It’s time to say out loud what everyone in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) knows in their gut: the system is broken. Projects routinely bleed time and money.
“On average, projects overrun their budgets and schedules by 30 to 45%” – a failure rate so normalized that it barely raises an eyebrow.
The world pays the price for this inefficiency. If construction productivity had simply kept up with other industries, we’d add $1.6 trillion to the global economy every year.
Instead, we’re staring at a potential $40 trillion shortfall in needed output by 2040 if nothing changes. This is unacceptable. We refuse to accept it.
We didn’t come here to offer polite suggestions or corporate platitudes. We came to burn down the excuses. This manifesto is a line in the sand – a bold declaration for those who have had enough. Are you in, or are you out?
Addicted to billable hours, allergic to outcomes
The EPC industry is addicted to billable hours. Time equals money – but not in the way you’d expect.
In the traditional EPC model, contractors actually profit from delays and rework, because every extra hour can be billed to the client.
There’s a perverse incentive to let inefficiency slide; after all, “construction continues to operate slowly and is ridden with misaligned incentives among owners and contractors”. When schedule slips and scope creeps, who really loses? Not the contractors padding their invoices. “Time-based billing” all too often rewards prolonging the work instead of finishing it, a dynamic long criticized for creating incentive to complicate rather than solve. In EPC, scope creep and firefighting aren’t just common – they’re profitable. This warped model punishes efficiency and makes innovation a threat to revenue, because doing things better and faster would actually cannibalize the billable hours that underwrite the business.
We are disgusted by this reality. Projects should make money by delivering outcomes, not by dragging their feet. The addiction to hourly billing has rotted our industry’s core. It’s why bright engineers burn out in chaos and why truly transformative tech gets shelved – because too many companies quietly prefer the cash cow of inefficiency. We reject this outright. We stand for outcomes over hours, value over volume. Profiting from delay is nothing short of selling indulgences for failure. No more.
A culture that clings to the past
Why hasn’t anyone fixed this? Because change is the enemy in today’s EPC culture. Most organizations are entrenched in a 20-year legacy mentality – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the ironic mantra, even as everything is on fire.
Managers and executives built their careers on heroic last-minute firefighting, not on structured systems, so any move toward transparency and structured execution feels like an attack on their identity. Layers of bureaucracy create a fortress against new ideas: every decision crawls through five, six layers of approval, each layer protecting its turf. In this maze, no one truly owns the overall outcome, and accountability gets lost. Better to keep your head down and do it the old way than to stick your neck out for a new approach.
After all, if you maintain the comfortable status quo, you can’t be singled out as the one who “broke” something.
Lip service gets paid to “innovation” and “digital transformation,” but it’s just that – lip service. Companies hold conferences about change while changing nothing. As some people bluntly put it, many firms still “embrace advances in theory” yet struggle to implement them in practice.
The truth is, fear rules: fear of the unknown, fear of upending power structures, fear of exposing one’s own shortcomings.
Transparency is threatening – if all systems go live and every task status is visible, it will be obvious who the bottlenecks are. And imagine the horror of the old guard being shown a better way; that would mean admitting they could have done better all along. Can’t have that happening now, can we?
So new tech gets stonewalled. Teams resist automation and AI not because the tools don’t work, but because adopting them would shine a light on all the wasted effort and bad habits hiding in the shadows. Leadership might talk a big game about innovation, but internally, it’s “not how we do things here.” In an audit-driven, paperwork-pushing culture, people confuse compliance with performance. As long as you filed the form and followed the old procedure, you’re safe – never mind that the project is spiraling. This culture would rather fail conventionally than succeed differently.
We refuse to accept a culture where staying the same is rewarded and changing for the better is punished. We are here to break that culture of complacency. We believe true professionals don’t hide behind tradition – they challenge it to make things better.
If you’re the kind of person who’s “always done it this way,” then step aside. We’re here to work with the ones who are sick of the insanity and brave enough to try something new.
Running on spreadsheets and siloes
Look around any big EPC project site today and you’ll see the absurdity: Multimillion-dollar projects being managed via Excel spreadsheets, email chains, and fragmented old software. It’s 2025, and critical project data is still copy-pasted across dozens of Excel files like it’s 1985. Teams operate in isolated silos – engineering, procurement, construction, each with their own stand-alone trackers and databases that barely speak to each other. There is no single source of truth. “Project status” is an opinionated guessing game compiled in a slide deck on Friday to present on Monday – by which time it’s already outdated.
