CEI
CEI (Comprehensive Environmental Inc.) is an employee-owned civil engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 1987, serving municipal, state, federal, and commercial clients across the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with environmental remediation, civil and water infrastructure design, asset management, and FAA-certified drone survey services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersBolton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CEI does
CEI (Comprehensive Environmental Inc.) is an employee-owned civil engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 1987 and headquartered in Bolton, Massachusetts. The firm delivers multi-disciplinary services — environmental management and remediation, civil and geotechnical engineering, drinking water/wastewater/stormwater design, asset management, and FAA-certified drone (sUAS) survey and LIDAR — to municipal, state, federal, and commercial/industrial clients across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. Its service portfolio is supported by a credentialed staff that includes Professional Engineers across multiple disciplines, Licensed Site Professionals, Geologists, Scientists, and GIS/CAD Specialists, with notable proprietary tooling including the M$4CASTER™ MS4 NPDES cost-estimation platform and an integrated sUAS drone capability with GeoHECRAS compatibility.
CEI generates revenue through professional services engagements (project sizes ranging from less than $1,000 to tens of millions of dollars), delivered under direct contracts, on-call master service agreements, and subcontractor relationships. The firm is prequalified with numerous state and federal agencies, certified as a Small Business and Women-Owned Business Enterprise, and derives more than 70% of revenue from public-sector clients. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with 90% repeat business, active participation in industry associations, and an educational webinar program covering topics such as AWIA, PFAS, and MS4 compliance. The firm operates from six offices in Massachusetts (Bolton, Hyannis), New Hampshire (Merrimack, Portsmouth), Connecticut (New Britain), and Maryland (Baltimore), and has been recognized on Zweig Group's Best Firms to Work For list for 15 consecutive years.
CEI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CEI
- Legal name
- Comprehensive Environmental Inc.
- Website
- https://ceiengineers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CEI (Comprehensive Environmental Inc.) is an employee-owned civil engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 1987, serving municipal, state, federal, and commercial clients across the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with environmental remediation, civil and water infrastructure design, asset management, and FAA-certified drone survey services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CEI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Engineering Consulting
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) & ASTM Phase I ESA (EUAHAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP) & Permit Compliance Support (EUAHAAAF)
Keywords
Where CEI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bolton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
CEI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Engineering and Environmental Consulting Services: CEI generates revenue through providing civil engineering and environmental consulting services to municipal, state, federal agencies and private sector clients. Services include environmental remediation, civil engineering design, drinking water/wastewater services, stormwater management, and asset management. Project sizes range from less than $1,000 to tens of millions.
- Drone/Survey Services: Revenue generated from FAA-certified drone survey and LIDAR services for site inspections, topographic surveys, and environmental assessments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
CEI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CEI provides multi-disciplinary civil engineering and environmental consulting services to municipal, state, federal, and commercial/industrial clients, including environmental management and remediation (hazardous waste, water resources, wetlands restoration), civil engineering (geotechnical, transportation, culvert hydraulics), drinking water/wastewater/stormwater treatment design and NPDES permitting, asset management for municipal infrastructure, and FAA-certified drone (sUAS) survey and LIDAR services. Project sizes range from less than $1,000 to tens of millions, delivered through six offices across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Product overview
CEI (Comprehensive Environmental Inc.) is a civil engineering and environmental consulting firm providing multi-disciplinary services primarily to municipal, state, federal, and commercial/industrial clients. The company's service portfolio includes Environmental Services (hazardous waste remediation, water resources, wetlands restorations), Civil Engineering Services (geotechnical, transportation, culvert designs, construction inspection), Drinking Water/Wastewater/Stormwater Services (treatment facilities design, NPDES permitting), Asset Management Services (GIS-based infrastructure management, field data collection, valve turning programs), and CEI Drone Services (sUAS survey, LIDAR, thermal imaging, video inspections). These services are delivered through their engineering and environmental consulting teams working across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Environmental Services Comprehensive environmental management and remediation preparation services for industries, corporations, cities, towns, and state agencies, including hazardous waste remediation, water resources investigations, and ecological projects such as wetlands restorations. For municipal, industrial, and agency clients.
- Civil Engineering Services Civil engineering services ranging from geotechnical designs and analysis to transportation-related work such as culvert hydraulic designs, plus full or part-time construction services during the building phase. For municipal, state, federal, and commercial clients.
- Drinking Water/Wastewater/Stormwater Services Study, design and engineering services for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater, including treatment facilities and NPDES permitting. For municipal, state, federal, and commercial clients.
- Stormwater Management and MS4 NPDES Compliance Services Stormwater management services including MS4 NPDES permit compliance support, stormwater master planning, BMP design and construction oversight, GIS mapping, and proprietary M$4CASTER™ cost-estimation modeling for municipalities. For municipal, state, and federal clients.
