Reliability of Engineering News-Record international construction data

Abstract

Since the late 1970s, the Engineering News-Record (ENR) has produced annual lists ranking firms involved in development of the built environment on the basis of their international revenues. ENR lists, such as the Top 225 International Contractors and the Top 200 International Design Firms, have become popular datasets for international construction research. Nonetheless, given that the ENR data are self-reported, reviewers for journals and research funding bodies frequently question the reliability of the data. The aim of this research is to ascertain the extent to which the self-report ENR data can be considered reliable for international construction research. Inter-data reliability tests conducted to measure the levels of resemblance between the ENR data and annual report data of 51 sample companies found that, contrary to the prevalent view that companies reporting to the ENR tend to inflate their revenues, there are no systematic errors in the ENR data. Although slight discrepancies were found, ENR data can be confidently used for international construction research. Journal reviewers and editors should be more open to ENR international construction data, rather than taking the default position that the data are inherently and seriously problematic and thus automatically dismissing those studies that use such data.