What McGovern McDonald Engineers does

McGovern McDonald Engineers (MME) is a woman-owned environmental engineering consulting firm founded in September 2003 by Patricia McGovern in San Francisco, California. The firm provides specialized consulting services to municipal water and wastewater utilities, sanitary districts, port authorities, and select research foundations across the United States. Steve McDonald serves as co-Principal, bringing over 30 years of experience and a track record of directing master-planning for more than $25 billion in wastewater facilities over the past two decades, including award-winning projects for the Sacramento Regional WWTP and the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. MME operates from four offices spanning San Francisco, Honolulu, Houston, and Boynton Beach, Florida.

The firm delivers its services through four integrated service lines: (1) Engineering, Design, and Construction Management covering civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical/instrumentation work; (2) Optimization, Remote Sensing, and Real Time Controls incorporating IoT, machine learning, big data analytics, and energy management; (3) Master Planning and Utility Management Optimization covering facilities planning, watershed planning, low impact design/green infrastructure, recycled water planning, CEQA/NEPA support, and regulatory compliance; and (4) Asset Management, Financial Services, and Public Affairs delivering condition assessments, drone-based inspections, rates and charges studies, financial analysis, and public outreach. Notable proprietary capabilities include custom asset management software (WAM) and drone-based condition inspection services. MME has led innovation efforts such as San Francisco's first Blue Roof stormwater project and has delivered quantified outcomes including 25% energy efficiency improvements and $100M in increased plant capacity for the South Central Regional WWTP.

MME's revenue model is professional services consulting — quote-based engagements billed to municipal clients through direct sales relationships with engineering departments, public utilities commissions, and sanitary districts. Customer acquisition relies on direct engagement, industry events, and project case studies rather than broad marketing. The firm has received the AAEE Engineering Excellence Award and the American Public Works Association National Environmental Planning Achievement Award, and maintains a research collaboration with the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF). MME is privately held with no external funding, no parent company, and concentrated ownership between its two founding principals.

Name

McGovern McDonald Engineers

Legal name

McGovern McDonald Engineers

Website

https://mmewater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

McGovern McDonald Engineers is a woman-owned environmental engineering consulting firm founded in 2003 that serves municipal water and wastewater utilities across California, Hawaii, Texas, and Florida with master planning, asset management, design, and optimization services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Engineering Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Water engineering consulting
• Wastewater treatment services
• Municipal utility consulting
• Asset management planning
• Stormwater management solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering Consulting Services: Provides engineering consulting services for water and wastewater industries including master planning, asset management, design, construction management, and optimization services to municipal clients. Revenue generated through professional service engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

McGovern McDonald Engineers (MME) is a woman-owned environmental engineering consulting firm providing professional services to municipal water and wastewater utilities. The firm delivers master planning, asset management, condition assessments, engineering design, construction management, optimization, and regulatory compliance support for water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects.

Product overview

McGovern McDonald Engineers (MME) is a woman-owned environmental engineering consulting firm offering four integrated service lines for the water and wastewater industries. The firm operates as a professional services company organized into: (1) Engineering, Design, and Construction Management providing civil/structural, mechanical, and EI&C services; (2) Optimization, Remote Sensing, and Real Time Controls offering process modeling, big data analytics, IoT/machine learning, and energy optimization; (3) Master Planning and Utility Management covering integrated facilities planning, watershed planning, LID/green infrastructure, and regulatory compliance; and (4) Asset Management, Financial Services, and Public Affairs delivering condition assessments, drone inspection services, CIP development, rate studies, and stakeholder engagement. These service lines are designed to work together, enabling MME to deliver comprehensive solutions from planning through construction support for municipal water and wastewater facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering, Design, and Construction Management Provides conceptual design studies and feasibility analysis, heavy civil/structural and mechanical engineering, electrical/instrumentation and controls (EI&C), and construction management services for water and wastewater infrastructure projects for municipal clients.
• Optimization, Remote Sensing, and Real Time Controls Offers custom O&M and CIP optimization modeling, big data analytics and cloud computing, real-time monitoring and controls (RTM/C), IoT and machine learning, energy management optimization, and integrated decision support systems for water and wastewater facilities.
• Master Planning and Utility Management Optimization Provides integrated master/facilities planning, watershed and water resources planning, low impact design (LID) and green infrastructure, recycled water planning, CEQA/NEPA support, sustainability practices, resiliency planning, permitting, regulatory compliance, and water quality studies.
• Asset Management, Financial Services, and Public Affairs Covers asset management and CIP development, condition assessments, drone services for condition inspections and site mapping, rates and charges cost-of-service studies, financial analysis and business case assessment, and public outreach and decision support services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Directed master-planning of over $25 billion in wastewater facilities in 20 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on research projects including nutrient impairment modeling tool development (Project #1490) for States and NPDES permit holders, and mercury bioavailability study (Project #05-WEM-1CO) assessing methylation potential from point sources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hazen and Sawyer: Hazen and Sawyer is a long-standing water/wastewater specialty consulting firm offering planning, design, and construction management for municipal utilities. Comparable to MME in target market and service mix, but with deeper bench, multiple regional offices, and broader service lines.
• Carollo Engineers: Carollo Engineers is the largest water/wastewater-focused engineering firm in the U.S. and Patricia McGovern's former employer. It is directly comparable to MME in vertical specialization (water/wastewater master planning, asset management, design) but operates at much greater scale with hundreds of employees and national reach.
• Brown and Caldwell: Brown and Caldwell is a private, employee-owned environmental engineering firm specializing exclusively in water, wastewater, and stormwater services for municipal and industrial clients. It competes with MME on master planning, asset management, and rate studies but with substantially larger bench and broader geographic coverage.

Broad incumbents

• HDR Inc. HDR is a large employee-owned engineering firm with a strong water/wastewater practice serving municipal utilities. Comparable to MME on master planning and condition assessments, but with broader geographic reach and additional capabilities in transportation and building design.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering consulting firm with a sizable water practice serving municipal and industrial clients. It competes with MME on master planning, asset management, and treatment plant design across North America.
• Black & Veatch: Black & Veatch is a large global engineering, procurement, and construction firm with a substantial water practice serving municipal utilities. It overlaps with MME on wastewater master planning and design but operates at vastly greater scale and offers integrated construction services.
• CDM Smith: CDM Smith is a large engineering and construction firm with a dedicated water practice serving municipal and federal clients. Comparable to MME on wastewater planning and water reuse, but with substantially greater resources for integrated design-build delivery.
• Wood Environment & Infrastructure: Wood is a global engineering and consulting firm with an environment and infrastructure practice serving municipal water utilities. Comparable to MME on environmental engineering and asset management but with vastly broader service portfolio and geographic scale.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a global professional services firm with a large water and environmental practice serving municipal and federal clients. It competes with MME on large-scale wastewater master planning and asset management but with integrated design-build capabilities and global resources.

Emerging players

• GHD: GHD is an Australian-origin professional services firm expanding aggressively in North America, with a growing water and environmental practice serving municipal utilities. Comparable to MME on water/wastewater planning but emerging as a mid-tier alternative to both boutiques and mega-firms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcgovern-mcdonald-engineers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 McGovern McDonald Engineers