What Dudek does

Dudek is a multidisciplinary environmental, planning, and engineering professional services firm founded in 1980 in Encinitas, California, and operating as a 100% employee-owned company through an ESOP since October 2021. The firm employs 900+ planners, scientists, and engineers across 21 U.S. offices, with stated project coverage in all 50 states. It offers more than 50 services spanning 15 technical practices, organized across the business verticals of Water, Energy, Cities, Transportation, Federal, Education, Industrial, Development, Conservation, and Ports and Harbors. Core service areas include CEQA/NEPA documentation and permitting, biological and cultural resource management, water infrastructure planning and design (desalination, groundwater, stormwater, recycled water), transportation planning, habitat restoration, hazardous materials remediation, and digital field tools such as GIS, LiDAR, UAV surveying, and visual simulations.

Dudek generates revenue through project-based professional consulting engagements, typically delivered under multi-year contracts or on-call arrangements with federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private developers, utilities, and industrial clients. The go-to-market model is enterprise field sales: business development teams respond to RFPs, manage direct client relationships, and assemble multidisciplinary project teams. Pricing is custom-quoted based on project scope, regulatory complexity, and client type, and is not publicly disclosed. The firm reports 91% of projects delivered on or under budget and on or ahead of schedule (2021), which it cites as 20+ percentage points above industry on-budget averages and 30+ percentage points above on-schedule averages, and is ranked #139 in ENR's 2025 Top 200 Environmental Firms.

Strategically, Dudek has executed a multi-decade geographic expansion from a San Diego County wastewater engineering practice to a national footprint with offices in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, and Virginia. Named client engagements include California High-Speed Rail Authority, Brightline West, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, City of San Diego, Port of San Diego, California State University, San Diego State University, Friant Water Authority, and Carlsbad Desalination Plant. The firm is currently undergoing planned executive succession, with Eric Wilson elevated to COO and David Hochart to VP of Strategic Growth in January 2025 to support continued expansion. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Dudek

Legal name

Dudek

Website

https://dudek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Dudek is a 100% employee-owned environmental, planning, and engineering professional services firm with 900+ staff across 21 U.S. offices serving federal, state, and local government agencies, utilities, and private developers in water, energy, transportation, and urban planning sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental and Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• CEQA NEPA documentation
• Water infrastructure design
• Civil engineering consulting
• Urban planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Encinitas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 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 Consulting Services: Project-based consulting fees for environmental planning, engineering design, regulatory permitting, and construction compliance services delivered to government agencies, private developers, and industrial clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dudek is a multidisciplinary environmental, planning, and engineering consulting firm that delivers more than 50 services across 15 technical practices to government agencies, private developers, and industrial clients. Core engagements include CEQA/NEPA environmental documentation and permitting, biological and cultural resource assessments, water infrastructure planning and design (desalination, recycled water, groundwater, stormwater, wastewater treatment), energy project permitting, transportation planning, habitat restoration, hazardous materials remediation, and digital field services such as GIS, UAV surveying, LiDAR, and visual simulations. Services are delivered through project-based contracts with a 91% on-time and on-budget delivery rate.

