Gafcon, Inc.

What Gafcon, Inc. does

Gafcon PM-CM LLC is a San Diego-headquartered construction management and program management firm founded in 1987 by Yehudi "Gaf" Gaffen and operating today with approximately 130-150 employees across offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, Imperial, and La Quinta, California. The firm delivers program management, construction management, project management oversight, scheduling, VDC/BIM, and related advisory services to public agencies and private developers, with deep specialization in large-scale, bond-funded capital programs for K-12 districts, community colleges, ports, counties, healthcare systems, and private developers.

Gafcon's core product is its program and construction management platform, anchored by Oracle Primavera Unifier-based program management information systems, proprietary scheduling methodologies (reinforced by the 2018 acquisition of McDowell Scheduling), and a growing Gafcon Digital sub-brand covering BIM, VDC, reality capture, and digital twin services. The firm has lifetime management experience on approximately $50 billion in bond-funded programs, including marquee mandates for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, San Diego Unified School District, Port of San Diego, and San Mateo County, and operates a strategic alliance with AECOM for joint delivery on large bond programs.

Gafcon monetizes primarily through fee-based program and construction management engagements, typically structured as multi-year cost-plus or fixed-fee contracts tied to capital program duration, with revenue derived from staff-hour billings, program controls, and specialized digital services. Following its June 2024 acquisition by Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (GISI), Gafcon now operates as Gafcon PM-CM LLC alongside sister company Hill International, with a Co-CEO leadership structure under founder Yehudi Gaffen, Bryan Benso, and Robin Duveen.

Name

Gafcon, Inc.

Legal name

Gafcon

Website

https://gafcon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gafcon PM-CM LLC is a Southern California-based construction and program management firm serving public agencies and private developers, with deep specialization in multi-billion-dollar K-12, community college, port, and civic bond programs under GISI ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Management Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHACAK

Sustainability & ESG Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

Keywords

• Construction management services
• Program management services
• Bond program management
• Development services
• Adaptive reuse services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Management Services: Providing program management services for large-scale construction and development projects including public bond programs for school districts, community colleges, and municipal governments. Revenue generated through professional service fees.
2. Construction Management Services: Construction management services for commercial, residential, civic, and entertainment projects. Provides oversight, quality control, scheduling, and contract administration.
3. Development Services: Active development partner for major projects including waterfront redevelopment. Yehudi Gaffen serves as active managing partner for Seaport San Diego project.
4. Staff Augmentation: Provides staff augmentation services filling positions such as associate program manager, senior office engineer, construction manager, FF&E project manager, program controls specialist.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gafcon provides professional program management, construction management, development, labor relations, claims management, and adaptive reuse services for public agencies and private developers. The firm manages complex multi-billion-dollar bond programs, school modernization projects, civic developments, healthcare facilities, and waterfront redevelopments, leveraging BIM technology and Oracle Primavera Unifier for project controls. Services span preconstruction through closeout with a focus on cost, schedule, and quality management.

Product overview

Gafcon PM-CM LLC is a construction management and development firm offering comprehensive services in program management, construction management, development, labor relations, claims, and adaptive reuse. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a modular platform, with services including BIM/digital (via Gafcon Digital division), sustainability consulting, and bond program management. Notable divisions include Gafcon Digital for virtual design and construction, and Gafcon PM-CM for the post-acquisition entity. The company serves diverse sectors including education (K-12 and higher education bond programs), civic/government, healthcare, hospitality, residential, and waterfront/infrastructure projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gafcon Digital: A division of Gafcon specializing in digital solutions for construction companies, architects, and real estate investment firms going digital. The division experienced significant growth during the COVID pandemic, growing at approximately 60% annually.

