You nailed it - the contractors get a nominal percentage of the contract (deposit) up front to buy materials (and hire sub contractors in many cases).
From what I gather, the list of publicly traded contracting companies is very narrow, with 25% gains forecast for the next year.
It's my opinion much of this money may very well go to private companies owned by big money, which may never show up on a balance sheet.
That said, I'm going to keep swingin' for the fence with my .05 to 5.00 wild cards unless I come up with something really good.
I'll keep my eyes open for ya... Make sure you put IR on your list of equipment candidates. :)