Discover how to turn competitors into collaborators on your next billion-dollar construction project. In our recent episode of Project Insights, PMA Executive Director Angel Ripepi and Marketing Managing Director Bryan Ritch discuss collaboration and competition in the construction consulting industry.

Angel serves as a lead construction and project manager at PMA, specializing in cost controls and claims disputes for major infrastructure, transportation, and commercial projects with budgets exceeding $2 billion. He’s gained hands-on experience leading teams from multiple firms and learning to work with each group’s unique approach. Bryan Ritch leads the Marketing team in prepositioning, market research, responding to RFPs, and providing business development support.

Though Angel and Bryan have different backgrounds, both agree that building strong project teams leads to lasting relationships. These connections not only make collaboration more enjoyable—they can also give you a heads-up about new project opportunities. Simply put, people want to work with those they get along with, and they’ll often let you know when a project comes up that would be a good fit for your team.

Gaining this early insight—especially before a public RFP is posted—can help you prepare a proposal that directly addresses a client’s needs, sometimes in ways your competitors can’t. While an RFP covers the basics, a good relationship lets you learn about a client’s culture and what matters to their team. If you can demonstrate an understanding of their values and pain points, you’ll be better positioned to win their trust and business.

Angel understands the value of getting to know clients before a project starts. Too often, consultants walk in with little idea of the personalities they’ll be working with. Meeting ahead of time lets you understand their needs, build a stronger relationship, and learn about their work style. This insight helps you choose the best partners—and the right people from your own team—for each project.

So how do you build trust in a partnership? Angel and Bryan both agree: reputation matters most. If clients or competitors know you’re dependable and flexible when things go wrong, they’ll see you as reliable. Having a track record of consistent results and a respectful approach makes it significantly more likely that you’ll secure more project opportunities.

Of course, having a good reputation doesn’t mean you’ll never face setbacks. The difference is that reputable firms are open and honest when things don’t go as planned. Having someone on the team who can communicate tough news—without making things worse—goes a long way toward helping everyone move past the problem together.

A question that came up in the podcast was, “Can smaller firms compete?” While PMA is a medium-sized company by industry standards, we are often smaller than some of the global firms we team with or compete against. Angel and Bryan believe that reputation, having great people, and providing excellent service are what truly set firms apart. At PMA, we approach teaming by assembling the best possible group for each project—the A-team—instead of trying to fill every position ourselves. We believe that this spirit of sharing and collaboration fosters more strategic and trusted relationships with other firms in our industry, ultimately helping everyone deliver better results.

To hear practical advice and actionable takeaways, listen to the episode and learn how building strong relationships, understanding client needs, leveraging early insights, and maintaining a solid reputation can help you form effective partnerships—even with former competitors.

Find the episode on our website or your favorite podcast streaming app!