Products and services

• Program Management Comprehensive program management services for complex construction and development projects, providing controls for cost, time, and quality across educational, public works, governmental, commercial, and residential sectors.
• Construction Management Construction management services overseeing project delivery, contractor selection, design team coordination, contract administration, quality control, and project closeout.
• Development Services Development management services including land acquisition, entitlements, financial modeling, and project scope and budget development for private developers and public-private partnerships.
• Labor Relations Labor relations services including contractor outreach programs, workforce compliance, and community benefit programs supporting local contractor participation on public construction projects.
• Claims Management Claims management and dispute resolution services including change order management, claims avoidance, and claims dispute resolution for major construction projects.
• Adaptive Reuse Adaptive reuse services for renovating and repurposing existing buildings including historic preservation, multifamily renovations, and facility modernization.
• Gafcon Digital Digital division providing virtual design and construction (VDC), Building Information Modeling (BIM), reality capture technology, and digital twin solutions to connect digital modeling with real-world building visualization and management.
• Real Estate Advisory Real estate advisory services supporting multifamily renovation, property assessment, financial and physical due diligence, and market analysis for property owners and developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $8.1 million in State of California Environmental Hardship Program reimbursement funding for Grossmont Union High School District
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (GISI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2024GISI, based in New York, acquired substantially all of Gafcon's operating assets in June 2024, forming a new subsidiary called Gafcon PM-CM LLC. Gaffen continues as chairman of Gafcon, Inc. while operations transferred to the GISI subsidiary. This strategic agreement provides Gafcon access to expanded capital and capabilities under the GISI umbrella.
• Hill InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHill International, one of the leading project and construction management firms globally, is Gafcon's sister company under GISI. Gafcon and Hill are collaborating on SDG&E's Program Management Office (PMO), combining expertise in utility infrastructure, permitting, and compliance.
• 1HWY1coreStrategic or Co-development Partner1HWY1 was selected as developer for Seaport San Diego. Yehudi Gaffen serves as active managing partner of the Seaport San Diego project, with Gafcon providing program management services as part of the development team.
• Jerico DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJerico Development is collaborating with Gafcon on the $150 million West Harbor public market project in San Pedro. Gafcon provides pre-construction and project management services as part of the development team.
• The Ratkovich CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ratkovich Company is collaborating with Gafcon on the West Harbor project in San Pedro. The Ratkovich Company brings development expertise to the waterfront project while Gafcon provides project management services.
• AECOMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAECOM partnered with Gafcon to take over management of the Los Angeles Community College District's bond program in 2013. Gafcon was a key partner providing transition support, technology implementation, and program management expertise that led to the team receiving CMAA's 2015 Program Management Merit Award.
• Anka Property GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning Australian property development group Anka Property Group selected Gafcon for construction management services on multiple San Diego projects including Alta ($46.7 million) and Aria ($39 million) high-rise residential developments.
• Alan NevincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGafcon partnered with real estate economist Alan Nevin to provide comprehensive multifamily renovation services. The partnership offers no-cost initial financial and physical assessments to property owners, combining Gafcon's construction expertise with Nevin's market analysis capabilities.
• Ken Smith Landscape ArchitectcoreTechnology or IntegrationKen Smith Landscape Architect of New York served as master designer for Orange County Great Park. Gafcon formed Great Park Design Studio joint venture with Ken Smith Landscape Architect for the 1,347-acre urban park project.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationGafcon implements Oracle Primavera Unifier project management information system for clients including County of San Mateo, I-405 Freeway Expansion project, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. Gafcon has developed expertise in Unifier configuration and deployment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with a large construction management practice. It has partnered with Gafcon on the LACCD bond program and competes with it for major public agency program management work, but at significantly larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Arcadis: Arcadis is a global design and consultancy firm with significant program management and construction management services for public sector clients, including education, government, and infrastructure. It is comparable in service offerings though much larger in scale and geographic reach.
• Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with public sector program management capabilities. It competes with Gafcon for major infrastructure and educational facility PM/CM engagements, though at much larger international scale.
• Turner Construction Company: Turner is one of the largest construction management firms in the US with broad public and private sector work. While primarily a contractor rather than pure PM/CM, it competes with Gafcon for major education, government, and healthcare construction engagements.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a global professional services firm with significant program management and construction management capabilities serving public sector clients across transportation, water, and education infrastructure. It overlaps with Gafcon's PM/CM services at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Anser Advisory: Anser Advisory is a management consulting firm specializing in program and construction management for public agencies, particularly K-12, higher education, and transit. It is a smaller-scale but directly comparable peer serving similar public agency clients.
• Heery International: Heery International is an architecture, engineering, and construction management firm with deep public sector focus in education, government, and healthcare facilities. Now part of Gilbane Building Company, it competes with Gafcon for school district and government CM engagements at comparable scale.
• Hill International: Hill International is a global construction management and project management firm and is now Gafcon's sister company under GISI. It serves similar public and private sector clients with comparable program management services, including utility infrastructure PMO work, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• STV Group: STV is an engineering, architecture, and construction management firm with strong public sector expertise in K-12, higher education, and transportation. It serves similar clients and competes for similar bond program management and educational facility CM engagements.
• LiRo Group: LiRo Group is an engineering, architecture, and construction management firm with extensive public sector work including education, transportation, and government facilities across the Northeast. It is comparable to Gafcon in size, service mix, and education vertical focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gafcon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gafconinc
• Xx.com/gafcon_inc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Gafcon, Inc.