Product overview

Dudek is a multidisciplinary environmental, planning, and engineering professional services firm offering more than 50 services across 15 technical practices and 8 firmwide service teams. The firm operates as a unified service portfolio rather than a software platform with distinct modules. Dudek's services span water infrastructure (desalination, groundwater, stormwater, water reuse, wastewater treatment), energy (power generation, grid reliability, transmission), cities/urban planning, transportation, environmental planning and permitting (CEQA/NEPA), biological resources, habitat restoration, hazardous materials management, and digital innovation tools (GIS, mapping, UAV surveying). The firm serves multiple sectors including Water, Energy, Cities, Transportation, Industrial, Development, Conservation, Ports and Harbors, Education, and Federal clients. Services are delivered through multidisciplinary project teams combining planners, scientists, and engineers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEQA/NEPA Documentation Prepares California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental documents for project compliance. Used by public agencies and private developers needing environmental regulatory compliance for infrastructure, energy, and development projects.
• Environmental Documentation and Permitting Prepares environmental documentation and secures regulatory permits for development projects across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Biology and Biological Resources Services Provides biological assessments, surveys, and ecological studies serving compliance and environmental planning needs for clients across sectors.
• Cultural Resources Management Manages and assesses cultural resources including historic properties and tribal cultural resources, supporting Section 106 and other compliance requirements.
• Civil Engineering Provides civil engineering design and construction support for infrastructure projects across water, transportation, and development sectors.
• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Planning, Design, and Rehabilitation Plans, designs, and rehabilitates water and wastewater treatment facilities for municipal, district, and industrial clients.
• Desalination Planning and design services for seawater and brackish water desalination facilities, supporting water supply and drought resilience projects.
• Water Reuse Planning, Conversion, and System Design Plans and designs recycled water systems for potable and non-potable reuse, supporting water recycling programs such as the City of San Diego Pure Water Program.
• Groundwater Sustainability Planning and Implementation Develops and implements groundwater sustainability plans under California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and equivalent programs.
• Water Infrastructure Master Planning Develops long-range water infrastructure master plans for utilities and agencies to guide capital investment and operations.
• Contract District Engineering and O&M Provides on-going engineering and operations & maintenance services for water and wastewater districts under multi-year contracts.
• Transportation Planning, Impact Assessment, and Design Provides transportation planning, traffic studies, and transportation facility design for federal, state, and local transportation agencies.
• Habitat Conservation Planning Develops habitat conservation plans to protect endangered species and natural resources under federal and state endangered species acts.
• Habitat Restoration Design, Mitigation, and Monitoring Designs, constructs, and monitors habitat restoration and mitigation projects for permit compliance and ecological benefits.
• Planning and Urban Design Provides comprehensive planning and urban design services for communities addressing growth, mobility, and quality of life.
• Construction Management Construction phase management, oversight, and quality control for infrastructure projects across water, transportation, and development sectors.
• Development Siting, Entitlement, and Engineering Site selection, land entitlement, and engineering services for residential, commercial, and industrial development projects.
• Environmental Due Diligence and Site Remediation Conducts Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments for property transactions and provides site remediation for contaminated properties.
• Hazardous Materials Investigation and Remediation Investigates and remediates sites contaminated with hazardous materials, supporting environmental cleanup and compliance.
• Wildfire Resilience Planning and Implementation Support Develops wildfire resilience plans and supports implementation for communities and infrastructure owners facing wildfire risk.
• Stormwater Infrastructure Design Designs stormwater management systems and green infrastructure for municipalities and private developers.
• GIS Data Collection and Management Provides GIS services for spatial data collection, analysis, and mapping in support of planning, environmental, and engineering projects.
• Terrestrial LiDAR Surveying Provides terrestrial LiDAR scanning for detailed site mapping, modeling, and as-built documentation.
• Mapping and Surveying Provides land surveying, topographic mapping, and aerial surveying services for infrastructure and development projects.
• Wildlife Camera Trap AI Image Processing and Management Uses AI-powered image processing to analyze wildlife camera trap data for biodiversity monitoring and species detection.
• Visual Simulations Creates visual simulations and renderings to illustrate project designs and impacts for stakeholder outreach and public review.
• Hydrologic and Hydraulic Advanced Modeling Provides advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for water resource planning and infrastructure design.
• Grant Writing and Administration Prepares and manages grant applications and funded project administration for public agencies and other clients.
• Litigation, Forensic, and Expert Witness Support Provides expert witness and forensic analysis services for environmental litigation and dispute resolution.
• Pipeline Alignment Analysis and Design Analyzes and designs pipeline routes for water, wastewater, and other utilities including trenchless rehabilitation.
• Urban Forestry and Urban Forest Management Planning Develops comprehensive urban forest management plans for municipalities and manages urban tree populations including assessment, planning, and tree risk analysis.
• Landscape Architecture Provides landscape architectural design services for parks, open space, and urban environments.
• Industrial Water and Wastewater Management Provides water and wastewater engineering services specifically for manufacturing and industrial facilities.
• Transportation Ecology Addresses ecological impacts and wildlife connectivity for transportation projects, including wildlife crossings.
• Aquaculture Permitting Supports permitting and regulatory compliance for aquaculture operations and shellfish cultivation projects.
• Coastal Engineering Engineering services for coastal infrastructure, shoreline protection, and marine-related projects.
• Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Services Assesses and manages air quality impacts and greenhouse gas emissions for development and infrastructure projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of projects delivered on or under budget AND on or ahead of schedule (2021)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Friant Water AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Dudek was contracted by the Friant Water Authority to develop a comprehensive golden mussel response plan to address the growing infestation in the Friant-Kern Canal. The contract, valued at nearly $500,000, supports vulnerability assessments, regulatory permitting for potential treatments, ongoing eDNA monitoring, and infrastructure protection planning. Dudek brings expertise in molecular ecology, regulatory strategy, field biology, and water infrastructure engineering design to address this complex invasive species challenge.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves27 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Largest global infrastructure consulting firm with major environmental and water practices; competes with Dudek on megaprojects such as high-speed rail and large water programs.
• Jacobs: Global professional services firm with significant environmental, water, transportation, and federal infrastructure practices; competes with Dudek on federal and large-scale infrastructure engagements.
• Tetra Tech: Largest pure-play U.S. environmental and water consulting firm (ENR #1 environmental), directly comparable to Dudek in water, environmental planning, and renewable energy services, but at materially larger scale and with global reach.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with extensive environmental, transportation, and water practices; competes with Dudek on large transportation and infrastructure projects, particularly in California.
• Stantec: Global engineering and environmental consulting firm with significant water, environmental services, and community development practices; overlaps with Dudek's water and urban planning services at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• TRC Companies: Public environmental, engineering, and infrastructure consulting firm with comparable energy, water, and transportation environmental services; competes with Dudek on utility-scale and infrastructure projects.
• Michael Baker International: Engineering and consulting firm with comparable transportation, water, and environmental planning practices; competes with Dudek on highway, rail, and federal infrastructure projects.
• Brown and Caldwell: Specialist environmental engineering and water consulting firm; closely comparable to Dudek's water infrastructure, wastewater, and water reuse practices, particularly in the Western U.S.
• Environmental Science Associates (ESA): California-based environmental consulting firm with strong CEQA/NEPA, biological resources, and water practices — directly comparable to Dudek's core environmental planning and biological services portfolio.
• ICF International: Public consulting firm with strong environmental policy, energy efficiency, and infrastructure advisory practices; closely comparable to Dudek's federal/energy and climate resilience work, with deeper federal contract exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dudek
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVJ4RZ2k3GI4tZ3qEdK5tCQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/dudeknews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dudek
• Instagraminstagram.com/dudek_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Dudek