This is digital in name only. Companies invest in big-name software – Oracle Primavera P6 for scheduling, SAP for cost management, Hexagon or Autodesk for engineering design – yet end up exporting data from each system into Excel to cobble together a report. As our project controls expert observed, even amid “digital transformation initiatives… many companies still use spreadsheets for project control reporting,” relying on manual data dumps from tools like P6, Aconex and ACC, and then massaging the numbers in Excel. Each monthly progress report becomes a small work of fiction: data manually re-entered, massaged, and presented with a “management overlay” to tell leaders what they want to hear. This isn’t transformation – it’s putting lipstick on a pig. The result? Redundancy, errors, and miscalculations everywhere, as teams waste time reconciling multiple versions of a “truth” they wish to present. When every department hoards its own spreadsheets and databases, no one gets the full realistic picture. Small wonder we miss early warning signs – the data that could have revealed a looming bottleneck is trapped in someone’s inbox or an error in a lookup cell in an Excel sheet nobody spotted.
Why do we put up with this? Because it’s familiar. Spreadsheets are comfortable and cheap. People trust their own isolated Excel file more than a new integrated system because at least they control it. But this comfort is killing us. “Continuing to use outdated tools can waste valuable time and resources, putting your company at a disadvantage”. In plain terms: clinging to Excel and other 30-year-old tech is actively hurting project performance. We’ve seen it firsthand: version confusion, broken links, old data being used to make decisions – all because no one would rip the band-aid off the old ways.
Enough. We call time on the spreadsheet status quo. Data siloes and antiquated tools have no place in a modern EPC project. We demand real-time, shared systems. We demand a single version of truth accessible to everyone, instantly. No more fiefdoms of data. No more “information is power” mentality that causes people to hoard updates to protect themselves. True power is when information flows freely – when problems are flagged early and fixed, instead of hidden until they explode.
We won’t tolerate the excuse that “this is just how it’s done.” It’s 2025. Integrate your damn data or get left behind.
The missing integration and the future we choose
Today, EPC projects lack true integration across engineering, procurement, and construction – and this is the heart of the dysfunction. Each phase tosses its output over the fence to the next. Engineering designs something, procurement finds out late, construction is left holding the bag when deliverables slip. There’s no continuous feedback loop, no cohesive overview of the entire project’s readiness. The industry’s idea of integration is an annual meeting or a weekly report where siloed teams “align” after the fact. It’s too little, too late. We’ve been content with tools that only solve one slice of the problem – scheduling software that doesn’t talk to cost software, engineering databases that don’t talk to procurement trackers. Vendor lock-in and narrow scopes have left us with a Frankenstein’s monster of systems held together by copy-paste and human glue.
The future of EPC – the only future that makes sense – is one where data flows seamlessly and instantly across all project phases. We envision a world where the moment an engineer marks a design as ready, the procurement team and construction planners see it in automated live dashboard. Where any stakeholder can drill down and see exactly what’s blocking progress and what’s ready to go, without chasing email updates. This future will be powered by connected data models – think graph databases and semantic knowledge models linking every piece of project information. This is not sci-fi; it’s already emerging. Researchers are using knowledge graphs to integrate data into digital twins of built assets, breaking down the barriers between different data sources. In practical terms, that means every engineering component, every purchase order, every construction work package can be interlinked in a living network of information. Query any relationship – “Which piping drawings are holding up the steel fabrication?” – and get an answer in seconds, because all the data lives in a unified web, not in separate silos.
Further reading
↗ How Buro Matei uses Automation to deliver Reliable and Predictable EPC projects
Imagine dashboards that aren’t glorified spreadsheets but true live portals into project health. Instead of static PDFs or PowerPoint status reports, we have real-time dashboards fed by integrated systems. Everyone sees the same truth: if a task is blocked in engineering, that dependency lights up across procurement and construction views immediately. No more surprises at the last minute because now the entire project system behaves like a well-synchronized machine rather than a series of disconnected parts. And with modern tech like AI and automation, we can go further – predict problems before they happen, automatically flag when a sequence is out-of-sync, optimize schedules on the fly. The tools (Power BI, Neo4j, cloud platforms, AI assistants – you name it) are ready. The only thing missing is the will to use them.
