McKissack & McKissack

What McKissack & McKissack does

McKissack & McKissack is a privately held, founder-owned architecture, engineering, program, and construction management (AECM) firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1990 by Deryl McKissack with $1,000 of personal capital, the firm is a continuation of the nation's oldest African American design and construction practice, tracing its lineage to master builder Moses McKissack. The company employs more than 150 staff across five U.S. offices (Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles) and reports oversight of more than $15 billion in projects nationwide, consistently ranking in Engineering News-Record's Top 100 Construction Management-for-Fee and Top 50 Program Management lists.

The firm delivers five core services: Program & Construction Management, Architecture, Interior Design, Master Planning, and Design Services, applied across six market sectors (Cultural, Education, Institutional, Real Estate, Transportation, and Utilities). Notable engagements include the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Obama Presidential Center, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, the $5 billion O'Hare Modernization Program (where it achieved a 79% reduction in delays), and DC Water's $2.2 billion Clean Rivers Project. Underlying capabilities include CMAR and design-build delivery expertise, federal funding compliance via ProjectTalk/Prolog, risk registers with qualitative and quantitative cost/schedule analysis, and a community-centered design approach for utility infrastructure.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees structured as a percentage of construction cost, hourly rates, or fixed fees, with multi-year contract cadences typical for federal and institutional clients. Go-to-market relies on direct prime contracting and joint venture partnerships with general contractors (Turner Construction, Tompkins Builders) and design firms (HOK, Jacobs), supplemented by thought-leadership content, ENR and Washington Business Journal rankings, and CEO-led speaking engagements. Customers are predominantly federal, state, and local government agencies and cultural institutions, with selective commercial engagements (e.g., the Washington Wizards). No external investors, parent company, or public-market listing is disclosed; ownership and leadership remain concentrated with the founding McKissack family.

Name

McKissack & McKissack

Legal name

McKissack & McKissack

Website

https://mckinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McKissack & McKissack is a privately held architecture, engineering, and construction management firm serving federal, state, and local government agencies alongside cultural, transportation, utility, and institutional clients from five U.S. offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Architecture & Engineering: Fees for architectural design services, interior design, master planning, and engineering oversight on construction projects.
2. Program & Construction Management Services: Fee-based program management and construction management services for complex infrastructure projects, typically charged as a percentage of project value or fixed fees.
3. Design-Build Joint Ventures: Participates in joint ventures as design-build team member or lead, generating revenue through design fees and construction management responsibilities on landmark projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

McKissack & McKissack is a national architecture, engineering, program, and construction management firm offering integrated A&E and PM/CM services. The firm delivers five core service offerings: Program & Construction Management, Architecture, Interior Design, Master Planning, and Design Services. These services are delivered across six market sectors—Cultural, Education, Institutional, Real Estate, Transportation, and Utilities—serving clients in civic, cultural, education, energy, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, and commercial sectors.

Product overview

McKissack & McKissack is a national architecture, engineering, program, and construction management firm offering integrated A&E and PM/CM services. The company operates as a service-based firm rather than a software product company, providing five core service offerings: Program & Construction Management, Architecture, Interior Design, Master Planning, and Design Services. These services are delivered across six market sectors—Cultural, Education, Institutional, Real Estate, Transportation, and Utilities—serving clients in civic, cultural, education, energy, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, and commercial sectors. The firm manages projects ranging from landmark cultural institutions to transportation infrastructure and utility systems, with over $15 billion in projects overseen. Notable projects include the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, O'Hare International Airport Modernization, and DC Water Clean Rivers Project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Program & Construction Management Comprehensive project management and construction management services including scheduling, cost control, risk management, and project controls for complex construction projects across multiple sectors, delivered to government, cultural, institutional, transportation, and utility clients.
• Architecture Architectural design services encompassing planning, design, and oversight of building construction for government, cultural, healthcare, education, transportation, and utility clients, ensuring projects are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing.
• Interior Design Interior design and space planning services that create functional, inspiring interior environments for commercial, institutional, healthcare, and cultural facility clients.
• Master Planning Strategic master planning services for large-scale developments, campuses, and urban infrastructure projects, integrating design, engineering, and construction management.
• Design Services Integrated design services combining architectural design, engineering, interior design, and space planning for comprehensive project delivery across market sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% reduction in delays at O'Hare International Airport
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Turner Construction CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing joint venture partner on major construction projects including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, where McKissack led the design-build team with Turner as construction partner.
• Tompkins Builders, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial design-build team, providing construction expertise alongside McKissack's design leadership.
• Gilford CorporationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial project, participating in the design-build team structure.
• HOKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner on Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center project, where McKissack served as Architect of Record in collaboration with HOK for the first new hospital in D.C. in over 20 years.
• Project Management Office (Joint Venture Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner responsible for implementation of program schedule and budget for the two-phase expansion of O'Hare International Airport.
• DC WatercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead program management role and lead designer for the $2.2 billion DC Clean Rivers Project, providing construction management and design services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HOK: Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with deep healthcare, civic, cultural, and aviation practices. HOK is an active JV partner of McKissack on projects such as Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center and competes for the same institutional and public-sector commissions.
• HDR: Architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with concentrated practices in transportation, water, healthcare, and federal services. Closely comparable to McKissack in transportation and water PM/CM pursuits and in healthcare facility planning.
• Hill International: Specialist construction management and project management consultancy focused on complex infrastructure and public-sector programs. Closely aligned with McKissack's program/construction management delivery model and public client base.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned architecture, engineering, and construction firm with aviation, federal, and utility infrastructure practices. Comparable in scale and structure, and competes in similar aviation, federal, and utility PM/CM pursuits.
• Heery International: Architecture, engineering, and construction management firm (now part of Balfour Beatty) focused on public and institutional clients including K-12, higher education, healthcare, and civic work. Most directly comparable mid-sized peer in PM/CM for institutional public-sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Jacobs Solutions: Global professional services firm delivering architecture, engineering, program management, and construction management across transportation, water, healthcare, and federal markets. Jacobs has competed alongside McKissack (including on LACCD) and represents the scaled-incumbent comparable.
• WSP: Global engineering and design consultancy with major US practices in transportation, property & buildings, environment, and water. Competes for many of the same federal, transit, and water infrastructure commissions as McKissack.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering firm with US-strong water, infrastructure, buildings, and energy practices. Overlaps with McKissack in water utility PM/CM, transportation, and institutional design work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm offering architecture, engineering, and construction services across transportation, water, environment, and government markets. The dominant scaled competitor for major public-sector PM/CM programs.

Others

• Turner Construction Company: Major US general contractor and construction manager that has been McKissack's longest-standing design-build JV partner (MLK Memorial, others). Functions as both a partner and an adjacent delivery channel rather than a direct A&E competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mckandmck
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mckissack-&-mckissack
• Instagraminstagram.com/mckissackmckissack

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McKissack & McKissack