American Engineering Consultants
American Engineering Consultants is a Cayce, South Carolina–based civil and environmental engineering consulting firm serving state, municipal, and private clients through eight integrated service lines including water, wastewater, stormwater, surveying, and construction management.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersCayce, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What American Engineering Consultants does
American Engineering Consultants, Inc. (AEC) is a privately held civil and environmental engineering consulting firm headquartered in Cayce, South Carolina, operating as a spin-off (1994) of the engineering division of Hercules Contractors and Engineers, Inc. (founded 1969). The firm delivers eight integrated service lines — water, wastewater, solid waste/landfills/mining, stormwater, civil and site development, construction management, surveying, and consulting — to state agencies, municipal governments, public service districts, federal facilities, and select private-sector clients across South Carolina and the adjacent Southeast. Documented engagements include 25 MGD and 160 MGD wastewater treatment plant designs, a 50-mile waterline replacement program for the City of Cayce, a 31 MGD regional pump station for the Town of Lexington, and security-cleared surveying at the DOE Savannah River Site.
The firm's technology stack is conventional engineering tooling rather than differentiated software products: VRS-capable GPS receivers, robotic total stations, hydraulic modeling software, and NASSCO-certified inspection methods. Proprietary capabilities cluster in three domains — SCIIP/ARPA/SRF/CDBG grant procurement and administration (with $80.67M procured across 16 successful SCIIP applications), Value Engineering applied to every design, and constructability-informed design inherited from the parent's construction background. Principal Bill Bingham, Jr. holds AAEES National Board Certification in Water Supply/Wastewater Engineering, a credential held by fewer than 10 consulting engineers in South Carolina.
AEC operates a professional services model, generating revenue through project-based fees for design, permitting, construction observation, and project management. Work is sourced through direct enterprise client engagement, competitive public procurement (RFPs and bid requests), and a referral network anchored by long-tenured municipal relationships. With a 90%+ return-client rate, the firm is heavily dependent on repeat municipal engagements, supplemented by industry visibility through award recognition (Palmetto Award — twice — and multiple ACEC and AAEES honors). Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the firm is privately held under continuous Bingham family ownership.
American Engineering Consultants firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Engineering Consultants
- Legal name
- American Engineering Consultants, Inc.
- Website
- https://aec-sc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- American Engineering Consultants is a Cayce, South Carolina–based civil and environmental engineering consulting firm serving state, municipal, and private clients through eight integrated service lines including water, wastewater, stormwater, surveying, and construction management.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Engineering Consultants industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)
Keywords
Where American Engineering Consultants is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cayce
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Engineering Consultants business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Engineering Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for civil and environmental engineering projects including water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, civil/site development, construction management, and surveying. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for design, permitting, construction observation, and project management services.
- Grant Administration Services: Services assisting clients with securing and administering grant funding including SCIIP, ARPA, CDBG, SRF loans, RIA grants, and other state and federal infrastructure funding programs. Revenue includes application fees and administration percentages.
- Construction Administration: Construction management and administration services for projects of all sizes, including contract management, scheduling, inspection, and NPDES stormwater compliance inspections.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
American Engineering Consultants product offering
Product offeringCore offering
American Engineering Consultants is a full-service civil and environmental engineering consulting firm providing design, permitting, surveying, construction management, and grant administration services across water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, and civil/site infrastructure. The firm serves state, municipal, and private sector clients throughout South Carolina with integrated engineering and consulting capabilities.
Product overview
American Engineering Consultants is a full-service civil and environmental engineering consulting firm offering eight integrated service lines: Water Services, Wastewater Services, Solid Waste/Landfills/Mining Services, Stormwater Services, Civil and Site Services, Construction Management Services, Surveying Services, and Consulting Services. These services are delivered as a unified portfolio, with the consulting and surveying capabilities supporting the core engineering design and construction management offerings across water, wastewater, stormwater, and civil infrastructure projects. The firm serves state, municipal, and private sector clients throughout South Carolina.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 90% of business is generated by return clients, demonstrating exceptional client satisfaction
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use American Engineering Consultants
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
American Engineering Consultants technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
American Engineering Consultants partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
American Engineering Consultants competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Atwell Group: Mid-size engineering, surveying, and consulting firm with strong Southeast presence after acquiring WK Dickson. Comparable in surveying, civil, and water/wastewater service offerings.
- Hazen and Sawyer: National water and wastewater-focused engineering consultancy with deep municipal client base. Comparable in technical specialty (water supply/wastewater) and project types (treatment plants, conveyance systems).
- Brown and Caldwell: Specialty environmental engineering firm focused on water and wastewater infrastructure for municipal and utility clients. Directly comparable in core service line and customer type.
- Thomas & Hutton: Southeast-focused civil engineering and surveying firm serving municipal, industrial, and private developers. Comparable regional footprint and mix of surveying, civil/site, and water/wastewater services.
- Davis & Floyd: South Carolina-headquartered civil/environmental engineering firm with overlapping municipal water, wastewater, stormwater, and surveying practices. Most direct regional comparable in size, geography, and service mix.
Broad incumbents
- HDR, Inc. Large multi-disciplinary engineering firm with a substantial water/wastewater practice serving municipal clients nationwide. Competes with AEC on larger municipal treatment and conveyance projects.
- Stantec: Global engineering consultancy with a strong North American water and environmental infrastructure practice. Competes with AEC in municipal water/wastewater design and program management.
- Arcadis: International design and consultancy firm with a strong water and environmental practice, competing for municipal and federal water infrastructure programs in the U.S.
- CDM Smith: Engineering and construction firm with a major water/wastewater practice serving U.S. municipalities, including SRF-funded programs. Comparable on grant administration and program delivery.
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with significant water and civil engineering capabilities serving U.S. municipalities. Competes for larger municipal programs where AEC may partner or subcontract.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Engineering Consultants social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Engineering Consultants financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Engineering Consultants leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
American Engineering Consultants funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Engineering Consultants 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 American Engineering Consultants
What does American Engineering Consultants do?
American Engineering Consultants is a full-service civil and environmental engineering consulting firm providing design, permitting, surveying, construction management, and grant administration services across water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, and civil/site infrastructure. The firm serves state, municipal, and private sector clients throughout South Carolina with integrated engineering and consulting capabilities.
Is American Engineering Consultants a public or private company?
American Engineering Consultants is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was American Engineering Consultants founded?
American Engineering Consultants was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is American Engineering Consultants based?
American Engineering Consultants is headquartered in Cayce, United States, in the North America region.
How does American Engineering Consultants make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Engineering Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are grant Administration Services and construction Administration.
Who are American Engineering Consultants's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Atwell Group, Hazen and Sawyer, Brown and Caldwell, Thomas & Hutton and Davis & Floyd. Broad incumbents are HDR, Inc., Stantec, Arcadis, CDM Smith and AECOM.
Does American Engineering Consultants have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Engineering Consultants.
What industry is American Engineering Consultants in?
American Engineering Consultants's product category is Civil and Environmental Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAD, Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAIAA, Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54133 and its SIC code is 8711.