Houston Public Works
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1933
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Houston Public Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Houston Public Works
- Legal name
- Houston Public Works
- Website
- https://houstonpublicworks.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1933
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Houston Public Works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Municipal Water and Wastewater Utilities
- NAICS
- Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (23731), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)
Keywords
Where Houston Public Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Houston Public Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Water and Wastewater Utility Billing: Utility Billing provides customer information, billings, credit, collections, and all meter-associated services to water and wastewater utility customers within the City of Houston. Generates over $600 million in gross revenue used to support and maintain the city's water and wastewater systems.
- Water Contracting Services: Manages contracts for the sale of treated and untreated water, groundwater reduction programs, and emergency backup supply to wholesale customers including nearby towns and utility districts. Also reviews water district creations and annexations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Monthly | Set Usage Billing for accounts without functioning remote reading devices |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Water Supply Capacity |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Houston Public Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Houston Public Works is a municipal government department that builds, maintains, and operates essential public infrastructure for the City of Houston. Core offerings include safe drinking water production and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater drainage and flood mitigation, street and bridge maintenance, traffic engineering, and construction permitting and regulatory services for residential and commercial projects.
Product overview
Houston Public Works is a municipal department providing essential public infrastructure services to the fourth-largest city in the United States. The organization operates as a single unified government department offering multiple interconnected services: Water and Wastewater Systems (producing and distributing safe drinking water via three surface water plants and 49 groundwater plants, treating wastewater through 38 treatment plants), Streets and Drainage (maintaining 16,000 lane miles of streets, 1,371 bridges, and extensive storm drainage infrastructure), Permitting and Regulatory Services, Infrastructure Planning, Utility Billing, Stormwater Operations, and Traffic Engineering. Supporting programs include the Houston Stormwater Master Plan, Water Bill Improvement Plan, Lead Service Line Inventory, Protect Our Pipes education initiative, and Water Conservation Programs. The department leverages the Houston TranStar partnership for transportation coordination and the 311 system for customer service requests. Houston Public Works serves approximately 2.3 million residents across 671 square miles with nearly 4,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $3.5 billion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water and Wastewater Systems
- Utility Billing Services
- Streets, Bridges, and Traffic Infrastructure Maintenance
- Houston Permitting Center Services
- Water Contracting Services
- Stormwater Operations and Drainage Management
- Traffic Engineering Services
- 311 Service Request System
- Houston TranStar Transportation Partnership
- Water Bill Improvement Plan
- Houston Stormwater Master Plan
- Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) Program
- Roadside Ditch Re-establishment Program
- Protect Our Pipes Education Program
- Water Conservation Programs
- Infrastructure Planning and Development
- Office of Business Opportunity
Quantifiable outcome
- Treated over 172 billion gallons of water in 2021 through 7,000+ mile distribution system
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Houston Public Works
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Houston Public Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Houston Public Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Houston TranStarcoreHouston TranStar is a unique partnership of representatives from the City of Houston, Harris County, METRO and TxDOT who share resources and exchange information under one roof to keep motorists informed, roadways clear and lives safe in the fourth most populated city in the United States.
- Trinity River AuthoritycoreLake Livingston is operated and managed by the Trinity River Authority as part of Houston's water supply infrastructure.
- San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA)coreLake Conroe is managed by the San Jacinto River Authority. The City of Houston owns 70% share of Lake Conroe.
- Coastal Water AuthoritycoreCoastal Water Authority manages Lake Houston as part of Houston's regional water supply system.
- American Water Works AssociationminorThe City of Houston is a member of AWWA and AWWA's Partnership for Safe Water program for both treatment plant and distribution system optimization.
- Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion PartnerscoreArea water providers have come together to finance a major expansion of the Northeast Water Purification Plant, providing fresh drinking water and meeting the mandate to reduce the area's dependence on groundwater.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Houston Public Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New York City Department of Environmental Protection: NYC DEP operates the water supply, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure for 8M+ New Yorkers. It is the closest analogue in scale and scope to Houston Public Works, with comparable regulatory, capital, and operational complexity.
- Dallas Water Utilities: City of Dallas utility serving ~2.5M residents with water and wastewater services. Closely comparable in Texas municipal utility scale, regulatory regime (TCEQ), and customer base characteristics to Houston Public Works.
- Philadelphia Water Department: Provides drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services for Philadelphia under combined sewer system constraints (similar consent decree dynamics). Operationally analogous to Houston Public Works in combined water/wastewater/stormwater mandate.
- Phoenix Water Services Department: Provides drinking water and wastewater services to ~1.5M Phoenix residents. Comparable to Houston in large-scale municipal water operations, conservation programming (Houston won Water Conservation Challenge), and rapid growth-driven demand.
- Chicago Department of Water Management: Operates the City of Chicago's potable water and wastewater systems for ~2.7M residents. Closely comparable to Houston Public Works in municipal water utility scope, regulatory exposure, and large-meter customer base.
- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: LADWP delivers water and power to ~4M LA residents via an integrated municipal utility. Comparable to Houston Public Works in serving a major U.S. metro with municipal water/wastewater responsibility and large-scale capex programs.
- Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department: Provides water and wastewater service to ~2.3M Miami-Dade residents. Comparable to Houston Public Works in serving a hurricane-exposed, fast-growing metro with large consent-decree and climate-resilience capital obligations.
- Denver Water: Denver Water supplies treated drinking water to ~1.5M people in the Denver metro, operating a major surface water system and complex distribution network. Comparable to Houston in water treatment, supply rights, and infrastructure scale.
- San Antonio Water System: SAWS is the largest water/wastewater utility in Texas, serving the San Antonio metro with similar groundwater reduction, regional supply, and large-capex mandate to Houston Public Works.
- Atlanta Department of Watershed Management: Operates Atlanta's drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Similar municipal utility mandate to Houston Public Works, including combined sewer consent decree history and large-scale consent decree capex.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Houston Public Works social profiles
Digital presenceHouston Public Works compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Houston Public Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Houston Public Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Houston Public Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Houston Public Works 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 Houston Public Works
What does Houston Public Works do?
Houston Public Works is a municipal government department that builds, maintains, and operates essential public infrastructure for the City of Houston. Core offerings include safe drinking water production and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater drainage and flood mitigation, street and bridge maintenance, traffic engineering, and construction permitting and regulatory services for residential and commercial projects.
Is Houston Public Works a public or private company?
Houston Public Works is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Houston Public Works founded?
Houston Public Works was founded in 1933. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Houston Public Works based?
Houston Public Works is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Houston Public Works make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Water and Wastewater Utility Billing is the primary driver. The others are water Contracting Services.
Who are Houston Public Works's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Dallas Water Utilities, Philadelphia Water Department, Phoenix Water Services Department, Chicago Department of Water Management, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, Denver Water, San Antonio Water System and Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.
Does Houston Public Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for Houston Public Works.
What industry is Houston Public Works in?
Houston Public Works's product category is Municipal Water and Wastewater Utilities. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAF, Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities), with a secondary code of BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration. Its NAICS code is 2213 and its SIC code is 4941.