What ESP Associates, P.A. does

ESP Associates, P.A. (legal entity ESP Associates, Inc.) is an ENR Top 500 multi-disciplinary engineering, surveying, geospatial, and planning firm founded in 1986 and headquartered in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The company operates a "team of companies" model comprising the parent plus five wholly-owned subsidiaries — Pickett (power transmission/distribution engineering), CivilCorp (civil engineering and transportation), Ditesco (broadband planning and network buildout), McClelland Consulting Engineers (MCE), and Roadway Asset Services (RAS) — collectively employing 900+ team members across 30 U.S. locations.

Service offerings span planning and landscape architecture, civil engineering, transportation engineering, water resources engineering, power and broadband, survey and geospatial, geo-environmental, construction-phase services, and program/construction management, with cross-discipline capabilities in GIS and applications development, 3D modeling and visualization, and grant administration. Technology stack emphasizes proprietary geospatial collection hardware: five in-house mobile lidar systems, military-grade Pegasus G15 Sentinel UAS, IrisPRO Pave van with LCMS-2 and Applanix POS/LV positioning, terrestrial 3D laser scanners, remote-operated Z-Boat hydrographic platform, and ArcGIS Server enterprise platform with custom application development including real-time flood inundation mapping (FIMAN-T) for NCDOT.

The business operates on a project-based professional services model, delivering fee-for-service engineering and consulting engagements to state and federal transportation agencies, investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives, municipal and county governments, broadband grant recipients, and private developers. Clients are secured through qualifications-based selection (QBS), RFP responses, and direct relationship-based engagement with no channel intermediaries. Revenue concentration sits in government infrastructure, with material exposure to federal funding cycles (IIJA, CPF/BEAD, FEMA mitigation grants) and state DOT capital programs.

Name

ESP Associates, P.A.

Legal name

ESP Associates, Inc.

Website

https://espassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ESP Associates is an ENR Top 500 multi-disciplinary engineering, surveying, geospatial, and planning firm serving state DOTs, utilities, municipalities, and private developers through a team of five subsidiary companies (Pickett, CivilCorp, Ditesco, MCE, RAS) across 30 U.S. locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Mill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services — Engineering & Consulting: Fee-for-service professional services engagements for engineering, surveying, geospatial, planning, and program/construction management. Projects are billed on fixed-fee, time-and-materials, or per-project scopes typical of government infrastructure procurement and private development engagements. Revenue is project-based with multi-year project cycles.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ESP Associates is a multi-disciplinary engineering, surveying, geospatial, and planning firm delivering integrated consulting services for transportation, power, broadband, water resources, municipal infrastructure, community development, and emergency management projects. The firm provides planning, design, permitting, and construction-phase services to government agencies and private developers through nine core service lines and a wholly-owned subsidiary structure (Pickett, CivilCorp, Ditesco, MCE, RAS). Advanced proprietary geospatial collection systems (mobile lidar, UAS, 3D laser scanning, GPR) and enterprise GIS platforms underpin project delivery from conceptual planning through construction.

Product overview

ESP Associates is an ENR Top 500 team of companies delivering integrated multi-disciplinary engineering, surveying, planning, and geospatial services. The portfolio consists of a parent company (ESP Associates, Inc.) plus five acquired subsidiary companies: Pickett (power transmission/distribution engineering), CivilCorp (civil engineering and highways), Ditesco (broadband planning), MCE (McClelland Consulting Engineers), and RAS (Roadway Asset Services). The core service offerings span Planning & Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Power & Broadband, Survey & Geospatial, Geo-Environmental, Construction-Phase Services, and PM/CM. Cross-discipline services include GIS & Applications Development, 3D Modeling & Visualization, and Grant Administration & Support. These services serve multiple market verticals including Community Development, Transportation, Power, Broadband, Emergency Management, Municipal Infrastructure, and Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pickett: Power transmission and distribution engineering subsidiary specializing in utility infrastructure design and structural engineering
• CivilCorp
• Ditesco
• McClelland Consulting Engineers (MCE)
• Roadway Asset Services (RAS)

