learn more about these projects--including capacities, investment values and necessary equipment--from detailed reports on the subway expansion and port terminal.

Executives singled out AECOM's design business, which saw a particularly strong performance during the quarter. Despite a 43-day U.S. federal government shutdown, the Americas-focused design business enjoyed a 1.0 book-to-burn ratio for the period.

AECOM also reviewed strategic alternatives for its Construction Management business, which it had considered divesting, and announced it will continue to own and operate the business, calling it "exceptionally well positioned for the future."

By the Numbers

• More than $54 billion: Total value of projects worldwide featuring AECOM's services, as tracked by Industrial Info
• $26 billion: AECOM's total backlog, up 9% from a year earlier
• 1.5: AECOM's book-to-burn ratio for its fiscal first-quarter 2026

Data Centers, Other Sectors Also Booming

While transportation projects account for the bulk of the highest-valued developments featuring AECOM's services, the company is involved in high-profile projects across multiple industries, including two data centers set for Virginia: DataBank Limited's IAD5 Data Center in Culpeper and Google parent Alphabet Incorporated's Project Peanut Data Center in Chester.

Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Culpeper and Chester projects.

AECOM also is playing a role in the rapidly growing market for rare earth elements, where it is serving as consultant on Torngat Metals Limited's beneficiation pilot plant in Becancour, Quebec; construction on a commercial-scale plant could kick off later this year. Torngat recently signed a memorandum of understanding for research collaboration with Germany's Vacuumschmelze, a global leader in the production of rare-earth permanent magnets. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report; for more information, see August 27, 2025, article - Canada Inks Minerals Deal with Germany.

AECOM's net income for the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year was reported to be $140 million, a 21% decline from first-quarter 2025; revenues stood at $3.83 billion, a 5% decline. Nonetheless, these results outperformed both company and analyst expectations, leading AECOM to raise its fiscal 2026 earnings guidance.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for active and proposed projects worldwide featuring AECOM's services, and can click here for a full list of reports for those in the U.S. and Canada.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Key Takeaways

• A strong backlog and book-to-burn ratio is bolstering AECOM's outlook.
• Transportation projects account for the bulk of the highest-valued developments.
• AECOM is playing a role in the rapidly growing market for rare earth elements.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR News Intelligence) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).