Far Western Anthropological Research Group

What Far Western Anthropological Research Group does

Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. is a privately held cultural resources management consulting firm founded in 1979 and headquartered in Davis, California. The firm provides archaeological, paleontological, and related environmental compliance services — including inventory, evaluation and testing, monitoring, effects mitigation, geoarchaeology, GIS and cartography, historical archaeology, underwater archaeology, XRF artifact sourcing, and tribal liaison work — to federal, state, and local government agencies, private industry (notably energy infrastructure), tribal organizations, and non-profits operating across the western United States and Hawaii. Its multi-branch footprint in Davis and Sausalito (CA), Henderson and Carson City (NV), and a Pacific Branch program supports regional delivery, with on-call contracts and GSA Schedule pre-qualification (Contract No. GS-10F-0183) serving as primary procurement channels.

The firm is staffed by approximately 80 permanent employees, including 36 Ph.D.- and M.A.-level archaeologists, and is owned by a partnership of nine archaeologists and two GIS specialists. Technical capabilities are anchored by in-house laboratories: a fully functional XRF laboratory with a Bruker-instrument-based reference library of roughly 200 unique geochemical sources drawn from 3,400 rock samples; an archaeobotanical analysis lab with flotation equipment and a 500+ specimen reference collection; climate- and security-controlled artifact curation facilities; and underwater archaeology capability with Secretary-of-Interior-certified scientific divers, side-scan sonar, and ROVs. Geoarchaeological sensitivity mapping has been completed across approximately 40% of California.

Commercially, Far Western operates as a professional services firm, billing primarily through competitive bidding and on-call government contracts. The only publicly disclosed unit pricing relates to XRF analysis ($35 per sample with $500 minimum), and ancillary prices are quote-based. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the firm has no external investors, funding rounds, parent company, or subsidiaries identified. Major customers include the Bureau of Land Management, Caltrans, US Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Gas and Electric, Kinder Morgan, Nevada Energy, and Liberty Utilities, with delivery spanning infrastructure corridors exceeding 1,000 miles and study areas of more than 364,000 acres.

Name

Far Western Anthropological Research Group

Legal name

Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc.

Website

https://farwestern.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Far Western Anthropological Research Group is a privately held cultural resources management consulting firm founded in 1979 that delivers archaeological, paleontological, and environmental compliance services to federal and state agencies, tribal organizations, and private-industry energy and infrastructure clients across the western US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Resources Management Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Cultural resources management
• Archaeological consulting
• Heritage preservation services
• Historic property evaluation
• Regulatory compliance consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cultural Resources Management Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for archaeological projects including inventory, evaluation, testing, monitoring, and effects mitigation for private industry, government agencies, tribal organizations, and non-profits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. delivers cultural resources management and archaeological consulting services established in 1979 and headquartered in Davis, California with branch offices across the western U.S. The firm performs archaeological surveys, historic property evaluations, impact assessments, data recovery, and mitigation studies to support regulatory compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, NEPA, and state preservation laws. Its work is delivered through project-based contracts to government agencies, tribal organizations, and private developers on infrastructure, energy, and land development initiatives.

Product overview

Far Western Anthropological Research Group is a cultural resources management firm offering a comprehensive suite of archaeological services. The company operates as a single integrated service platform rather than a modular software product. Its core offerings include field services (Inventory, Monitoring, Evaluation and Testing, Effects Mitigation), laboratory analysis services (Archaeobotanical Analysis, Artifact Analysis and Collections Management, Bioarchaeology, XRF Lab), technical specialty services (Geoarchaeology, GIS and Cartography, Historical Archaeology, Paleontology, Underwater Archaeology, Sensitivity and Constraints), and support services (Environmental Planning Support, Tribal Liaison, Public Outreach and Interpretation). These services collectively support federal, state, and local environmental planning compliance and are delivered across multiple branch offices in California and Nevada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural resources management surveys Phase I and Phase II archaeological field surveys, pedestrian transects, and record searches conducted to identify cultural resources on land proposed for development or land-altering projects; delivered to government agencies, tribal organizations, and private developers to satisfy Section 106 and state preservation requirements.
• Archaeological impact assessments and historic property evaluations Evaluations of archaeological sites and historic structures for National Register eligibility and assessment of project effects, prepared for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and CEQA.
• Data recovery and mitigation services Excavation, documentation, analysis, and reporting services performed to mitigate adverse effects on significant cultural resources when avoidance is not feasible; delivered to project proponents under Section 106 Memoranda of Agreement and state-level equivalents.
• NEPA and Section 106 regulatory compliance consulting Coordination of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 consultation processes, including agency coordination, tribal consultation support, and document preparation to facilitate project approvals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed cultural resources studies along over 1,000 miles of gas pipeline and electric transmission line corridors
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HDR Inc. Engineering and environmental services firm with a cultural resources group that competes for transportation and water-infrastructure CRM contracts, particularly with state DOTs.
• WSP USA: Global professional services consultancy with a sizeable U.S. environment and cultural resources practice — competes for large federal/state transportation and infrastructure CRM procurements.
• Stantec: North American engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with cultural resources capabilities supporting infrastructure and energy clients — overlaps with Far Western on transportation, water, and energy CRM work.
• Tetra Tech: International consulting and engineering firm with a sizable U.S. cultural resources and environmental compliance practice that competes with Far Western on energy and federal water/infrastructure projects.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a large environmental and cultural resources practice that competes for federal/state CRM contracts — typically on larger, multi-disciplinary programs where Far Western would partner or sub-consult.
• ICF International: Professional services firm with a federal-environmental practice that includes NEPA/CEQA support and cultural resources management — competes with Far Western on federal energy and infrastructure assignments.

Direct peers

• Environmental Science Associates (ESA): California-based environmental consulting firm providing cultural resources, biology, and permitting services to public agencies and private developers — directly competes for Caltrans, BLM, and municipal CRM contracts in Far Western's core geography.
• PaleoWest: Cultural resources and paleontological consulting firm serving federal, state, and private clients across the western U.S. — closely comparable in service line, customer segments, and regional focus.
• ASM Affiliates: Cultural resources management firm providing archaeological, historical, and paleo services to federal, state, and private clients in the western U.S. — closely comparable to Far Western in size, service mix, and regional focus.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: One of the largest employee-owned environmental and cultural resources consulting firms in the U.S., offering archaeological survey, NEPA/CEQA support, and tribal liaison services — directly comparable in service mix, customer base, and ownership structure to Far Western.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FarWesternAnthr

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 Far Western Anthropological Research Group