Products and services

• Planning & Landscape Architecture Services Multi-disciplinary planning and landscape architecture services including community master planning, landscape architecture, branding/visioning/wayfinding, streetscapes and urban planning, parks/recreation master planning and design, campus planning, 3D modeling and visualization, and grant administration support.
• Civil Engineering Services Civil engineering services including site civil design, structural engineering, stormwater capital improvements, and water/wastewater planning and design for public and private clients.
• Transportation Engineering Services Transportation engineering services including roadway design, bridge design, pavement engineering, bike and pedestrian path design, port engineering, and GIS & applications development.
• Water Resources Engineering Services Water resources engineering services including stormwater management, flood studies, hazard mitigation planning, and extensive GIS-based floodplain modeling and mapping.
• Power & Broadband Engineering Services Integrated power and broadband engineering services for power generation (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, petroleum, natural gas), transmission (69kV–500kV), distribution, public broadband infrastructure, and private fiber networks.
• Survey & Geospatial Services Comprehensive surveying and geospatial services including conventional and GPS surveying, mobile lidar scanning, 3D laser scanning, aerial lidar and photogrammetry, UAS services, hydrographic/bathymetric surveys, and subsurface utility engineering with 3D GPR.
• Geo-Environmental Services Geo-environmental services including geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, and geophysical services.
• Construction-Phase Services Construction support services including construction materials testing, special inspections, construction engineering and inspection, utility coordination, and vibration monitoring.
• Program/Project/Construction Management (PM/CM) Program management, project management, and construction management services for public infrastructure, utility, and private development projects.
• GIS & Applications Development Enterprise GIS services using the ArcGIS Server Platform for geospatial analysis, digital image and lidar processing, thematic mapping, geodatabase design, and custom web/mobile application development (including FIMAN-T flood inundation mapping for NCDOT/NCEM and 3D modeling & visualization).
• Grant Administration & Support Grant administration services helping public-sector clients pursue federal, state, local, and foundation grants, including budget development, grant selection, application development, grant writing, and grant administration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured over $26 million in Capital Projects Fund grants for Southeast Colorado broadband (23% of all CPF funds awarded in Colorado)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McClelland Consulting Engineers (MCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026ESP expanded its services and geographic footprint with the addition of McClelland Consulting Engineers (MCE) and Roadway Asset Services (RAS) in June 2026. MCE brings additional engineering and consulting capabilities to the ESP team of companies.
• Roadway Asset Services (RAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026ESP expanded its services and geographic footprint with the addition of McClelland Consulting Engineers (MCE) and Roadway Asset Services (RAS) in June 2026. RAS adds roadway asset management and related services to the ESP portfolio of companies.
• CivilCorpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2023ESP Associates announced the acquisition of CivilCorp in September 2023 as part of strategic growth efforts to expand presence in Texas and Colorado markets. CivilCorp provides civil engineering and transportation services including schematic design and PS&E for highways, bridges, and infrastructure projects. CivilCorp operates as 'CivilCorp, an ESP Company' post-acquisition, bringing transportation engineering capabilities to the ESP portfolio.
• DitescocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2023ESP Associates announced the acquisition of Ditesco in September 2023 to expand presence in Texas and Colorado markets. Ditesco specializes in broadband planning, network design, and program management services. Ditesco, an ESP Company, brings expertise in broadband strategic planning, outside plant engineering design, grant administration, and construction management for broadband infrastructure projects.
• PickettcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPickett, an ESP Company, is a subsidiary specializing in power engineering services including generation (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, petroleum, natural gas), transmission (69kV–500kV), and distribution line design. Pickett serves as the lead for ESP's power service offerings nationwide and has roots in the power utility industry with former utility staff.
• Internet Service Providers (ISPs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDitesco (an ESP Company) partners with local ISPs to develop applications for federal and state broadband grant programs and to structure effective public-private partnerships (P3s) for broadband infrastructure deployment. Through these partnerships, Ditesco helped secure over $26 million in Capital Projects Fund grants representing 23% of all CPF funds awarded in Colorado.
• Southern Colorado Economic Development District (SCEDD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDitesco, an ESP Company, partnered with SCEDD to develop a Broadband Implementation Blueprint spanning 13 counties in Southeast Colorado. The partnership includes stakeholder engagement, fiber design, funding plan development, and grant applications.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: Privately-held, employee-owned ENR Top 10 design firm with comparable multi-disciplinary civil, transportation, water, and environmental practices; widely regarded as the gold-standard mid-tier peer for ESP given overlapping service mix, similar culture, and similar go-to-market.
• Stantec: Publicly-traded multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with comparable practice areas in transportation, water, power, and community development; competes head-to-head with ESP on state DOT and municipal pursuits.
• HDR: Employee-owned ENR Top 20 design firm with strong transportation, water, and power practices and comparable federal/state agency client base; competes for many of the same highway, bridge, and resilience contracts as ESP.
• Tetra Tech: Publicly-traded consulting and engineering firm with deep water, environment, and federal infrastructure practices; particularly comparable to ESP's geo-environmental, stormwater, and emergency-management service lines.
• Michael Baker International: Privately-held infrastructure engineering consulting firm focused on transportation, water, and federal services; similar scale, private ownership profile, and DOT-heavy client mix make it a close comparable to ESP.
• TRC Companies: Publicly-traded engineering and consulting firm with comparable infrastructure, environmental, and power practices; similar headcount range and similar mix of public/private clients as ESP.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned multi-disciplinary engineering firm with strong power (transmission/distribution) and transportation practices; comparable to ESP's Pickett subsidiary on utility-side work and overlaps on water/municipal.

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global publicly-traded engineering professional services firm with overlapping transportation, water, and earth-environment practices; larger and broader than ESP but directly competes on multi-state DOT and resilience programs.
• AECOM: Global engineering professional services firm and ENR Top 5 incumbent; competes with ESP on large multi-disciplinary state DOT, resilience, and infrastructure programs where scale and balance sheet matter.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global engineering and professional services firm; competes with ESP on federal/state infrastructure, water, and transportation pursuits, though Jacobs operates at materially larger scale and with broader international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaCSrc8FyJDH4Xe44eYG3vA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esp-associates-p-a-
• Xx.com/espassociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ESP Associates, P.A.