It’s Not Time to Turf.
It’s Time to Partner.

his may not be a popular thing to say, but the opportunities in front of Alaska’s construction industry may require us to look through a different, broader lens.

For many years, AGC of Alaska has advocated for more work, investment, and opportunities for Alaska contractors and workers. We’ve fought hard for our industry and, understandably, we’ve been protective of our turf. Alaska businesses should benefit from the work happening in our state. But when we look at the amount of work potentially coming our way, the bigger question may be:

How are we going to get all of this work done? This is a good problem.

Between military construction, transportation, energy, resource development, and other major projects on the horizon, Alaska could be entering one of the busiest periods our industry has seen in a long time. At the same time, our workforce and contractor resources are already tight. There are only so many superintendents, project managers, estimators, operators, and tradespeople to go around. Equipment, bonding, and management capacity have limits as well. We need to keep growing our resources while being realistic about how much work our industry can absorb at once.

Looking through that broader lens may mean thinking differently about partnerships and the traditional prime contractor-to-subcontractor matrix. Companies that have always been competitors may find reasons to work together. A subcontractor may become a joint venture partner. A small or medium-sized business may have a capability, workforce, or local experience that makes it essential to a larger team. A contractor accustomed to being the prime may find that taking a different position on one project creates opportunities on others.

That’s not giving away our turf. It’s understanding the landscape in front of us.

We’re also going to see more national contractors looking north, and we may need some of the capacity they bring. But that works both ways. Alaska is not a market that can be fully understood from a set of plans or a few trips north. Our logistics, weather, workforce, communities, supply chains, and construction seasons are different. Alaska contractors have spent decades learning how to successfully build here.

That’s where a little Northern attitude belongs. The message doesn’t need to be, “Stay off our turf.” It should be, “If you’re coming north, come ready to partner.”

Small and medium-sized Alaska businesses should be paying particular attention. Federal acquisition methods continue to evolve, including the use of Other Transaction Authorities, or OTAs. These approaches can create different paths for participation than traditional federal contracting. It’s important to understand opportunities early, know what your company brings to a team, and develop relationships before a solicitation hits the street. The role a company has traditionally played doesn’t have to be the role it plays going forward.

And when we talk about the federal and military investment coming to Alaska, there is something even more important at stake.

This is bigger than us.

The infrastructure supporting our military installations isn’t being built simply to create construction opportunities. Alaska plays an important role in our nation’s defense, and these investments support readiness, capability, and national security. Alaska businesses and workers should have a significant role in delivering that infrastructure, but our responsibility as an industry is also to make sure the mission gets accomplished.

The US Air Force’s Fighter Town Recapitalization Program at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a good example. This multi-year, multi-billion-dollar effort represents an enormous opportunity for Alaska’s construction industry and demonstrates the scale of what’s ahead. AGC of Alaska hosted an Industry Day on August 27, bringing together industry, government, and potential teaming partners to talk about what it will take to deliver this work.

Companies should approach the topic thinking beyond, “What can we bid?”

Think about what your company brings to the table and where its capacity ends. Consider who complements those capabilities. For a small business, that may mean finding a larger partner. For an Alaska prime contractor, it may mean working with a traditional competitor. For a national contractor, it should mean finding Alaska partners whose knowledge, workforce, and experience can help make the project successful.

We’ve spent years working to create more opportunity in Alaska. We may be entering a period when opportunity isn’t the biggest constraint; capacity may be.

That’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem we need to solve. Doing that may require us to look beyond the traditional lines between prime and sub, large and small, local and national, and even competitor and partner.

The question isn’t simply who gets the work. It’s how we’re going to get all of this work done.

It’s not time to turf. It’s time to partner.