- Asset Management Services Municipal asset management services including web-based field data collection, asset inventorying, inspection and maintenance tracking systems, and asset management plans for wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure. For municipal water/wastewater utilities, DPWs, and similar agencies.
- CEI Drone Services (sUAS) FAA-certified drone survey and LIDAR services using small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) platforms, including LIDAR, thermal imaging, orthophoto mosaic generation, 3D modeling, distance/area/volume measurements, GIS data export, AutoCAD compatibility, and GeoHECRAS integration. For engineering, environmental, municipal, state, federal, and commercial clients requiring site assessment, inspections, and topographic mapping.
Quantifiable outcome
- Served over ¼ of Massachusetts towns (approximately 400 towns)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use CEI
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CEI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
CEI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- M$4CASTER™ (Proprietary Tool)coreCEI developed M$4CASTER™ as an internal proprietary tool for pricing MS4 NPDES Phase II Permit compliance costs. This is a proprietary software tool used to provide cost estimation services to municipalities.
- State and Federal Agencies (Teaming Partners)coreCEI is prequalified with numerous state and federal agencies for various contracting set-asides. The company regularly pursues teaming opportunities throughout the U.S. to jointly pursue new opportunities and provide comprehensive engineering and environmental services.
- NH DES (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services)coreCEI has worked with NH DES on watershed restoration projects, receiving s.319 grant funding for implementation. The partnership has developed innovative quantitative watershed restoration plans.
- Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MassDCR)coreCEI serves as principal environmental engineer for MassDCR on projects like North Point Park reclamation, developing new policies for direct contact soils and asbestos remediation standards.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CEI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GHD: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with significant New England operations. Competes with CEI for municipal water/wastewater and environmental compliance work, but offers broader multidisciplinary capabilities.
- Stantec: Global engineering and environmental services firm with extensive municipal water and environmental practice in North America. Competes for larger multi-state municipal and federal infrastructure contracts that CEI often accesses via subcontracting.
- TRC Companies: Publicly-traded environmental, engineering, and construction services firm with deep Northeast presence and federal contracting credentials. Overlaps directly with CEI's environmental site assessment, remediation, and infrastructure service lines.
- Kleinfelder: Large national engineering, science, and construction services firm with strong environmental consulting practice. Competes with CEI for federal contracts (USACE, NAVFAC) and state DOT work, but operates at materially greater scale and geographic breadth.
- CDM Smith: Global engineering and construction firm with strong water, environment, and transportation practices. Direct overlap with CEI's municipal water/wastewater and federal environmental remediation work, but at substantially larger scale.
Direct peers
- Tighe & Bond: New England-based multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm serving municipal, state, and federal clients. Closely comparable to CEI in service mix (civil, environmental, water/wastewater) and regional footprint across MA, CT, and NY.
- Weston & Sampson: Massachusetts-based civil and environmental engineering firm serving municipal, state, and federal clients in the Northeast. Highly comparable in size, ownership structure (employee-owned), and service offerings.
- Woodard & Curran: New England-headquartered engineering, science, and operations firm focused on water, environmental, and infrastructure work for municipalities. Direct competitor in CEI's core drinking water/wastewater and asset management service lines.
- Beta Group: New England civil and environmental engineering firm serving municipalities in MA, RI, CT, NH, and ME. Comparable regional footprint, similar client base, and overlapping stormwater/civil/environmental service lines.
- Sanborn, Head & Associates: New Hampshire/ Vermont-based geotechnical, civil, and environmental engineering firm serving the same Northern New England municipal market as CEI. Comparable size, multi-disciplinary model, and public-sector client base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CEI social profiles
Digital presenceCEI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
CEI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CEI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
CEI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CEI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CEI
What does CEI do?
CEI provides multi-disciplinary civil engineering and environmental consulting services to municipal, state, federal, and commercial/industrial clients, including environmental management and remediation (hazardous waste, water resources, wetlands restoration), civil engineering (geotechnical, transportation, culvert hydraulics), drinking water/wastewater/stormwater treatment design and NPDES permitting, asset management for municipal infrastructure, and FAA-certified drone (sUAS) survey and LIDAR services. Project sizes range from less than $1,000 to tens of millions, delivered through six offices across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Is CEI a public or private company?
CEI is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was CEI founded?
CEI was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CEI based?
CEI is headquartered in Bolton, United States, in the North America region.
How does CEI make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Engineering and Environmental Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are drone/Survey Services.
Who are CEI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GHD, Stantec, TRC Companies, Kleinfelder and CDM Smith. Direct peers are Tighe & Bond, Weston & Sampson, Woodard & Curran, Beta Group and Sanborn, Head & Associates.
Does CEI have an API?
No public API is recorded for CEI.
What industry is CEI in?
CEI's product category is Environmental Engineering Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAEAA, All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) & ASTM Phase I ESA, with a secondary code of EUAHAAAF, Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP) & Permit Compliance Support. Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8731.