Freese and Nichols

What Freese and Nichols does

Freese and Nichols is a privately held, employee-owned infrastructure consulting and engineering firm headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, founded in 1894. The firm employs approximately 1,400 professionals across 35 offices nationwide and serves government clients (municipalities, water districts, river authorities, state departments of transportation, federal agencies, and higher education institutions) through nine core service areas: Water Management and Supply, Water and Wastewater Engineering, Environmental Science, Transportation, Urban Planning and Design, Facilities, Infrastructure Management Consulting, Program and Construction Management, and Federal Services. The firm is a full-service consultancy that delivers studies, plans, designs, and management advice across the entire project lifecycle using integrated delivery methods such as Design-Build, CMAR, and PDB. Notable technical differentiators include design and startup of the first Direct Potable Reuse facility in North America, the world's first Envision-Rated Pipeline (Line J), and proprietary MAAPnext flood control modeling approaches.

The firm's business model is professional services delivery on project-based contracts, with 85.7% of work coming from repeat clients across hundreds of municipalities, counties, water districts, and 45+ higher education campuses. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through dedicated business development teams and executive client engagement, including regular office visits by the CEO and leadership. The firm does not publicly disclose pricing, which is negotiated through contracts and competitive bidding typical of government procurement. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for engineering, planning, architecture, and consulting engagements. Leadership is provided by President and CEO Brian Coltharp, PE, and Chairman Bob Pence, PE, BCEE, supported by a full C-suite including COO, CFO, and Chief Strategy Officer. The firm has been recognized twice with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (2010, 2024), is the first engineering/architecture firm to receive the award, and is among only 13 organizations to earn repeat recognition.

Name

Freese and Nichols

Legal name

Freese and Nichols

Website

https://freese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Freese and Nichols is a 132-year-old, employee-owned engineering and infrastructure consulting firm with 1,400 professionals across 35 offices, serving government clients (municipalities, water districts, transportation agencies, federal agencies, and higher education) with full-lifecycle planning, design, and program management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infrastructure Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC), Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Infrastructure consulting
• Water resources engineering
• Wastewater treatment design
• Transportation engineering
• Program management

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering and Consulting Services: Freese and Nichols generates revenue through providing comprehensive engineering, planning, architecture, and consulting services across water management, transportation, environmental science, facilities, and infrastructure management. Services span the entire project lifecycle from planning and design through construction management and operations. The firm works on project-based contracts with government clients, typically through competitive bidding and direct engagement as a trusted advisor. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for studies, plans, designs, and management advice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freese and Nichols is a multidisciplinary engineering, planning, architecture, and consulting firm that delivers infrastructure projects across water management, transportation, environmental science, facilities, and infrastructure management. The firm provides full-lifecycle services including planning, funding, program management, procurement, regulatory compliance, design, construction management, and operations and maintenance for government clients such as municipalities, water districts, transportation agencies, federal agencies, and higher education institutions. Services are delivered by multidisciplinary teams of engineers, architects, planners, scientists, and construction managers on project-based contracts through direct engagement and competitive bidding.

Product overview

Freese and Nichols is an infrastructure consulting and engineering firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional services organized around nine core service areas: Water Management and Supply, Water and Wastewater Engineering, Environmental Science, Transportation, Urban Planning + Design, Facilities, Infrastructure Management Consulting Services, Program and Construction Management, and Federal Services. The firm operates on a full-service consulting model where multidisciplinary teams collaborate across service lines to deliver integrated solutions for clients throughout the entire project lifecycle—from planning and design through construction management and operations. Rather than a software platform or modular product architecture, the firm delivers specialized expertise as professional engineering and consulting services tailored to municipal, water district, transportation agency, federal, and higher education clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Management and Supply Services Comprehensive water resource planning, dam and levee engineering, stormwater and flood resilience solutions, coastal resilience planning, and water reuse and alternative water supply development including direct and indirect potable reuse. For municipalities, water districts, and government clients.
• Water and Wastewater Engineering Services Full-service water and wastewater engineering including master planning, transmission and utilities (pipelines, pump stations), water and wastewater treatment design, and tunneling and trenchless solutions for complex infrastructure projects. For municipal and water district clients.
• Environmental Science Services Environmental compliance and remediation, permitting and documentation (NEPA, Section 404), and ecosystem restoration including living shorelines, stream restoration, and wetland mitigation. For government and private clients requiring environmental compliance.
• Transportation Services Transportation planning, roadway and bridge design, highways and DOT services, and aviation, ports and transit infrastructure planning and engineering. For state DOTs, tollway authorities, and transportation agencies.
• Urban Planning + Design Services Urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and campus planning services for municipal and institutional clients.
• Facilities Services Architecture, structural engineering, mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) engineering, and power and controls engineering for built infrastructure. For institutional and government facility clients.
• Infrastructure Management Consulting Services Asset management, financial strategies, and data management and analytics to help clients optimize infrastructure investments. For government and institutional clients managing infrastructure portfolios.
• Program and Construction Management (PMCM) Program management and construction management services for infrastructure projects throughout the project lifecycle. For government clients executing large capital programs.
• Federal Services Comprehensive services for federal agencies including flood control, environmental design and compliance, water supply management, ports and navigation design, and facilities improvements for military bases and nationwide programs. For federal agencies including DoD and military installations.
• Energy Services Energy consulting services for utility and infrastructure clients, as referenced by the firm's website services menu.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85.7% of work from repeat clients
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) - All Small Mentor Protégé Agreements (ASMPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreese and Nichols participates in the federal All Small Mentor Protégé Agreements (ASMPP) program approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The firm serves as an experienced mentor since the 1990s, helping small and disadvantaged-business protégés develop effective business practices and successful operations through collaborative mentor-protégé partnerships.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a substantial water, transportation, and environmental practice serving the same municipal, federal, and water district clients. Closest comparable in service breadth and project types.
• Jacobs Solutions: Major engineering and program management firm with a critical infrastructure and water practice serving government clients. Comparable in PMCM, water, and transportation services.
• HDR Inc. Employee-owned engineering and architecture firm with strong water, wastewater, and transportation practices serving municipalities. Direct competitor in the same client verticals and project types.
• Kimley-Horn: Employee-owned engineering, planning, and consulting firm with strong water, transportation, and environmental practices. Closely comparable to FNI in ownership structure, culture, and client base.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned engineering, construction, and consulting firm with water, environmental, and infrastructure services for municipal and federal clients. Closely comparable ESOP-led culture and full-service delivery model.
• Black & Veatch: Privately held global engineering and construction firm specializing in water, wastewater, and energy infrastructure. Direct competitor in water treatment design and large transmission pipeline projects.
• Carollo Engineers: Specialist water and wastewater engineering firm focused exclusively on water utility clients. Highly comparable in direct potable reuse, water treatment, and pipeline design competencies.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global: Global professional services firm with major water, environment, and transportation practices in the US. Overlaps significantly with FNI's service lines but operates at much larger scale.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with community development and water practices serving municipalities. Comparable in client segments and offerings.

Regional players

• Halff Associates: Texas-based employee-owned engineering firm with water, transportation, and environmental practices. Strong regional competitor in the same Texas municipal and water district client market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/freeseandnichols
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freese-and-nichols
• Instagraminstagram.com/freeseandnichols
• Xx.com/freesenichols

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Freese and Nichols