Caltrop

What Caltrop does

Caltrop is a privately-held engineering consulting and construction management firm founded in 1988 and headquartered in Irvine, California. The company provides construction management, program and project management, construction inspection, risk management, engineering design, survey, quality assurance, non-destructive testing, source inspection, public relations, and IT consulting services to public agencies and private infrastructure owners. Its primary client base is U.S. state, county, and municipal transportation authorities (including Caltrans, OCTA, SANBAG, SANDAG, and LAWA), with a secondary telecom services practice serving major U.S. wireless carriers and tower companies (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Crown Castle), and a smaller portfolio of international pipeline, maritime, and fabrication oversight engagements.

The firm operates as a traditional professional services business with no proprietary software platform; its "technology" is the credentialed engineering and inspection workforce it deploys, including licensed civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineers, certified inspectors, and NDT technicians. Caltrop delivers services through 22+ offices spanning California (11 offices), Florida, Hawaii, and New York in the U.S., and international locations in China, France, the UK, Spain, Italy, and the UAE, with project-level presence in additional countries. The firm's wholly-owned subsidiaries CALTROP UK Ltd. and CALTROP-CFC support European delivery and bridge-focused quality assurance respectively.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts awarded primarily via competitive RFP/RFQ procurement from public agencies, supplemented by direct engagements with telecom carriers and private infrastructure clients. Contract sizes range from tens of thousands of dollars (e.g., $40,000 for a public outreach assignment on SR-1) to multi-hundred-million-dollar multi-year program management commissions (e.g., a $1.4 billion contract portion on the $6.5 billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge program). The firm pursues work through a sales-led go-to-market built on direct client relationships, professional reputation accumulated over 37 years, and government procurement processes, with no disclosed product or SaaS revenue stream.

Name

Caltrop

Legal name

CALTROP Corporation

Website

https://caltrop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Caltrop is a privately-held, Irvine, California-based engineering consulting firm founded in 1988 that provides construction management, inspection, engineering design, and public outreach services primarily to U.S. government transportation agencies and telecom carriers, with additional international project delivery across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services / Consulting: Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts for construction management, program/project management, inspection, risk management, public relations, quality assurance, engineering design, and IT consulting. Contracts are awarded by government transportation agencies, telecom carriers, and private infrastructure developers on a per-project basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Caltrop is a private engineering consulting firm that delivers a broad spectrum of technical management support services for infrastructure projects. Its offerings span construction management, program and project management, risk management, construction inspection, engineering design, quality assurance, non-destructive testing, source inspection, subsurface utility engineering, survey services, public relations, telecom A&E services, and IT services consulting for government transportation agencies, telecom carriers, airport/port authorities, and private infrastructure developers. Services are rendered by Caltrop's own professional staff under project-based contracts worldwide.

Product overview

Caltrop is an engineering consulting firm that offers a broad spectrum of technical management support services for infrastructure projects. The company operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core portfolio includes Construction Management, Program & Project Management, Risk Management, Telecom Services, Public Relations, IT Services & Consulting, Construction Inspection, Rail, Engineering Design, Subsurface Utility Engineering, Survey Services, Quality Assurance, Non-Destructive Testing, Source Inspection, International Pipeline Services, and International Technical Services. These services span transportation infrastructure (bridges, highways, roads, airports, rail transit, tunnels), telecommunications network deployment, and IT infrastructure implementation. The company was founded in 1988 and serves clients throughout California, the United States, and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Management
• Program & Project Management
• Risk Management
• Telecom Services
• Public Relations
• IT Services & Consulting
• Construction Inspection
• Rail
• Engineering Design
• Subsurface Utility Engineering
• Survey Services
• Quality Assurance
• Non-Destructive Testing

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a large transportation construction management and engineering design practice; competes with Caltrop on state DOT and megaprogram CM/PM pursuits, though at substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Tetra Tech: Engineering and consulting firm focused on water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure with adjacent transportation practice; overlaps with Caltrop on infrastructure consulting and inspection engagements.
• WSP: Engineering professional services firm with a major transportation infrastructure practice (formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff); directly competes with Caltrop on highway, bridge, and transit CM/PM programs for public agencies.
• Parsons Corporation: Engineering and defense firm with a critical infrastructure segment covering transportation, rail, and bridge programs; competes with Caltrop on public-agency CM/PM and risk management engagements.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with a transportation practice serving DOTs, municipalities, and transit agencies; competes with Caltrop on similar CM, PM, and engineering design scopes.
• Jacobs Solutions: Engineering, technical, and construction services firm with a critical mission solutions and transportation practice; competes with Caltrop on state DOT, port, and transit infrastructure programs.

Direct peers

• TRC Companies: Engineering, environmental, and infrastructure consulting firm providing CM, inspection, and engineering services to transportation, utility, and telecom clients; directly comparable to Caltrop on infrastructure CM and telecom site services.
• NV5 Global: Technical engineering and consulting firm providing infrastructure, environmental, and geospatial services with a heavy transportation and CM/PM focus; closely comparable to Caltrop on California public works and infrastructure QA/inspection.
• Kimley-Horn: Privately held planning and design engineering consulting firm serving public agencies and private developers; directly comparable to Caltrop on transportation, municipal, and infrastructure design/PM work, especially in California and the U.S. Southeast.
• HDR: Employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction services firm with deep transportation (highways, bridges, transit) and telecom site deployment practices; one of the most direct comparables to Caltrop on CM, PM, and engineering design for state DOTs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CALTROPCorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caltrop-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Caltrop