What Harris & Associates does

Harris & Associates is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) professional services consulting firm founded in 1974 and headquartered in Concord, California. The firm provides end-to-end civil engineering, construction management, environmental planning, municipal finance, and community development services to public-sector clients—including cities, counties, special districts, water utilities, educational institutions, and transportation agencies—across California, Nevada, and Washington. With 280+ employee owners organized across multiple regional offices and four primary market verticals (Municipal, Transportation, Water, Education), Harris combines multidisciplinary consulting delivery with deep regulatory expertise in California-specific frameworks such as Proposition 218, CEQA, AB 1600, and HCD housing element compliance.

The firm's core technology is its human capital and accumulated institutional knowledge rather than software products. Harris has built proprietary expertise through over $1 billion in reimbursement review work since 1998, administration of 235+ special districts, and 2,000+ public client engagements. The firm maintains a technology partnership with UrbanFootprint for cloud-based land-use scenario planning and is a charter member of the Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or software-as-a-service products are disclosed in the operating model.

Harris generates revenue on a project-based professional services model, competing for work through RFPs, sole-source procurements, and long-term consulting relationships with government agencies. Pricing is determined per project through proposals and direct client negotiations; no standardized pricing or subscription revenue exists. The firm has demonstrated growth through geographic expansion (Sacramento office in 2019 as the 11th location), leadership additions (CEO Michelle White in 2024, CGO Dr. Rueben Smith in 2024, SVP Diane Sandman in 2025), and sustained award recognition across multiple California metropolitan markets.

Name

Harris & Associates

Legal name

Harris & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://weareharris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Harris & Associates is a 100% employee-owned civil engineering and consulting firm providing construction management, environmental planning, and municipal finance services to 2,000+ public-sector clients across California, Nevada, and Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC), Construction Program Management (Multi-site/Portfolio) (IMAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Civil engineering consulting
• Construction management services
• Municipal finance consulting
• Environmental planning services
• Public infrastructure advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Consulting: Revenue generated from providing end-to-end civil engineering, construction management, environmental, and municipal finance consulting services to government clients. Services include planning, design, construction oversight, and program management for infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harris & Associates is a 100% employee-owned consulting firm providing end-to-end civil engineering, construction management, environmental planning, and municipal finance consulting services to public agencies. The firm delivers services spanning planning, design, permitting, financing, and construction oversight for infrastructure projects across California, Nevada, and Washington. Core service lines include Advisory Services, Civil Design, Construction Management, Municipal Finance, Special District Services, Community Development and Housing, and Water Consulting.

Product overview

Harris & Associates is a 100% employee-owned consulting firm founded in 1974, providing civil engineering, construction management, environmental, municipal finance, and community planning services across California, Nevada, and Washington. The firm operates as a professional services company with integrated service lines rather than a software platform. Core offerings include Advisory Services (strategic planning, organizational improvement), Civil Design, Construction Management, Environmental Planning and Compliance, Municipal Finance (development impact fees, special district services), and Community Development and Housing (housing element updates, general plan updates). Services are delivered through multidisciplinary teams combining engineering, planning, finance, and environmental expertise. The firm also maintains a technology partnership with UrbanFootprint, a cloud-based scenario planning tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Services
• Civil Design
• Construction Management
• Environmental Planning and Compliance
• Municipal Finance
• Community Development and Housing
• Community Planning
• Special District Services
• Program Management
• Water Consulting
• Asset Management
• Climate Change and Sustainability
• Municipal Engineering
• Grants and Funding
• Risk and Resilience

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion in reimbursement review work completed since 1998
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UrbanFootprintcoreTechnology or IntegrationUrbanFootprint is a cloud-based scenario planning tool designed to help land use planners, the public, and decision makers understand and communicate the impacts and trade-offs of land use decisions using scientific research and data. Harris partners with UrbanFootprint to enhance their planning capabilities for municipal clients.
• Envision® Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System (Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarris & Associates is a proud charter member of the Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system, which provides a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Willdan Group: Public-sector-focused engineering and consulting firm specializing in municipal infrastructure, energy efficiency, and financial consulting for cities, counties, and special districts across the Western U.S. Closest publicly traded analog to Harris's municipal finance and CM business mix.
• Kimley-Horn: Employee-owned civil engineering consulting firm serving municipalities, transportation agencies, and water clients with planning, design, and program management services. Directly comparable on employee ownership, multidisciplinary municipal services, and West Coast presence.
• TRC Companies: Engineering, consulting, and construction management firm with strong environmental, infrastructure, and energy practices serving public and regulated clients. Comparable on environmental planning + compliance and infrastructure program management.
• Michael Baker International: Engineering, planning, and consulting firm serving public agencies on transportation, water, civil design, and program management. Comparable scope across Harris's core service lines and similar reliance on government RFPs.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global: Global professional services firm with strong transportation, water, and municipal practices in California and Nevada. Competes on bridge, highway, and program management work similar to Harris's portfolio.
• Tetra Tech: Engineering and consulting firm with leading water, environmental, and sustainable infrastructure practices. Comparable on environmental planning, climate resilience, and CEQA-style regulatory work.
• Stantec: International engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a significant California municipal practice in water, transportation, and community development. Comparable consulting services at greater scale.
• HDR Inc. Large employee-owned engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with deep transportation, water, and municipal practices. Comparable services but operates at national scale with significantly larger bench and broader portfolio.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with major water, transportation, and program management practices serving California municipalities. Competes head-to-head on large program pursuits despite much broader portfolio and scale.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global professional services firm with critical infrastructure, water, transportation, and program management practices across the West Coast. Overlapping service lines and municipal client base, with substantially larger delivery capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/harrisassoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/harrisassoc

Compliance1 record

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 Harris & Associates