Architectural and engineering firms are currently going through a growth spurt according to the latest data on services turnover.

The turnover and orders in production and services industry (TOPSI) data released by ONS  late last week showed that the turnover in the three months to July for architectural and engineering firms was 13.8% higher than in the same period a year earlier.

This turnover is in cash terms and, because there will be cross trading, this is not a measure of aggregate output for the sector. But nevertheless it does provide a clear sign of a sector enjoying pretty quick growth.

The graph illustrates just how that growth rate compares with recent times and it is encouraging. The spurt we see in 2011 that faded in 2012 is most likely down to the expansion into overseas markets, where Britain’s construction consultants have made big strides.

The latest spurt may also be in part down to UK firms establishing themselves more prominently in overseas markets, but there is also the likelihood that some of the growth is down to improved workloads in the UK.