Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc.

What Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. does

Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. (CobbFendley) is a privately held, employee-owned (ESOP) civil engineering and infrastructure consulting firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1980, the company delivers project-based professional services across 13 disciplines, including subsurface utility engineering (SUE), transportation design, hydraulics and hydrology, municipal engineering, geospatial/GIS, right-of-way acquisition, oil and gas pipeline design, power delivery, and telecommunications/broadband. Services span surveying, design, construction management, right-of-way acquisition, and program management for state departments of transportation, counties, cities, municipal utility districts, and private utility and energy clients.

The firm operates from 18 offices across six states (Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and New Mexico) and is licensed to perform civil engineering and surveying throughout the United States. Its technology stack centers on commercial hydraulics and hydrology modeling software (HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, StormCAD, HY-8), Bentley Open Flows, Esri-based GIS, Safe FME, LIDAR and aerial photogrammetry, plus internally developed tools, including a custom ROW parcel-status GIS map, a custom field collector application, a Safe FME-based QC tool, and SmartSheet-based project communication. The firm holds ten consecutive ENR Top Design Firm rankings and 8+ years on the ENR Hot Firm list, and is best known for right-of-way acquisition on the $1.6 billion North Tarrant Express P3 and broadband feasibility work for Texas public-sector clients.

CobbFendley generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts won primarily via competitive bidding (RFQ/RFP) with government and municipal clients, supplemented by direct engagements with private utility and energy clients and subconsultant roles under larger primes such as HDR and Stanley Consultants. Its GTM motion is enterprise field sales pursuit of state DOT master service agreements, county and city on-call contracts, and P3 program work, leveraging multidisciplinary capability, multi-state licensure, and a long-tenured ESOP-aligned workforce.

Name

Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc.

Legal name

Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://cobbfendley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cobb, Fendley & Associates is a privately held, ESOP-owned civil engineering and infrastructure consulting firm founded in 1980 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. It provides multidisciplinary design, surveying, SUE, right-of-way, and program management services to state DOTs, counties, cities, and private utility and energy clients from 18 offices across six states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering & Infrastructure Consulting Services

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Subsurface utility engineering
• Transportation infrastructure design
• Municipal engineering consulting
• Right-of-way acquisition services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Consulting Services: Professional engineering and consulting services including municipal engineering, transportation design, structural engineering, hydraulics and hydrology, and land development. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts with government and municipal clients.
2. Surveying and Mapping Services: Topographic surveying, boundary surveying, aerial photogrammetry, LIDAR surveys, and GIS development services. Provided as standalone services or as part of larger infrastructure projects.
3. Construction Management: Construction management and administration services for infrastructure projects including inspection, quality control, and project oversight.
4. Right-of-Way Acquisition Services: Negotiation, relocation, condemnation support, and parcel acquisition services for transportation and infrastructure projects, typically as a prime contractor with state DOTs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. (CobbFendley) is a multidisciplinary civil engineering and infrastructure consulting firm delivering surveying, mapping, geospatial/GIS, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), hydraulics and hydrology modeling, transportation design, municipal engineering, structural engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction management services. The firm operates as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) founded in 1980, with 18 office locations across Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and New Mexico, serving primarily government, municipal, and private utility clients.

