What Crawford & Associates does

Crawford & Associates is a privately held geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, and construction services firm headquartered in Sacramento, California. Founded in 2012 by Benjamin and Sarah Crawford, the firm provides foundation investigations, design, construction monitoring, materials testing and inspection, environmental site assessments, laboratory testing, and alternative project delivery services (Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build, Progressive Design-Build). It serves a predominantly public-sector client base that includes public agencies, K-14 school districts, healthcare facilities, tribal governments, military installations (e.g., Beale AFB), and state and federal agencies (Caltrans, FEMA, FHWA, USACE, DWR) across California and Washington State. The firm has scaled from a one-person operation in a 300-square-foot office to an 80+ person organization operating from 8 locations (Sacramento, Chico, Eureka, Fresno, Modesto, Santa Rosa, Ukiah, and Seattle), and is a California-incorporated corporation with an employee shareholder program that includes the CFO, marketing director, project managers, and senior engineers.

The firm's core technical offering is built around six interconnected service lines delivered by a credentialed team of engineers (PE, GE), geologists (CEG), and certified technicians. Notable technical capabilities include a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Validated Laboratory in Santa Rosa, CalTrans-certified laboratories, and credentials under AASHTO, DSA, OSHPD, ICC, ACI, and ASTM E1527-05 standards. These qualifications are required to bid on highly regulated public infrastructure work spanning bridges, interchanges, levees, water/wastewater systems, school facilities (DSA), healthcare facilities (OSHPD), and military/federal projects. Standard deliverables include 24-hour field reporting and final reports consolidating field observations, lab results, and certifications, with the stated objective of reducing construction cost and ensuring quality.

The business model is a sales-led, relationship-based professional services firm with quote-based, project-specific pricing. Revenue is generated through direct engagement with public-sector clients, primarily via competitive and negotiated proposals; no software, recurring subscription, or productized offering exists. Growth has been funded entirely through internal cash flow with no disclosed outside investors, private equity, or parent company. The 2016 acquisition of Taber Consultants, one of the nation's oldest geotechnical engineering firms, added historical depth, technical talent, and incremental capacity in the core California market. Distribution is direct (no channel partners), supplemented by digital marketing (LinkedIn, Instagram, company blog) and industry event/community engagement. The company has a global_footprint_claim of false and is limited to California and Washington State.

Name

Crawford & Associates

Legal name

Crawford & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://crawford-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crawford & Associates is a privately held geotechnical engineering, materials testing, and construction services firm headquartered in Sacramento, California, serving public agencies, school districts, military, and federal clients across California and Washington State from 8 offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Engineering Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brownfield Site Assessment & Remediation (BPALAKAA), Trenching & Utility Excavation (IMAFAKAD), Shallow Foundations & Ground Support (Footings, Rafts, Ground Beams) (IMAFAOAB), All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) & ASTM Phase I ESA (EUAHAEAA), Phase II ESA & Subsurface Investigation (Soil/Groundwater Sampling) (EUAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Geotechnical engineering
• Construction materials testing
• Engineering geology
• Environmental site assessments
• Foundation design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Engineering Services: Professional consulting services including foundation investigations, design, construction, and monitoring. Services include geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, construction inspection, materials testing, and environmental assessments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crawford & Associates provides geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, materials testing, construction inspection, and environmental assessment services for public infrastructure projects. Its portfolio spans foundation investigations and design, subsurface geological studies, soil and aggregate laboratory testing, Phase I/II environmental site assessments, and alternative project delivery (Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build) for schools, federal, military, water/wastewater, and transportation clients throughout California and Washington State.

Product overview

Crawford & Associates provides geotechnical engineering and related professional services as a unified service offering rather than a software platform. The core portfolio consists of six interconnected service lines: Geotechnical Engineering (foundation design and monitoring), Engineering Geology (subsurface geological assessments), Materials Testing & Inspection (construction quality assurance), Environmental Assessments (Phase I/II ESAs), Laboratory Testing (CalTrans/AASHTO-certified soil and materials testing), and Alternative Project Delivery (Design-Build and related delivery methods). These services work together to provide comprehensive support for construction projects from initial site investigation through completion, with the company serving public agencies, school districts, healthcare facilities, tribes, military, and federal clients throughout California and Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Engineering Geology
• Materials Testing and Inspection
• Environmental Assessments
• Laboratory Testing
• Alternative Project Delivery

Quantifiable outcome

• Field reports typically provided within 24 hours
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NV5 Global: NV5 is a publicly traded technical engineering and consulting firm providing geotechnical, environmental, and infrastructure services across the U.S., competing with Crawford on similar public-sector infrastructure and environmental contracts.
• GeoEngineers: GeoEngineers is an employee-owned geotechnical, environmental, and geological consulting firm with strong Western U.S. presence, directly comparable service portfolio, and similar public-agency client focus.
• Kleinfelder: Kleinfelder is a national employee-owned engineering, environmental, and geotechnical consulting firm offering the same core services as Crawford (foundation investigation, materials testing, environmental assessments) and competing head-to-head on California/Western U.S. public-sector RFPs.
• Terracon Consultants: Terracon is one of the largest U.S. geotechnical, environmental, construction materials, and facilities engineering firms — directly comparable to Crawford in service mix, certification portfolio, and federal/state/local public-sector client base.
• Shannon & Wilson: Shannon & Wilson is an employee-owned geotechnical and environmental consulting firm with deep Pacific Northwest and California practice, focused on foundation engineering, engineering geology, and construction services mirroring Crawford's core lines.
• ECS Group of Companies: ECS provides geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, environmental, and facilities engineering services across the U.S. with a similar multi-office regional operating model and public-sector orientation as Crawford.
• Cornerstone Earth Group: Cornerstone Earth Group is a California-based geotechnical engineering, environmental, and materials testing firm — most directly comparable peer given overlapping CA geography, public-agency client mix, and similar geotechnical/materials service offering.

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a global consulting and engineering firm with deep water, environmental, and infrastructure practices — overlaps with Crawford's geotechnical, environmental assessment, and federal/military client work as a broad incumbent.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm; explicitly listed as a Crawford client/partner and overlaps with Crawford's water infrastructure, geotechnical, and environmental service lines across CA/WA.

Others

• Taber Consultants: Taber Consultants was one of the nation's oldest geotechnical engineering firms, acquired by Crawford & Associates in 2016; included as a historical peer reference because Taber's service mix and client relationships now reside within Crawford.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crawford-&-associates-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/crawfordandassociatesinc

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Crawford & Associates