Why the Industry is Evolving

The data centre industry has evolved at unprecedented speed. From hyperscale cloud providers to regional colocation hubs, the demand for rapid, reliable, and scalable digital infrastructure has transformed how projects are conceived and delivered. Historically, the General Contractor (GC) model dominated, where a single contractor assumed responsibility for design, procurement, construction, and commissioning under a lump-sum contract. While this approach offered simplicity, it often left clients with limited visibility, constrained flexibility, and minimal opportunity to optimise outcomes.

Today, a growing number of hyperscale clients are adopting the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) model, signaling a fundamental shift in project delivery philosophy and pointing the way toward EPCM-style frameworks for future maturity.

From GC to PMC: Why the Industry is Evolving

The traditional GC model centralizes risk and decision-making with the contractor, meaning clients frequently react to challenges rather than proactively managing them. While effective for simpler builds, it struggles to meet the demands of hyperscale, multi-site, and technically complex data centres, where capital exposure is high and time-to-market is critical.

The PMC model addresses these challenges by embedding expertise directly on the client side. Acting as an extension of the client team, a PMC ensures alignment across design, procurement, construction, and commissioning, providing early-stage guidance and continuity throughout the project lifecycle.

Key advantages include:

• Early engagement: Supports feasibility, funding, and customer commitments.
• Cashflow and cost plan oversight: Provides transparency across multiple contractors and ensures financial control.
• Knowledge transfer: Captures lessons learned to reduce inefficiencies across future projects.
• Enhanced delivery transparency: Reduces claims, disputes, and misaligned incentives.
• Flexibility over lump-sum contracts: Enables dynamic scope management across design, delivery, and commissioning, resulting in leaner, more cost-effective outcomes.

The Flexibility Advantage

Unlike traditional lump-sum contracts that lock clients into fixed scopes, the PMC model allows for:

• Dynamic management of design, construction, and commissioning scopes.
• Optimisation of preliminaries and indirects for cost efficiency.
• Agile contractor engagement, adapting quickly to changing requirements without impacting overall program delivery.

This flexibility is particularly valuable for multi-site programs, where a rigid, single-contract approach can introduce inefficiencies, delays, and escalated risk.

PMC as a Stepping Stone to EPCM

The pharmaceutical industry has long relied on Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCM) models to manage complex, multi-site projects with integrated oversight. Similarly, data centre delivery is following a trajectory from GC to PMC and potentially toward EPCM-style frameworks.

In this evolution:

• PMC delivers client-side expertise and independent oversight, reducing risk and improving transparency.
• EPCM builds on PMC principles, integrating design, procurement, and construction management while maintaining portfolio-wide governance.
• This progression allows for scalable, repeatable frameworks, enabling consistent quality, cost efficiency, and strategic alignment across multiple sites.

Hyperscale clients are demonstrating that embedding expertise on the client side improves efficiency, reduces risk, and ensures consistent, high-quality outcomes—a clear path toward EPCM maturity.

Strategic Outcomes of PMC Delivery

By transitioning from a GC to a PMC model, clients gain:

• Greater control over cost, schedule, and risk.
• Improved transparency across contractors and project phases.
• Enhanced flexibility to adjust scopes without compromising timelines.
• Knowledge retention across projects, reducing waste and duplication.
• Scalable delivery frameworks that support rapid expansion across multiple sites.

PMC delivery is not just a methodology – it is a strategic lever that transforms project execution into a competitive advantage.

The shift from GC to PMC reflects the growing demands of hyperscale and multi-site data centre projects. By fronting expertise on the client side, providing early engagement, and enabling flexible, transparent delivery, the PMC model transforms how infrastructure is built.

As the industry matures, PMC delivery is increasingly converging toward EPCM principles, creating integrated, scalable frameworks capable of managing complexity at speed. In this environment, PMC is no longer just a delivery model – it is a strategic advantage, equipping clients to optimise cost, accelerate schedules, and achieve predictable results across entire portfolios.

In today’s digital infrastructure era, PMC delivery is the blueprint for predictable, high-performance, and scalable project execution – and a stepping stone to EPCM maturity.