Product overview

Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. is a versatile infrastructure solutions provider offering integrated engineering and consulting services organized around 13 core disciplines. The company provides a unified suite of services spanning construction management, land development, geospatial/GIS, hydraulics and hydrology, municipal engineering, oil and gas pipeline, power delivery, right-of-way acquisition, structural engineering, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), telecommunications/broadband, transportation, and utility coordination. Rather than a single product or software platform, CobbFendley delivers project-based consulting services across diverse markets including development, education, energy, government, municipal infrastructure, utilities, and transportation. The company operates from multiple office locations across the United States and has been serving clients since 1980.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Management Project oversight and coordination services during the construction phase of infrastructure projects, including construction administration and limited construction management.
• Land Development Comprehensive land development services including site development, drainage, transportation access, and water and sewer system design for residential and commercial projects.
• Geospatial Surveying, mapping, and GIS services including topographic survey, aerial photogrammetry, LIDAR surveys, and GIS data development and integration.
• Hydraulics + Hydrology Analysis and design of water flow, drainage systems, storm sewer, detention ponds, and flood management infrastructure using modeling software.
• Municipal Engineering Engineering services for municipal infrastructure including water, wastewater, streets, and public facilities for cities and counties.
• Oil + Gas Pipeline Engineering and design services for pipeline systems including natural gas distribution, transmission mains, force mains, and pipeline bridge installations.
• Power Delivery Electrical power infrastructure services including transmission line design, substation coordination, and utility relocation engineering.
• Right-of-Way Land acquisition, easement procurement, parcel mapping, property negotiations, and condemnation support for infrastructure projects.
• Structural Structural engineering for bridges, buildings, retaining walls, pump stations, and other load-bearing infrastructure.
• Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Quality Level A through D subsurface utility investigation, designation, test hole excavation, and utility conflict analysis to identify underground utilities before construction.
• Telecommunications Broadband, fiber optic, and telecommunications infrastructure planning including feasibility studies, network design, and middle-mile fiber deployment.
• Transportation Roadway design, traffic engineering, signal design, highway improvements, and multimodal transportation solutions for DOT and municipal clients.
• Utility Coordination Coordination of public and private utility relocations, conflict identification, and relocation design oversight during infrastructure projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ years of combined experience across specialists
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• HDR, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking as subconsultant to HDR for US 189 University Avenue Bridge project in Provo, Utah. CobbFendley provided utility coordination, design, agreements, and ITS design services for sewer line relocation.
• Stanley Consultants, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking as subconsultant to Stanley Consultants for Ocotillo Road Improvements project in Queen Creek, Arizona. CobbFendley provided SUE quality levels B and A utility designation and locating services.
• HDR Engineering, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking under HDR for SUE, utility coordination, and utility engineering services along UDOT projects in El Paso, Texas.
• University of Houston – VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with University of Houston-Victoria as part of regional broadband stakeholder engagement for the 8-county Coastal Bend fiber optic study following Hurricane Harvey.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kimley-Horn: National multidisciplinary engineering and planning consultancy competing across transportation, land development, and municipal work, but with far larger scale and geographic reach.
• HDR, Inc. Large national engineering firm and frequent prime that CobbFendley subconsults to; overlapping transportation and utility engineering capabilities at much greater scale.
• WSP USA: Global engineering and professional services firm competing in transportation, infrastructure, and municipal engineering, often as a prime on projects CobbFendley participates in.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting giant offering the full spectrum of civil engineering services to government clients; overlaps CobbFendley's markets but at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Binkley & Barfield: Houston civil engineering firm offering transportation, SUE, surveying, and utility coordination — closely matched in service lines and Texas public-sector focus.
• Freese and Nichols: Texas-based infrastructure engineering firm focused on water, transportation, and municipal projects for public-sector clients, directly overlapping CobbFendley's core markets and geography.
• Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN): Houston-based civil engineering and infrastructure consulting firm serving government and municipal clients with transportation, water, and program management services — a direct regional competitor.
• Garver: Employee-owned multidisciplinary engineering firm serving transportation, water, and aviation public-sector clients across the South/Southwest — comparable model and ESOP structure.
• Halff Associates: Texas-headquartered multidisciplinary civil engineering and surveying firm serving DOTs and municipalities across the Sun Belt — nearly identical service mix and client base to CobbFendley.

Others

• Stanley Consultants: National engineering consultancy and CobbFendley partner/prime on utility and roadway projects; adjacent capabilities with an ecosystem/partner relationship rather than pure competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cobbfendley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/821885

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc.