What Smith + Andersen does

Smith + Andersen is a privately held Canadian consulting engineering firm founded in 1965, headquartered in Vancouver, with operations across at least eight Canadian cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, London/Hamilton, Kelowna). The firm delivers mechanical and electrical engineering design services to enterprise and institutional clients in healthcare, federal and provincial government, post-secondary education, and commercial real estate. Core technical offerings span mechanical engineering (HVAC, plumbing, fire protection), electrical engineering (power distribution, lighting), communications design, security systems, audio-visual design, building automation systems, and intelligent integrated systems design — a multi-discipline stack that the firm positions as a coordination-friction-reducing alternative to assembling separate specialty consultants. The firm also operates Footprint, a wholly owned sustainability consulting sub-brand covering energy modelling, performance verification, decarbonization, commissioning, and climate resilience consulting.

The business model is professional services consulting: revenue is generated through project-based consulting fees scoped per engagement, with multi-year contract cadences aligned to design and construction administration phases. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through direct client relationships, repeat commissions, and competitive RFP/RFQ pursuits targeting institutional buyers. The firm has no public pricing, no channel partners, and no resellers. Notable project work includes the New Western Memorial Regional Hospital (ASHRAE Technology Award, 2023 and 2026), the British High Commission in Canada refurbishment, Eastern Health Authority healthcare infrastructure, and various post-secondary campus projects across Canada.

The firm is owned and controlled by its principals and senior leadership, with no external private equity or venture capital investment. It has grown organically over nearly 60 years from retained earnings. Recent leadership transitions include the 2025 passing of co-founder Ian Smith and the 2025 retirement of 21-year veteran John Pascoa, offset by aggressive principal promotions (nine new Principals in June 2025, five new Principals in June 2026) and multi-person hiring rounds of 13–16 appointments per cycle. The firm has received consecutive Great Place to Work Canada certifications (2024, 2025, 2026) across multiple categories and operates the EcoJam sustainable building community event series, now in its tenth year.

Name

Smith + Andersen

Legal name

Smith + Andersen

Website

https://smithandandersen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Smith + Andersen is a privately held Canadian consulting engineering firm founded in 1965, delivering integrated mechanical, electrical, communications, security, AV, lighting, and building automation design to enterprise and institutional clients across healthcare, government, post-secondary education, and commercial real estate in Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Product Design & Mechanical Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Mechanical engineering consulting
• Electrical engineering design
• Building automation systems
• Lighting design services
• Sustainable building consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Revenue is generated through consulting fees for mechanical and electrical engineering design services, system design, project management, and advisory services on construction and renovation projects. Projects are typically scoped and quoted per engagement, with fees based on project complexity, scope, and scale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Smith + Andersen is a Canadian consulting engineering firm providing mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, communications design, security design, audio-visual design, lighting design, building automation systems, and intelligent integrated systems design for buildings. The firm serves healthcare facilities, government buildings, post-secondary institutions, and commercial real estate developments across Canada, with project scopes spanning new construction, retrofits, and energy-efficient mechanical and electrical system design from concept through construction administration.

Product overview

Smith + Andersen is a Canadian consulting engineering firm offering a comprehensive suite of engineering and design services. The company has grown from its origins as mechanical and electrical consultants to provide integrated services across communications, security, and audio-visual fields. Their core service offerings include Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Design, Security Design, Audio-Visual Design, Lighting Design, Building Automation Systems, and Intelligent Integrated Systems Design. The company also operates Footprint, a specialized sustainability consulting sub-brand providing energy modelling, performance verification, climate resilience consulting, sustainability certification, commissioning, and building wellness strategy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Footprint: A sustainability consulting team of engineers, planners, architects, designers, and sustainability professionals providing energy modelling, performance verification, existing building optimization, climate change and resilience consulting, sustainability consulting and certification, commissioning, and building wellness strategy. A member of The Smith + Andersen Group.

Products and services

• Mechanical Engineering Design and engineering of mechanical systems for buildings including HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems, delivered to institutional and commercial clients across Canada.
• Electrical Engineering Design and engineering of electrical systems including power distribution, lighting, and electrical infrastructure for buildings, delivered across healthcare, government, education, and commercial projects.
• Communications Design Design services for building communications infrastructure and systems, supporting voice, data, and integrated communications capabilities within institutional and commercial buildings.
• Security Design Security systems design including access control, surveillance, and integrated security solutions for institutional, government, and commercial buildings.
• Audio-Visual (AV) Design Audiovisual system design for commercial and institutional buildings including audio systems, video displays, and integrated AV solutions.
• Lighting Design Architectural and functional lighting design services for various building types, recognized with IES Lighting Design Awards, including daylight harvesting, circadian lighting, and luminaire design.
• Building Automation Systems Design of intelligent building automation and control systems for HVAC, lighting, and other building systems, enabling optimized mechanical and electrical infrastructure management.
• Intelligent Integrated Systems Design Integration of multiple building systems including communications, security, AV, lighting, and automation into coordinated system architectures for cohesive intelligent building operation and optimal performance.
• Footprint Sustainability Consulting A specialized team of engineers, planners, architects, designers, and sustainability professionals providing energy modelling and strategy, performance verification, existing building optimization, climate change and resilience consulting, sustainability consulting and certification, commissioning, and building wellness strategy. Operates as a sub-brand within The Smith + Andersen Group.

