By Anna Brumby WhitePublished On: April 29, 2026

Building & Infrastructure Services Q1 2026 Report

The Building & Infrastructure Services sector entered 2026 with continued momentum, supported by long-term structural tailwinds and resilient end-market demand. While broader M&A activity remains influenced by macroeconomic uncertainty, including interest rate sensitivity and evolving capital markets dynamics, this segment continues to demonstrate durability given its essential role across the industry. Owners and operators are benefiting from sustained funding visibility tied to federal programs, ongoing modernization needs, and increasing regulatory and environmental requirements, which are reinforcing demand for specialized services and technical expertise.

At the same time, transaction activity reflects a more disciplined and selective market environment. Buyers remain active, particularly private equity platforms and strategic consolidators, but are placing greater emphasis on scalability, workforce stability, and the quality and predictability of revenue streams. Well-positioned companies with differentiated capabilities, recurring or contracted revenue, and strong regional or niche leadership continue to command significant interest and competitive processes. Building & Infrastructure Services remains one of the more attractive and active segments within the broader Business Services industry, offering compelling opportunities for both founders considering a transaction and investors seeking long-term growth platforms.

Market Activity

Building & Infrastructure Services M&A Activity

Q1 2026 opened with 368 recorded closings across Building & Infrastructure Services; an 8% increase over Q4 2025 (340) and the most active quarter of the trailing four. February led with 129 transactions, reinforcing that buyer appetite carried right through the post–year-end reset.

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Consulting (TIC) was the standout subcategory of the quarter with 71 transactions, a 61% increase over Q4 2025 (44) and nearly double Q3 2025. Buyers continue to pay up for mission-critical, recurring-revenue service models in regulated end markets. Stratus Team alone closed three TIC deals (Stewart Engineering, Kestrel Engineering Group, and PVEDI Engineering, Architecture & Geology), while Surveying and Mapping and Control Point Associates each added two.
Specialty Contractors activity jumped 44% quarter-over-quarter (49 vs. 34), driven heavily by fire protection, life safety, and insulation roll-ups. Pye-Barker Fire & Safety remained the most active consolidator in the space with six acquisitions in Q1 alone (including Coastal Sprinkler, Jersey Fire Protection, Hobbs St. Holdings, and Priority One Security), on top of the seven they closed in Q4 2025. TopBuild Corp. (NYSE:BLD) added three more (Applied Coatings, USFI, and Johnson Roofing) following its L&L Insulation and Big Rock Insulation deals in Q4.
Dealers & Distributors climbed to 69 transactions, up 23% from Q4 (56) as strategic acquirers continued to build supply chain scale. SRS Distribution closed three deals in the quarter (Sider Lumber & Supply, Lumberyard Suppliers, and Mingledorff’s), and Core & Main (NYSE:CNM) and DXP Enterprises (NasdaqGS:DXPE) each remained active as well. DXP extended its water/wastewater platform with Mid Atlantic Storage Systems and a second add-on in Q1.
Residential & Commercial Services settled at 73 closings, down from Q4’s 86 but still the second-largest subcategory. HVAC, landscaping, and security continue to be the clearest consolidation stories. Landscaping platforms were especially active: United Land Services Holdings, Riverview Landscapes, and Ally Services (HVAC) each completed three acquisitions in the quarter, and Security 101 Holdings closed two more security add-ons.
Engineering & Construction held steady at 77 transactions (vs. 80 in Q4), with design-build and civil engineering firms drawing the most strategic interest. IMEG Corp. led the subcategory with three acquisitions (Buford Goff & Associates, CFR Engineering Consultants, and KMCE, Inc.), continuing its multi-year roll-up of mid-sized MEP and civil engineering firms.
Environmental & Facility Services was the one subcategory that softened materially, 29 transactions versus 40 in Q4 (-28%), though financial sponsors showed up in a meaningful way. J.F. Lehman and Company closed two platform investments in the space, signaling that PE continues to see value in environmental services even when strategic activity slows.

Strategic buyers drove roughly 91% of identified transactions in the quarter (319 of 351), consistent with Q4. Financial buyers stayed selective but visible at 32 deals, most often backing platform roll-ups in landscaping, HVAC, and fire/life safety.

Select M&A Transactions

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Anna Brumby White, a FOCUS Managing Director, has over 25 years of experience as an influential business leader working with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses on multiple continents. Mrs. White has broad industry experience in mergers and acquisitions, business development, and transaction execution. Prior to joining FOCUS, Mrs. White served as a Principal at Walden Businesses, where she participated and closed on middle market sell-side and buy-side engagements in the businesses services, manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, and food and beverage industries. Mrs. White has consulted with hundreds of small businesses and secured over $30 million in funding while working for the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center. For 10 years, Mrs. White worked for TSYS, the largest credit processing company in the world, on global expansion strategies including business development, mergers and acquisitions, company integrations, and lead origination. During her tenure working for TSYS in Europe and the U.S., she led a high growth sales team to secure millions of dollars in new business in domestic and international markets to expand the company’s prepaid and loyalty footprint with large global banking institutions and businesses including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Santander, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, and Harley-Davidson. While serving as president and CEO of The Brumby Chair Company, Mrs. White secured strategic business alliances, positioned an experienced management team, streamlined operations, and developed an e-commerce platform launching the family-owned company into a new era of prosperity. While maintaining ownership of The Brumby Chair Company, Mrs. White is recognized as a trusted business strategist. She has been a frequent public speaker at international conferences, universities, and professional business organizations. As an ongoing advocate for small business owners, Mrs. White is a frequent guest on Fox Business News, 11-Alive, and WSB Atlanta. She holds a dual Bachelor of Science degree in both Political Science and Accounting from Presbyterian College and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. In addition, she attended the Certified Mergers & Acquisitions Professional Program at the Coles College of Business’s Executive Education Program at Kennesaw State University.