WAYLAND, MA — More than half of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms (55 percent) are budgeting less for information technology in 2009 than they did in 2008, according to a new report from ZweigWhite. The 2009 Information Technology Survey reports that firms’ 2009 IT budgets are a median of 3.3 percent of net service revenue, down from 3.6 percent in 2008. Firms planning to decrease spending are expected to do so by a median of 20 percent.
While some decreases in spending are undoubtedly related to layoffs, cuts in staff are not entirely responsible for the plunge. The median IT budget per employee for 2009 is $4,545, which is down 5 percent from the 10-year high that it reached in 2008. At firms that plan to decrease spending this year, the area of IT that is projected to take the biggest hit is CADD systems.
The 2009 Information Technology Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms covers the latest data on IT spending, systems, and staff for companies across the United States, and is available in the ZweigWhite bookstore at www.zweigwhite.com.
About ZweigWhite
ZweigWhite is a leading source of business management services for architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms. The ZweigWhite team consists of experts in strategic business planning, business valuation, ownership transition, human resources management, finance and administration, mergers and acquisitions, market research, marketing, project management, and project delivery methods who collectively produce a comprehensive suite of products and services, including newsletters, industry reports, executive training, business conferences, and advisory services covering virtually every aspect of firm management. The firm is headquartered in Wayland, MA, with additional offices in, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
