What dbHMS does

dbHMS is a minority-owned engineering consulting firm founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chicago, with additional offices in Grand Rapids, Philadelphia (King of Prussia), Davenport, Boston, and international operations in Delhi and Ahmedabad, India. The firm delivers Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection (MEPFP) design alongside a suite of complementary services including Building Information Modeling (BIM), energy modeling, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), building commissioning, sustainability and LEED consulting, lighting design, and technology/IT infrastructure design. Service delivery is organized into integrated studios (Design, High Performance, Commissioning, Sustainability Planning, and BIM) that allow the firm to bundle traditional MEP engineering with high-performance and certification-oriented consulting on the same engagement.

dbHMS serves owners and design teams across higher education, K-12, civic and government, healthcare, cultural, commercial, mixed-use/residential, and recreation/sporting verticals. The firm operates as a project-based professional services practice, securing work through direct enterprise relationships with architects, developers, institutions, and public entities. Notable project work spans signature higher-education buildings for the University of Chicago (Keller Center, Campus North, Saieh Hall, William Eckhardt Research Center), Chicago Public Schools facilities, Rivers Casino, Radio Flyer headquarters, the Chicago Park District, and Consumers Energy service centers. The firm has been recognized as a LEED Proven Provider by GBCI and was ranked the 50th largest engineering firm in the United States on the BD+C Giants 300 list.

The firm pursues revenue through project-based professional services fees, typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee per project, with no public pricing or revenue disclosure available. dbHMS is privately held, founder-operated, and has grown to approximately 125 employees worldwide as of 2016 sources, with no disclosed institutional funding rounds or parent company. Customer acquisition is driven primarily by project portfolio, industry awards (ASHRAE, AIA, USGBC), published case studies, and recurring relationships with notable architects such as Studio Gang.

Name

dbHMS

Legal name

dbHMS

Website

https://dbhms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

dbHMS is a Chicago-based, minority-owned engineering consulting firm founded in 2002 providing MEP design, commissioning, sustainability, and BIM services to higher education, K-12, healthcare, civic, and commercial clients across the US and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEP Engineering and Building Performance Consulting

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220), Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (23821)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Automation & Controls (BAS/BMS) Contracting (IMAFALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Predictive/Condition-Based Maintenance (Vibration, Thermography, CBM) (BPABACAK)

Keywords

• MEP engineering services
• Building commissioning
• Energy modeling
• Sustainable building design
• LEED consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Design Services: Professional services revenue from mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design for construction projects. Revenue is project-based and typically billed as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee per project.
2. Commissioning Services: Building and enclosure commissioning services, retro-commissioning, energy auditing, and measurement and verification services for existing and new buildings.
3. Sustainability Consulting: LEED consulting, sustainability planning, green rating system administration including LEED, Living Building Challenge, Green Globes, Enterprise Green Communities, ENERGY STAR certification services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

dbHMS is a professional engineering firm delivering mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEPFP) design along with high-performance building services. Its offering spans systems design, energy modeling, building commissioning, sustainability/LEED consulting, BIM coordination, technology/IT design, and lighting design, delivered through integrated studios on a project basis.

Product overview

dbHMS is a minority-owned engineering consulting firm (incorporated 2002) offering a comprehensive suite of building systems design and consulting services. The core offering consists of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) and Fire Protection design, complemented by specialized studios for High Performance, Commissioning, Sustainability Planning, and BIM. Additional services include Technology/IT design and Lighting Design. These services are delivered as integrated professional consulting rather than a software product platform, serving markets including education, commercial, healthcare, residential, and industrial sectors worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sustainability Planning Studio: Dedicated team providing sustainability consulting services including LEED certification, Living Building Challenge, Green Globes, and ENERGY STAR certification.
• High Performance Studio
• Commissioning Studio
• Design Studio
• BIM Studio

Products and services

• Systems Design (MEP)
• High Performance Studio
• Commissioning Studio
• Sustainability Planning Studio
• BIM Studio
• Technology Design (IT Services)
• Lighting Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 35.9% less energy than code at Keller Center
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerdbHMS is part of the team of experts providing project review services to GBCI, giving clients unique insight into the LEED certification process and guidance on technical and complex issues. dbHMS has been recognized as a LEED Proven Provider for the Building Design and Construction rating system family.
• Catalyst PartnerskeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaboration on sustainability and commissioning projects including Consumers Energy Employee Development Center and Bad Axe Service Center. Catalyst Partners manages LEED process while dbHMS provides commissioning services.
• Working BuildingskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for commissioning authority services on projects such as William Eckhardt Research Center at University of Chicago.
• Studio Gang ArchitectskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecurring architectural partnership on multiple projects including Keller Center (University of Chicago), Campus North Residential Commons, Powerhouse (Beloit College), Eleanor Boathouse, and WMS Boathouse at Clark Park.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: SmithGroup is an integrated architecture and engineering firm with strong higher education and healthcare practices and internal MEP capability. Competes with dbHMS for institutional and university work, often as architect-of-record with in-house engineering.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consulting firm with deep MEP, sustainability, and high-performance building practices. Competes with dbHMS on flagship cultural, education, and institutional projects but offers a broader multi-disciplinary portfolio.

Direct peers

• TLC Engineering Solutions: TLC Engineering Solutions is an MEP, fire protection, and technology design consulting firm with healthcare and education specializations. Comparable to dbHMS in multi-studio service model and vertical client mix.
• Interface Engineering: Interface Engineering is a sustainable MEP and lighting design firm with offices across the US West Coast. Directly comparable to dbHMS in MEP design, sustainability consulting, and high-performance building focus with similar revenue size and service breadth.
• Heapy Engineering: Heapy Engineering is a Midwest-based MEP engineering, commissioning, and energy services firm. Directly comparable to dbHMS in geography, scope (MEP + commissioning + sustainability), and target clients (higher education, healthcare, government).
• Mazzetti: Mazzetti is an MEP engineering, commissioning, and planning consulting firm with strong healthcare and higher education practices. Comparable to dbHMS in integrated MEP + sustainability + commissioning model.
• Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI): AEI is a national MEP engineering and commissioning consulting firm with strong higher education and healthcare portfolios. Closely comparable to dbHMS in scope (MEP design + commissioning + energy services), client mix (universities and health systems), and integration model.
• Cosentini Associates: Cosentini Associates is an MEP engineering consulting firm (now part of Tetra Tech) with strong higher education, cultural, and science/technology client bases. Comparable to dbHMS in MEP focus, building types served, and consulting-only business model.
• BR+A Engineering: BR+A Engineering is an MEP engineering and commissioning consulting firm focused on healthcare, higher education, and science & technology clients. Comparable to dbHMS in service mix and verticals served.
• Introba (formerly ME Engineers): Introba is an MEP, lighting, and technology design consulting firm serving cultural, education, and performing arts clients. Highly comparable to dbHMS given shared emphasis on MEP + lighting + technology design and similar project profiles (concert halls, university buildings, museums).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dbhms-design-build-engineering

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 dbHMS