Mace Consult: How Goldman Sachs & AI Forged a Top-10 Program Management Firm

NEW YORK and LONDON – June 24, 2026

In the high-stakes world of megaproject delivery, where timelines stretch into decades and budgets swell into billions, certainty is the most valuable and elusive commodity. This week, Mace Consult cemented its status as a premier purveyor of that commodity, landing at number seven on Engineering News-Record's (ENR) prestigious list of the Top 50 Program Management Firms in America. While the ranking itself is a noteworthy achievement, the story behind it reveals a masterclass in strategic reinvention, fueled by formidable financial backing and a deep-seated commitment to technological innovation.

The firm's ascent, underscored by over $1 billion in 2025 revenue, is not a product of chance or favorable market tides alone. It is the direct result of a calculated pivot, initiated by a majority investment from Goldman Sachs Alternatives, that established the consultancy as a powerful standalone entity. This move has untethered Mace Consult, allowing it to scale aggressively and redefine what it means to manage the world's most complex capital programs in an era of unprecedented volatility.

A New Era Fueled by Strategic Investment

The transformation of Mace Consult began when Goldman Sachs Alternatives took a majority stake, effectively splitting the legacy Mace Group into two distinct, independent businesses: Mace Consult and Mace Construct. This strategic uncoupling was more than a corporate restructuring; it was a declaration of intent. For Mace Consult, it provided what its Chief Executive Officer, Davendra Dabasia, calls the "freedom to scale."

Freed from the operational and capital constraints of a combined construction and consulting entity, Mace Consult has been able to channel its resources with singular focus. The firm now operates as a pure-play consultancy, owning the venerable Mace brand while charting its own course. This autonomy has been critical, enabling rapid expansion into burgeoning sectors like technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing, where the demand for specialized program management is exploding.

The Goldman Sachs investment provided the financial firepower not just for expansion but for a deeper investment in talent and technology—the twin pillars of its growth strategy. With over 5,500 professionals across six continents, the firm has been aggressively recruiting top-tier experts and arming them with next-generation tools, positioning itself as the go-to partner for clients navigating the complexities of modern capital investment.

Delivering 'Certainty' in a Volatile World

The broader industry context makes Mace Consult's growth all the more remarkable. Global infrastructure projects are currently battling a perfect storm of cost inflation, supply chain disruptions, and intense market volatility. In this climate, the risk of budget overruns and schedule delays has never been higher. It is precisely this environment that has amplified the value of Mace Consult's core promise: certainty.

As CEO Davendra Dabasia noted, "As mega-scale capital programs continue to combat cost inflation and volatile market forces, our growth points to the premium our clients place on the promise of certainty—that their projects will be delivered on time, on budget, and to scope, while generating a legacy of socioeconomic value throughout." This isn't merely a marketing slogan; it's an operational doctrine.

This commitment is visible in their work on some of the world's most challenging programs. In New York, the firm is supporting the delivery of the Gateway Development Commission's Hudson Tunnel Project, a venture described as "America's most urgent transit project." Managing a program of this scale, with its myriad stakeholders and immense technical complexity, requires a level of rigor and foresight that few can provide. The firm’s ability to de-risk such a pivotal piece of national infrastructure speaks volumes about its methodology. By embedding predictability into a chaotic process, Mace Consult transforms project management from a reactive discipline into a strategic advantage for its clients.

The Digital Blueprint for Modern Megaprojects

At the heart of Mace Consult's ability to deliver certainty is a sophisticated digital strategy. The firm has moved far beyond the traditional spreadsheets and Gantt charts that have long defined the industry. Instead, it has made substantial investments in a suite of digital tools that leverage data science, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence. This aligns with a broader industry trend noted in the latest ENR report, which highlights how the "AI boom's rising tide has lifted business prospects" for top professional services firms.

Dabasia cites these investments in talent and tools as enablers of "agile, data-driven decision-making and predictive analytics to surface project risks and opportunities at the earliest possible stages." By building digital twins of projects and running complex simulations, the firm can forecast potential bottlenecks, model the impact of market shifts, and optimize resource allocation before a single shovel breaks ground. This proactive approach to risk management is a game-changer, allowing project teams to solve problems that haven't happened yet.

Further signaling its commitment, the company recently appointed a Chief Digital and Information Officer, a move that institutionalizes innovation at the highest level of the organization. This isn't about simply adopting new software; it's about fundamentally re-engineering the process of project delivery to be more intelligent, resilient, and efficient. This digital-first mindset is how the firm plans to continue raising industry standards and, as Dabasia puts it, "delivering at pace."

Global Impact, Local Execution

While its #7 ranking is an American accolade, Mace Consult's influence is profoundly global. The firm's 2025 revenue figures tell a clear story: of the $1.172 billion generated, a staggering $1.022 billion came from its international operations, compared to $150 million domestically. This demonstrates a deep-seated expertise in navigating diverse political, economic, and regulatory landscapes across the globe.

This global prowess is on full display in its portfolio. In the United Kingdom, the firm is a key partner in the delivery of the National Health Service's New Hospital Programme, a massive undertaking to modernize the country's healthcare infrastructure. In Hong Kong, it is involved in the MTR and CEDD Northern Metropolis projects, shaping a new economic and residential hub. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, Mace Consult is contributing to the kingdom's Vision 2030 through its work on giga-projects like the Diriyah Gate and Qiddiya entertainment city.

From rebuilding critical transport links in North America to erecting new cities in the Middle East and upgrading public services in Europe, Mace Consult is applying its blueprint for certainty on a planetary scale. The firm’s success illustrates a powerful new paradigm: that in an increasingly complex and unpredictable world, the future will be built by those who can master the science of delivery.