After a period of intensive trialling the University of Melbourne Enginuity 2026 Competition is underway, with a competitive field of teams all battling for supremacy against their peers.

And so to the action, and all the teams made excellent starts, with the early pacesetters after 41% growth being "APEX" with 1,410 pts, but they cannot rest on their laurels with the chasing pack close behind led by "Tim's Co" and the "Tegeny Group". However, it is early days, and there are sure to be plenty of twists ahead as the journey through the Early Years unfolds.

The early signs are that the competition will be very competitive, with all the teams improving their overall position in period 5. However, this was not unexpected. After being formed at the beginning of period 1, overhead costs were incurred whilst the companies were being established, without any profits being generated. The companies were now in a position to generate profits against a more stable overhead base, and this was reflected in improved operating profits. Of course, growth will be impossible without an effective strategy, and all the management teams have had time to think about this carefully, and come up with a set of objectives to deliver business success for their stakeholders.

Much to the relief of Kier Starmer’s Government the 2025 GDP growth of 1.4% was slightly higher than expected, making the UK of the fastest growing UK economies. However, challenges like lower productivity and business investments, combined with global trade uncertainties and inflationary pressures, have raised concerns by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) that growth could slip back to around 1.2% in 2026.

Global GDP growth of around 3% in 2025 was lower than expected due to GEO political factors, such as President Trump’s trade wars, and continued conflicts around the world. 2026 GDP growth is expected to be similar, with the global economy showing resilience bolstered by AI investments, interest rate cuts and government stimulus. India remains one of the strongest performers amongst the emerging economies, with the USA and China continuing to lead the way amongst the major economies.

League table at the end of period 5

After the impressive growth figures posted in period 5, not unexpectedly period 6 proved to be a much tougher quarter. This was largely driven by the companies being unable to win as much work as they had previously, with the corresponding reduction in forward workload and margin KPIs. However, impressively around 50% of the teams were still able to post positive growth figures.

At the top of the table new leaders emerged as "Homelander" moved up 4 places after 7% growth to lead with 1,468 pts, and in doing so they opened up a 50 point gap to the chasing pack. Previous leaders "APEX" dropped back one place to second, and moving into contention are a number of teams, led by "PACTUM", "Good Success Co" and "La Obra", climbing 9, 14 and 11 places respectively into 3rd, 4th and 5th place. Further down table the most impressive performance and positional gain came from one team, "Whatever inc", whose 8% improvement catapulted them 15 places up the table into 11th place, and demonstrated what can be achieved in one period with effective decisions.

With KPI points hard earned it will become increasingly important that the management teams look very carefully at every aspect of their business for potential improvements, and those that are most successful in doing so should prosper the most. Two areas that the teams need particular attention are Marketing strategy and Procurement (rival bidders), which are discussed in more detail below.

Marketing is possibly the area of the business that requires the most thought, as there are numerous strategies that could be adopted. The market trend can only be gauged for one year ahead, and not always accurately, and as marketing departments are expanded, the choices of where to direct the marketing effort are wide ranging, by sector, country and job size. The task is not an easy one, but has a major impact upon procurement options, and the future work undertaken, and ultimately on the long term prosperity of the company.

Another important consideration is that rival bidders do not necessarily stick with the same bidding strategy, and as time goes by they can change their strategy according to market conditions. This makes it imperative that teams keep a close eye on the margins rival bidders are applying, and how they may be changing. Evaluating these strategies could make the key difference between success in securing work, or not. To complicate matters even further there may be UNKNOWN rival bidders, and the only clues to these may be in the ENGINUITY NEWS NETWORK (ENN) for the period.

League table at the end of period 6
Improvements, or otherwise, during period 6

Period 7, the halfway point in the Competition, proved to be a successful one for the majority of the teams, with over 90% posting positive growth figures, and none more so than for "Whatever inc", who continued their meteoric rise up the table with a stunning 20% improvement, once more the best in the round, to surge another 8 places up the table and into second place, and within just 11 points of "Homelander", who held onto top spot after another solid round of 11% growth moved them onto 1,629 pts.

13% growth from "Wombat Earthworks" enabled them to move up 3 places to 3rd, with the "Good Success Co" staying put in 4th. The most impressive positional gain in the round came from the "Tegeny Group", whose 17% improvement catapulted them 16 places up the table from 21st to 5th. At the other end of the table the shareholders of "EPC11" will be relieved to see that their management team seem to have overcome a few areas of concern as they posted an impressive 18% improvement to climb well away from the foot of the table, and demonstrating once more what can be achieved in one period with effective decisions.