Well, we have the will. Our stance is clear: integrate or die. The first EPC players to fully embrace this connected future will render the laggards obsolete. We’re not talking about incremental improvement; we’re talking about a step-change in execution. When data moves at the speed of the project, instead of the speed of bureaucratic reporting, projects won’t just be a bit better – they’ll be unrecognizable.
Think 50% faster delivery, a fraction of the errors, dramatically lower overhead.
We know this isn’t fantasy because we’ve seen glimpses of it in action. In one real project, a team implemented an integrated engineering dashboard that slashed drawing revision rates from hundreds of percent down to virtually 0% – and they finished the engineering phase three months ahead of schedule with 33% fewer staff. That’s what happens when you connect the dots and manage proactively. Now imagine scaling that across an entire EPC enterprise.
What it takes to disrupt. Be the first, leave the rest in the dust
Here’s the opportunity that should have every forward-thinking EPC firm salivating: the first company to truly break away from the old model will leave everyone else in the dust. Right now, no major EPC has done it – none have cracked the code of fully integrated, outcome-driven execution. Everyone is roughly equally inefficient, stuck in the same rut, which is why the industry hasn’t felt enough competitive pressure to change. But all it takes is one insurgent, one visionary player, to flip the table. The moment one EPC delivers projects significantly faster, cheaper, and better by ditching billable-hour economics and embracing real integration, the jig is up for the rest. They won’t be able to compete.
So what would it take to be that disruptor? It’s not magic – it’s leadership and guts. It takes a top-down mandate from an executive who says, “We will value results over hours, period.” It takes refusing to measure success in timesheets and instead tying profit to actual project outcomes (on-time completion, first-time-right quality, client satisfaction). It takes live data infrastructure where all departments plug into a shared platform. It takes a cross-functional execution cockpit that aligns engineering, procurement, and construction continuously, not just at phase gates. It takes a culture that rewards transparency and problem-solving – where raising a flag early is praised, not punished. It takes the courage to scrap the familiar tools that aren’t working: to finally shut off the flood of Excel trackers and replace them with a unified system; to retire legacy software that can’t adapt, and embrace modern, flexible platforms and cloud collaboration.
In short, it takes vision and nerve. The technology is ready; the principles are proven. What’s needed is an EPC company bold enough to bet on a new model – to break the addiction to billable hours, tear down the silos, and rebuild around integrated, efficient execution. That company would not just improve their margins – they would rewrite the competitive landscape. While others slog with 30-40% overruns, the disruptor would be delivering on-time and under budget consistently, winning clients’ trust and raking in business. While others drown in meetings and blame games, the disruptor’s teams would be proactively solving issues in real time. Within a few years, every talented professional eager to do great work would flock to the disruptor, and the old-guard firms would be left with the clock-punchers content to ride the status quo into the ground.
We know this is possible. We’ve staked our entire approach on it. We aren’t interested in working with those content to “manage the chaos.” We exist for the 2% who are ready to defy the industry’s gravity and actually do this. To those bold few: we’re in your corner, and we have the method and tools to make it real. To everyone else: enjoy the view from behind, because your era is ending.
Let’s build the future of EPC, together
This is our manifesto. We stand for an EPC industry that actually delivers – where efficiency is profitable, where innovation isn’t a PR line but a daily practice, where data and truth drive decisions instead of habit and politics. We stand with the frustrated project managers, the engineers who know it can be better, the construction leads who are sick of busting their backs only to be let down by upstream chaos. We are the rebels, the misfits, the ones who refuse to accept that “that’s just how it is.”
If you’ve read this far and found yourself nodding angrily in agreement, then you’re one of us. Consider this an invitation – no, a rallying cry. You’re damn right the industry is broken. Now what are you going to do about it? Keep quiet and play along? Or stand up and join those of us who are building something different?
We’re not here to tweak the old system; we’re here to replace it. We’re here to prove that an EPC project can run on clarity, speed, and intelligence instead of chaos, delay, and inertia. The complacent will laugh, until the day we put them out of business. The indifferent will continue saying “not possible,” as we quietly make it possible.
Every great revolution in industry starts with a few people crazy enough to challenge the old way. That’s us. If it’s you too – if this manifesto spoke to the pit of your stomach – then it’s time to act. Speak up at your organization. Push for change. Rally your team around outcomes. Hell, give us a call if you need backup – we’re building this movement one believer at a time.
