What Spence Engineering Services does

Spence Engineering Services, Inc. (SES) is a privately held engineering consulting and software firm headquartered at 1650 Borel Place, Suite 209, San Mateo, California. The company specializes in the development and integration of complex real-time distributed computing systems, serving primarily US government defense agencies and major aerospace and defense contractors including the US Air Force, US Army, US Navy, US Marines, Lockheed Martin, Harris Corporation, and Northrop Grumman.

SES's core product is the SES Distributed Processing (SES-DP) framework, a proprietary software platform that reduces the time and cost of producing distributed computing systems. The framework provides a reliable and extensible platform for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, with technical capabilities including model-based design integration with MathWorks Matlab Simulink (including automatic code generation of distributed process plug-ins), distributed command and control across server nodes, OS abstraction for cross-platform deployment, integrated scripting automation in Perl and Python, hard-real-time performance with FPGA support, and native plug-in integration with National Instruments NIDaq, NetAcquire HWIO, and Lockheed Martin simulation libraries (LM-Star, DVX, XCSE). The framework has been used by the US Air Force as the foundation for HIL test systems that have qualified over $1 billion of satellite flight hardware.

SES generates revenue through two primary streams: one-time licensing of the SES-DP software framework, and professional consulting services spanning software engineering, digital electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, embedded systems, FPGA/digital circuit design, flight software, robotic system development, real-time dynamic simulation, and large-scale system integration. The company operates a direct enterprise field-sales motion with no channel or reseller partners, targeting bottom-of-funnel engagements with named defense primes and US government programs. There is no disclosed external institutional investment, parent company, or subsidiary structure, and the company appears to be independently owned.

Name

Spence Engineering Services

Legal name

Spence Engineering Services, Inc.

Website

https://spenceengr.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Spence Engineering Services (SES) is a privately held San Mateo, CA-based firm that develops the proprietary SES-DP software framework for real-time distributed computing and provides expert engineering consulting in software, digital electronics, mechanical, and system integration, primarily serving US defense agencies and aerospace primes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Software

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Aerospace Ground Support Equipment (GSE) & Test Systems (IMABAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Real-time distributed computing
• Defense software systems
• Aerospace engineering services
• Embedded systems software
• Mission-critical software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Products (SES-DP Framework): Licensing and deployment of the SES Distributed Processing framework as a software platform for building distributed computing systems. The framework has been used by the US Air Force as the foundation for hardware-in-the-loop test systems.
2. Expert Consulting Services: Consulting services in software engineering, digital electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, and large-scale system integration. Services include robotic system development, embedded systems, flight software, real-time simulation, FPGA design, and hardware/software integration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Spence Engineering Services (SES) develops and licenses the SES-DP Framework software for real-time distributed computing systems, and provides professional consulting and systems integration services in aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. The company supports mission-critical applications for U.S. military branches and major defense prime contractors.

Product overview

Spence Engineering Services offers a single unified core product: the SES Distributed Processing (SES-DP) Framework, a software solution for developing and integrating complex real-time distributed computing systems. The framework includes integrated features for model-based design (via Matlab Simulink integration and autocoding), distributed command and control, scripting automation, OS abstraction, and hardware integration with support for National Instruments, NetAcquire, and Lockheed Martin tools. The SES-DP Toolbox provides Matlab Simulink model-to-plug-in code generation. No separate modules, add-ons, or sub-products are named beyond the core framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SES-DP (SES Distributed Processing): A software framework for developing and integrating complex real-time distributed computing systems. The framework provides a platform for hardware-in-the-loop testing, system simulation, and distributed command and control capabilities.

Products and services

• SES-DP Framework
• Aerospace and Defense Systems Integration Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion of satellite flight hardware tested and qualified using the SES-DP framework

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National InstrumentscoreTechnology or IntegrationNative integration with National Instruments NIDaq libraries. The SES-DP framework directly supports National Instruments data acquisition hardware and I/O libraries for hardware-in-the-loop testing applications.
• NetAcquire CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with NetAcquire HWIO libraries for hardware I/O operations. The SES-DP framework provides direct support for NetAcquire hardware interface solutions.
• Lockheed MartincoreTechnology or IntegrationThe SES-DP framework integrates with Lockheed Martin Simulation and Hardware IO libraries including LM-Star, DVX, and XCSE. SES has worked with Lockheed Martin on US Air Force hardware-in-the-loop test systems.
• MathWorkscoreTechnology or IntegrationDeep integration with MathWorks Matlab and Simulink. The SES-DP Toolbox automatically generates distributed process plug-in objects from Matlab Simulink models, extending model-based design workflows into distributed hardware-in-the-loop environments.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• SGT (a Kforce Government Solutions company): SGT provides aerospace engineering services including real-time simulation, embedded software, and spacecraft test systems for NASA and DoD. It is a comparable aerospace IT/services competitor for the same NASA/DoD test and integration contracts SES pursues.
• Vector Informatik: Vector provides testing, integration, and simulation tools for embedded systems, primarily in automotive and adjacent industrial markets. It is a comparable competitor in real-time test and integration frameworks, with a focus on European industrial customers.

Direct peers

• Real-Time Innovations (RTI): RTI provides Connext DDS, a real-time publish-subscribe middleware widely used in defense and aerospace distributed systems. RTI competes for the same distributed real-time communications layer that SES-DP addresses for hardware-in-the-loop and command-and-control applications.
• dSPACE: dSPACE provides hardware-in-the-loop simulation and rapid control prototyping platforms for aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers. It is a direct competitor to SES-DP for distributed real-time simulation framework wins in mission-critical test programs.
• Opal-RT Technologies: Opal-RT provides real-time digital simulators and hardware-in-the-loop test platforms used in aerospace, defense, power systems, and automotive. It competes head-to-head with SES-DP for distributed real-time simulation engagements.
• Concurrent Real-Time: Concurrent Real-Time sells real-time operating systems and integrated hardware/software platforms for distributed simulation and training. It addresses the same hard-real-time distributed computing use cases that SES targets with its SES-DP framework.
• Applied Dynamics International: Applied Dynamics provides real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop computing solutions for aerospace and defense. It sells proprietary distributed simulation frameworks overlapping with SES-DP's positioning for satellite and weapons test programs.

Broad incumbents

• MathWorks: MathWorks produces Matlab and Simulink, the model-based design environment that SES-DP integrates with for autocode generation. MathWorks is both a core partner and a competitive threat, as its own Simscape and Simulink Real-Time products target overlapping distributed real-time simulation workflows.
• National Instruments (now NI): NI is a leading vendor of hardware-in-the-loop testing platforms, data acquisition hardware, and test software. SES-DP natively integrates with NI NIDaq libraries, and NI competes for the same HWIL framework dollars from aerospace and defense customers.
• Wind River Systems: Wind River provides real-time operating systems (VxWorks) and embedded software platforms used across aerospace and defense. Its embedded RTOS and virtualization offerings overlap with the real-time compute layer underneath SES-DP deployments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Spence Engineering Services