IEWP = SUCCESS

A leading industry think tank have come up with a simple formula for running a successful construction business.

1. IDENTIFY new work
2. EXPAND the infrastructure (capital base) of the company to take on more work
3. WIN new work through competitive bidding
4. PROFITABLY PROGRESS of the jobs won

Another essential part of running a successful business is being able to form an effective Risk Management Strategy to keep the business as profitable as possible. This can take a number of forms, firstly by building sensible risk contingencies into the original bids based upon the likelihood and cost of the risks occurring. Secondly, and just as importantly is mitigating the affects of any risks that strike through targeted investment into risk management companies, using a BIM model if available, and employing the most suitable project managers to jobs in progress. However, even when these mitigating actions are taken, risk can still be costly to job and company profits, and during period 7 problems with structural defects affected the construction of a new health spa for the client, Orlando Adventure World, in the United States, with an estimated risk cost of around 280k before mitigation.

League table at the end of period 7
Improvements, or otherwise, during period 7

Period 8 proved to be one of the most astonishing rounds in recent memory, with some dramatic growth figures posted, and changes at both the top and bottom of the table.

At the top of the table the "Good Success Co" moved up 3 places and into pole position with 1,792 pts, but their lead is the narrowest possible with just a 1 point gap to "Wombat Earthworks", who climbed one place to second as previous leaders "Homelander" fell two places to 3rd, but very much in contention still, as are a group of teams not too far further back led by the leaders from period 5, "APEX", who grew by 21%. With just 2 rounds to go it is gearing up for a dramatic race to the finishing line.

Further down the table the shareholders of "Tim's Co" will be overjoyed as the company posted the best results in the round, a stunning 27% improvement that lifted them well away from the foot of the table. They also boasted the best positional gain, an 11 place rise also matched by "Twelve Construction".

League table at the end of period 8
Improvements, or otherwise, during period 8

Period 9 proved to be a story once more of growth almost across the board, with 90% of the teams posting positive growth figures, and there were some outstanding performances. In particular "NextGen Solutions" produced an astonishing 28%, the best in the round, to move well away from the foot of the table, and in terms of positional gains the plaudits went to "BOTAN", climbed 12 places, and into the top 10, after an impressive 20% growth, and into potential contention should the leaders slip up.

As the teams head into the final round of the Competition, a dramatic finale is in store, which is fitting considering the high quality of the teams taking part. "Good Success Co" extended their lead at the top of table after moving onto 1,951 pts, but the chasing pack are close behind. Previous leaders "Homelander" moved back up to second, just ahead of "Wombat Earthworks", who dropped one place to 4th, with "Whatever inc" in 5th still very much in contention.

Further down the table there were many performances of note, but a special mention has to be made to the management team of "BuilDora" as the previous basement team posted an eye catching 21% improvement to lift themselves off the bottom of the table, and in doing so stave off a threatened emergency shareholder meeting to discuss the company's plight, but not anymore.

With just one round to go each team will be looking to finish strongly, and every decision will count in the final reckoning.

League table at the end of period 9
Improvements, or otherwise, during period 9

In a dramatic final round it was the "Homelander" who moved up from second place to emerge as the University of Melbourne Enginuity 2026 Champions with a very impressive finishing score of 2,049 pts. Ultimately their success owed much to them demonstrating one of the guiding principles in running a successful business, consistency, having led the competition for 2 of the 6 rounds, and having never been out of the top five.

Previous leaders "Good Success Co" could not quite hold onto the lead, and had to settle for being this year's Runners Up, but only by 12 points from the Champions. "Whatever Inc" finished 3rd, and the top three all exceeded 2,000 points, an achievement rarely seen before. Further down the table "Skyline" were the star performers in the final round, both in terms of positional gain and overall growth, with a whopping 20% improvement that catapulted them 15 places up the table and into the top 10.

In the final analysis all of the teams finished with far stronger, more sustainable companies than when they took over in period 5, a testament to the skill and application shown by the management teams in what was a roller coaster of a journey through 6 simulated quarters of management.

League table at the end of period 10
Improvements, or otherwise, during period 10