To the rest who think their comfortable inefficiency can last forever: watch us. We have drawn the line. Change is coming to EPC whether you like it or not. Are you in or out?
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References
EPC Inefficiencies, Data Silos & Legacy Tools
- Spreadsheets are crushing construction project managers
https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/spreadsheets-are-crushing-construction-project-managers/619183/
- Report: More than half of construction firms are plagued by inefficient workflows
https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/report-more-than-half-of-construction-firms-are-plagued-by-inefficient-wor/629419/
- The dangers of legacy ERPs for construction companies: Why it’s time to upgrade
https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/the-dangers-of-legacy-erps-for-construction-companies-why-its-time-to-upg/720619/
- Industry could be overspending $177B per year, study finds
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/industry-could-be-overspending-177b-per-year-study-finds/529450/
The Cost of Bad Data & Missed Integration
- Contractors lost $1.8 trillion globally in 2020 due to bad data, new report says
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/contractors-lost-18-trillion-globally-in-2020-due-to-bad-data-new-report/606939/
- Qualis Flow report uncovers data gaps costing construction billions—and how
https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/qualis-flow-report-uncovers-data-gaps-costing-construction-billionsand-how/737798/
- Data quality is holding construction back. AI may help.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/ai-improve-construction-data/743361/
Data Integration, Graph Models & Digital Twins
- How graph databases are a valuable tool to advance digital transformation
https://www.engineering.com/how-graph-databases-are-a-valuable-tool-to-advance-digital-transformation/
- From aerospace to appliances, how PLM is tackling costly data issues
https://www.engineering.com/from-aerospace-to-appliances-how-plm-is-tackling-costly-data-issues/
- Critical Manufacturing, Twinzo partner for digital twin visualization
https://www.engineering.com/critical-manufacturing-twinzo-partner-for-digital-twin-visualization/
- Data is the Foundation of the Digital Enterprise
https://www.engineering.com/data-is-the-foundation-of-the-digital-enterprise/
AI, Automation & Data-Driven Execution
- How construction is getting smarter with data intelligence
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/construction-getting-smarter-data-intelligence/636625/
- How today’s contractors are leveraging data to reduce risk
https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/how-todays-contractors-are-leveraging-data-to-reduce-risk/699529/
- Anatomy of a modern data stack and 4 key benefits it creates
https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/anatomy-of-a-modern-data-stack-and-4-key-benefits-it-creates/626082/
- How to plan data collection, storage and visualization in an IIoT deployment
https://www.engineering.com/how-to-plan-data-collection-storage-and-visualization-in-an-iiot-deployment/
Buro Matei Insights & Articles
- How Buro Matei Uses Automation to Deliver Reliable and Predictable EPC Projects
https://buromatei.com/how-buro-matei-uses-automation-to-deliver-reliable-and-predictable-epc-projects/
- Data-Driven Principles
https://buromatei.com/data-driven-principles/
- Digital Twins: Transforming Project Execution in EPC
https://buromatei.com/digital-twins-transforming-project-execution-in-epc/
- Progress Curves for Project Planning and Control
https://buromatei.com/progress-curves-for-project-planning-and-control/
- AWP+: A Lean Approach to Work Packaging
https://buromatei.com/awp-a-lean-approach-to-work-packaging/
- CFIHOS and Data Standardization in the Petrochemical Industry
https://buromatei.com/cfihos-and-data-standardization-in-the-petrochemical-industry/
- Lean EPC Project Management
https://buromatei.com/lean-epc-project-management/
- What is a Successful Project?
https://buromatei.com/what-is-a-successful-project/
- Getting Rid of Revisions
https://buromatei.com/getting-rid-of-revisions/
- Unlocking Engineering Success
https://buromatei.com/unlocking-engineering-success/
Buro Matei Services & Methodology
- Our Approach
https://buromatei.com/services/our-approach/
- Power Automate and Fabric Pipelines
https://buromatei.com/power-automate-and-fabric-pipelines/
- Power BI Dashboards for EPC Projects
https://buromatei.com/power-bi-dashboards-for-epc-projects/
- Microsoft Fabric and OneLake
https://buromatei.com/microsoft-fabric-and-onelake/
- SharePoint and Teams
https://buromatei.com/sharepoint-and-teams/
- Power Apps and Dataverse
https://buromatei.com/power-apps-and-dataverse/