What Houston Engineering does

Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI) is a 100% employee-owned, multidisciplinary civil engineering consulting firm headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. Established in 1968, the firm employs more than 300 people across 15 offices spanning North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa, with registrations to operate in seven U.S. states. Its service portfolio covers water resources (flood mitigation, dams, stormwater management, lake and watershed services), environmental services (hydrogeology, permitting, sustainability), municipal infrastructure (potable water, wastewater, site development), transportation (roadways, bridges, traffic, multimodal), surveying and reality capture (bathymetric, topographic, LiDAR, drone/UAS), and geospatial technology (GIS, ArcGIS, StoryMaps, custom software development).

The firm's core technology platform combines geospatial systems (ArcGIS, StoryMaps), hydrologic and hydraulic modeling (XPSWMM 1D and 2D), an eight-platform drone/UAS fleet, LiDAR scanning, and proprietary software products including MS4Front (cloud-based MS4 stormwater management) and BEAST (Benefits Estimator And Summary Tool). Custom software development services are offered alongside engineering delivery. The firm holds CMMC Level 1 compliance and a GSA Schedule (47QRAA23D004Q), enabling federal contracting.

HEI generates revenue through professional services engagements billed on a project-by-project basis, with a customer mix spanning federal agencies (USACE, FEMA, EPA, USDA NRCS, USFWS), state departments, municipal governments, tribal nations (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and others), and private sector clients in construction, development, and healthcare. Notable engagements include the $3 billion Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion Project (first P3 flood protection in North America, with USACE) and the $31 million Minot Water Treatment Plant HMGP project (largest in FEMA Region 8). GTM is sales-led via direct engagement, RFP responses, and grant-funded program work, supported by a regional marketing presence including semi-annual newsletters, university career fairs, and industry recognition (ENR Top 500 Design Firms, Prairie Business 50 Best Places to Work 2024 and 2025).

Name

Houston Engineering

Legal name

Houston Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://houstoneng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Houston Engineering (HEI) is a 100% employee-owned multidisciplinary civil engineering consulting firm founded in 1968, employing 300+ people across 15 Midwest offices and serving federal, state, municipal, tribal, and private clients in water resources, environmental, transportation, surveying, and geospatial technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Civil engineering consulting
• Water resources engineering
• Stormwater management services
• Transportation engineering
• Surveying and reality capture

Headquarters

HQ city

Dickinson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering consulting services provided to government, tribal, and private sector clients across water resources, environmental, municipal infrastructure, transportation, surveying, and geospatial technology disciplines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Houston Engineering (HEI) is a multidisciplinary civil engineering consulting firm that provides planning, design, permitting, funding acquisition, and construction administration services across water resources, environmental, municipal infrastructure, transportation, surveying and reality capture, and geospatial technology disciplines. The firm delivers flood protection, stormwater management, dam design, water/wastewater systems, roadway and bridge engineering, and GIS-based solutions to government, tribal, and private sector clients in the Upper Midwest. It also develops proprietary software tools such as MS4Front for stormwater management tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Resources Services Comprehensive water resource management consulting including agricultural water management, dams, ecological services, flood mitigation, lake services, stormwater management, water quality assessment, and watershed and resource planning. Provided to government, tribal, and private sector clients.
• Environmental Services
• Municipal Infrastructure Services
• Surveying & Reality Capture Services
• Transportation Services
• Geospatial Technology Services
• MS4Front
• Solutions and Software Development

Quantifiable outcome

• Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion Project — $3 billion estimated cost; first P3 flood protection project in North America.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• US Army Corps of Engineers (Mississippi Valley Division)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEI has partnered with the US Army Corps of Engineers on two of the nation's largest federally funded water resources projects: the $3 billion Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion Project (first P3 for flood protection in North America) and ongoing flood protection initiatives. The partnership involves coordination on design standards, FEMA compliance, and federal project delivery.
• FEMA Region 8flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEI works with FEMA Region 8 on federally funded hazard mitigation projects including the $31 million Minot Water Treatment Plant HMGP project, the largest HMGP project completed within FEMA Region 8. FEMA provides grant funding that HEI helps clients secure and administer.
• Kodet Architectural GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEI collaborated with Kodet Architectural Group as civil engineering consultant for the Mendota Heights Truck Station project for MnDOT, providing surveying, civil design, stormwater management, and construction administration services.
• Stantec and PCIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEI partnered with Stantec and PCI on the Minot Water Treatment Plant Flood Protection project, providing sustainable and fiscally effective flood protection solutions for the City of Minot.
• Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources DistrictcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHEI developed the Southern Sarpy Watershed Management Plan in conjunction with the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, coordinating with Sarpy County and four watershed communities (Papillion, Gretna, Springfield, Bellevue) to guide rapid development stormwater management.
• US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEI has served tribal communities since 1999 with environmental solutions. Currently partnering with EPA's Wetland Program Development Grant program to help the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians establish a Wetland Program Plan, including functional assessment models and monitoring programs.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency experience includes FEMA Region 8, General Services Administration, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, US EPA, and US Fish & Wildlife Service — indicating established working relationships across federal conservation and natural resources agencies.
• North Dakota Department of Parks and RecreationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHEI was hired by the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department to build a comprehensive GIS database for the state park system, bridging state park information with other state recreation assets for inventorying, planning, and tourism purposes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm; partnered with HEI on the Minot WTP HMGP project and directly competes on regional water resources and flood-mitigation pursuits from a much larger scale.
• Kimley-Horn: Large, multi-discipline planning and engineering consulting firm with strong water resources, environmental, and municipal practices; competes for federal and state contracts in many of the same jurisdictions as HEI.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large U.S. engineering firm with water, environmental, and federal practices; competes with HEI on water treatment plant, dam, and flood protection work across the Midwest and on federal IDIQ pursuits.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with very large water resources, environmental, and federal services practices; competes with HEI on USACE and FEMA pursuits and is a likely prime on mega-flood projects where HEI plays a sub role.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global professional services firm with a sizable water resources and federal infrastructure practice; competes with HEI on USACE, FEMA, and EPA work and is a typical prime on large federal water programs.

Direct peers

• HDR: Top-10 global engineering consulting firm with deep water resources, environmental, and municipal practices; directly overlaps with HEI on flood protection, water treatment, and transportation design pursuits nationwide.
• AE2S (Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services): North Dakota-headquartered, employee-owned engineering and environmental services firm focused on water, wastewater, and municipal infrastructure in the Upper Midwest—a direct geographic and service-line peer to HEI.
• Bolton & Menk: Minnesota-headquartered, employee-owned multidisciplinary civil engineering consulting firm serving municipal, water resources, and transportation clients in the Upper Midwest—an extremely close analog to HEI in scope, ownership structure, and regional footprint.
• WSB: Minnesota-based engineering and consulting firm offering civil, environmental, water, transportation, and geospatial services across the Upper Midwest; directly competes with HEI on municipal infrastructure, water resources, and DOT work in MN, ND, and SD.
• KLJ Engineering: North Dakota-headquartered multi-discipline engineering firm offering civil, transportation, environmental, water, and surveying services across the Midwest; directly comparable to HEI on size, footprint, and core service mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/houstoneng
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houston-engineering-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Houston Engineering