What Baird & Associates does

Baird & Associates is a privately held professional engineering and science consultancy founded in 1981 and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with twelve offices across five countries (Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean/Barbados, and Chile) and additional project delivery in China, Saudi Arabia, Latin America, and the West Indies. The firm works exclusively at the land-water interface, providing coastal, riverine, estuarine, and ocean engineering and science services. Its core portfolio spans seven service lines: Ports, Terminals & Vessel Operations; Coastal & Marine Structures; Waterfronts, Marinas & Resorts; Coastal & River Environmental; Shoreline & Coastal Restoration; Hazards, Risk & Resilience; and Metocean Studies & Offshore Renewable Energy.

The firm's technical approach integrates scientific analysis (including proprietary numerical and metocean modeling) with engineering design, with scientists and engineers participating on every project from concept through construction. Projects range from small planning studies to large development projects whose construction costs exceed $150 million, with marquee clients including the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Government of Barbados, Rio Tinto, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, and resort/development groups. The firm holds ISO 9001 certification through Bureau Veritas.

Baird operates as a professional services firm on a project-by-project pricing basis (fees are not publicly disclosed), selling directly to enterprise and government buyers through its worldwide office network under a "one team worldwide" model. Its customer base is diversified across nine segments — port authorities, federal/state government, municipalities, indigenous communities, mining, water/utilities, resort/development, private corporations, and international clients. Leadership transitioned at the CEO level in December 2025, and the firm announced an Alaska capabilities initiative in July 2026.

Name

Baird & Associates

Legal name

Baird & Associates

Website

https://baird.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Baird & Associates is a privately held engineering and science consultancy founded in 1981 that specializes exclusively in coastal, riverine, estuarine, and ocean environment projects, serving governments, ports, mining firms, municipalities, and resort developers across twelve offices in five countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coastal and Marine Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Planning, Portfolio Prioritization & Funding (EUANALAB)

Keywords

• Coastal engineering services
• Marine engineering consultancy
• Waterfront development services
• Shoreline restoration services
• Metocean engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Science Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for coastal, riverine, estuarine and ocean environment projects ranging from small planning studies to large development projects with construction costs exceeding $150 million.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Baird & Associates is a professional engineering and science consultancy delivering integrated coastal, riverine, estuarine, and ocean environment solutions. Projects range from small planning studies to designs of large development projects with construction costs in excess of $150 million, delivered end-to-end from planning and science through design to construction under a "one team worldwide" model.

Product overview

Baird & Associates is a professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of coastal, riverine, estuarine, and ocean engineering solutions. The firm operates across seven core service areas: Ports, Terminals & Vessel Operations; Coastal & Marine Structures; Waterfronts, Marinas & Resorts; Coastal & River Environmental; Shoreline & Coastal Restoration; Hazards, Risk & Resilience; and Metocean Studies & Offshore Renewable Energy. Founded in 1981, the company provides end-to-end services from planning and science through to design and construction, serving clients globally on projects ranging from small planning studies to large development projects with construction costs exceeding $150 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ports, Terminals & Vessel Operations Engineering and design services for port infrastructure, terminal facilities, and vessel operations in maritime environments, delivered for port authorities, terminal operators, and maritime clients.
• Coastal & Marine Structures Specialized engineering for coastal and marine structures including breakwaters, seawalls, and offshore installations for government and private clients.
• Waterfronts, Marinas & Resorts Design and planning services for waterfront developments, marina facilities, and resort destinations along water bodies, serving resort developers and municipalities.
• Coastal & River Environmental Environmental assessment and consulting services for coastal and riverine projects addressing ecological considerations for government, indigenous communities, and mining clients.
• Shoreline & Coastal Restoration Restoration and rehabilitation services for shorelines and coastal areas affected by erosion or environmental damage for municipalities, governments, and private clients.
• Hazards, Risk & Resilience Assessment and mitigation services for coastal hazards, risk management, and resilience planning for communities and infrastructure, serving governments and municipalities.
• Metocean Studies & Offshore Renewable Energy Metocean data collection and analysis services supporting offshore renewable energy projects and marine operations, including nearshore wave modeling and forecast systems.

Named customers5 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Global design and engineering consultancy with a coastal, port, and water resilience practice. Competes with Baird on waterfront and coastal adaptation projects but as part of a much broader built-environment and environmental portfolio.
• AECOM: Global engineering and infrastructure services firm with a substantial coastal, port, and water practice among many other disciplines. Competes with Baird on large port and coastal projects but as part of a far broader portfolio rather than as a specialist.
• Stantec: North American engineering consultancy with a strong water and environmental practice. Comparable to Baird's work for municipalities, water utilities, and government clients, though Stantec operates as a much larger generalist.
• WSP Global: Global engineering consultancy with a sizable water, marine, and coastal infrastructure practice built through acquisitions. Competes with Baird on coastal and port projects but operates as a multi-disciplinary generalist across transport, environment, and buildings.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global engineering professional services firm with significant water, coastal, and environmental consulting capabilities, including work for US federal clients. Overlaps with Baird in coastal/port advisory but operates across many additional end markets.

Regional players

• GHD: Australia-headquartered global engineering consultancy with significant water, coastal, and ports capabilities, especially strong in Australia and the Asia-Pacific where Baird also operates. Comparable on coastal and port projects, though GHD serves a wider geographic and sector footprint.

Direct peers

• COWI: Danish-headquartered engineering consultancy with a strong marine, coastal, and port infrastructure practice alongside broader infrastructure work. Comparable to Baird in its specialist coastal capabilities, global footprint, and project delivery on large port and offshore projects.
• HR Wallingford: UK-based specialist research and engineering consultancy focused exclusively on water, coastal, and maritime environments. Closely comparable to Baird in its science-led, niche-only positioning around coastal, estuarine, and port engineering challenges.
• Royal HaskoningDHV: Dutch engineering consultancy with a globally recognized coastal, port, and water infrastructure practice. Directly comparable to Baird in its specialist focus on land-water interface projects, modeling expertise, and international delivery model across ports, marinas, and coastal resilience.

Emerging players

• Anchor QEA: US-based water resources and environmental engineering consultancy with coastal and shoreline restoration work. Comparable to Baird's Coastal & River Environmental and Shoreline Restoration capabilities, particularly for US public-sector clients, but at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baird

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Baird & Associates