Quantifiable outcome

• ASHRAE Technology Award — New Western Memorial Regional Hospital (2023) and a second ASHRAE Technology Award (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• EllisDonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEllisDon served as a Gold sponsor of EcoJam 2023, a sustainable building community event organized by The Smith + Andersen Group. As a major Canadian construction firm, EllisDon's sponsorship signals a co-marketing relationship and shared commitment to sustainable building practices within the industry community.
• ZeidlerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerZeidler, an international architecture practice, sponsored EcoJam 2023. The partnership reflects a shared industry network within the sustainable building community and co-marketing alignment between the architecture and engineering disciplines.
• Guild Electric Ltd.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGuild Electric, an electrical contractor, sponsored EcoJam 2023, supporting the sustainable building community event organized by Smith + Andersen. The relationship reflects alignment across the electrical trades and engineering consulting sectors.
• RJC EngineersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRJC Engineers, a structural engineering firm, sponsored EcoJam 2023. The sponsorship represents cross-disciplinary industry networking between structural and building services engineering communities.
• Plan GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlan Group, a construction management firm, was a sponsor of EcoJam 2023, supporting the event series organized by Smith + Andersen for the sustainable building community.
• B+H ArchitectsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerB+H Architects sponsored EcoJam 2023, a sustainable building event series organized by Smith + Andersen. The sponsorship reflects co-marketing alignment between architecture and engineering consultancies.
• Diamond Schmitt ArchitectsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Schmitt Architects sponsored EcoJam 2023. The partnership connects a leading architecture practice with Smith + Andersen's sustainable building community event series.
• EntuitiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntuitive, a building engineering consultancy, was a sponsor of EcoJam 2023. The sponsorship reflects cross-consultancy community engagement around sustainable building topics.
• PCL AgileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPCL Agile, a construction firm, sponsored EcoJam 2023, supporting the sustainable building community event organized by Smith + Andersen. The sponsorship reflects shared industry community values.
• QuadrangleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQuadrangle, an architecture and urban design practice, was a sponsor of EcoJam 2023, supporting Smith + Andersen's sustainable building community event series.
• Perkins+WillminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPerkins+Will, a global architecture and design firm, sponsored EcoJam 2023. The sponsorship reflects co-marketing alignment between an internationally recognized architecture practice and Smith + Andersen's community-building initiative in sustainable design.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Canadian-headquartered global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm. Provides M&E consulting engineering, building automation, and intelligent systems design across the same institutional and healthcare client base as Smith + Andersen, with much broader geographic and service-line reach.
• WSP Global: Global professional services firm with a large Canadian M&E consulting engineering practice (built from acquisitions of MMM Group and others). Overlaps directly with Smith + Andersen on healthcare, institutional, and government M&E design, but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple continents.
• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with a strong Canadian presence in Toronto and Montreal. Directly comparable in integrated M&E, lighting, building automation, and intelligent systems design, particularly on high-performance healthcare and institutional projects where both firms have won major industry awards.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a substantial Canadian building engineering practice. Competes with Smith + Andersen on large healthcare, government, and post-secondary projects while offering a much wider portfolio (transportation, water, environmental) that Smith + Andersen does not address.

Direct peers

• Crossey Engineering: Toronto-based M&E and structural consulting engineering firm. Directly comparable in service mix, Toronto institutional client base, and mid-market positioning within the Canadian consulting engineering landscape.
• WalterFedy: Mid-sized Canadian integrated design firm (architecture + M&E + structural engineering) operating across Ontario with comparable institutional and healthcare clients. Closest direct competitor in scale and integrated services delivery model.
• The HIDI Group: Toronto-based M&E consulting engineering firm serving commercial, institutional, and healthcare clients. Most directly comparable peer in size, Toronto focus, and core mechanical/electrical service offering, with similar intelligent building systems capabilities.
• RJC Engineers: Canadian national engineering firm primarily focused on structural engineering with growing M&E and building science practices. Sponsoring Smith + Andersen's EcoJam events indicates direct cross-firm collaboration in the Canadian engineering community.
• MCW Consultants: Canadian mechanical and electrical consulting engineering firm with national reach. Directly comparable in service line (M&E consulting), client verticals (healthcare, institutional, government), and Canadian multi-office model.
• Entuitive: Canadian building engineering consultancy offering structural, M&E, and building envelope services. Sponsoring Smith + Andersen's EcoJam events signals overlapping networks; comparable in size, multi-office Canadian footprint, and institutional client focus, though with a structural engineering core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smith-and-andersen
• Instagraminstagram.com/smithandandersen
• Xx.com/smithandersen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Smith + Andersen