What PSE does

Pacific Surveying & Engineering, Inc. (PSE) is an employee-owned professional services firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in Bellingham, Washington. The firm provides land surveying, civil engineering, and geotechnical/geohazard services to local, state, and federal agencies, developers, contractors, healthcare systems, and educational institutions throughout Western Washington. Its three core service lines are Land Surveying (boundary, topographic, construction, GPS, FAA/airport, drone/UAV photogrammetric and LiDAR, 3D laser scanning, and bathymetric/hydrographic surveys), Civil Engineering (site planning and design, roadway design, stormwater management and utilities, permitting, and construction administration), and Geotechnical & Geohazard Services (delivered through affiliate Element Solutions, covering geotechnical investigations, slope stability, seismic liquefaction, and environmental/biological consulting).

PSE's technology stack centers on professional surveying and engineering tooling rather than software products: GPS networks, GIS, LiDAR, drone/UAV photogrammetric surveying, terrestrial 3D laser scanning, ortho-rectified aerial photography, and Autodesk Civil3D/AutoCAD. The firm operates on a project-based professional services model with custom quote-based pricing per engagement and multi-year contracts typical of public infrastructure work. Go-to-market is sales-led and principal-managed: company owners personally oversee every project rather than delegating to non-owner project managers. The firm relies on direct client engagement through its website (psesurvey.com), local and regional referral networks, and reputation built over 30+ years operating in Western Washington. Notable engagements include the Barkley Regal Cinema, Barkley Village, Alderwood Elementary School, Whatcom County Marine Drive Reconstruction, St. Joseph's Medical Center East Garage, and Whidbey Island Naval Base projects.

Name

PSE

Legal name

Pacific Surveying & Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://psesurvey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pacific Surveying & Engineering (PSE) is an employee-owned, Bellingham-based professional services firm providing land surveying, civil engineering, and geotechnical consulting to government agencies, developers, contractors, and institutions throughout Western Washington since 1989.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 and Surveying Services: Project-based professional services revenue from land surveying, civil engineering, and land use consulting for development projects. Every project is individually managed by a principal, providing oversight and hands-on contributions. Services provided to government agencies, developers, contractors, and healthcare/educational institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

PSE is an employee-owned professional services firm providing land surveying, civil engineering, and geotechnical/geohazard consulting services to government agencies, developers, and contractors throughout Western Washington. The firm delivers boundary and topographic surveys, site planning and design, roadway and stormwater engineering, permitting, construction administration, and environmental consulting services through its affiliate Element Solutions.

Product overview

PSE is a professional services firm offering three integrated service lines: Land Surveying Services, Civil Engineering Services, and Geotechnical & Geohazard Services (delivered through affiliate Element Solutions). These services are provided as professional consulting offerings rather than software products. The company serves clients throughout Washington state including local, state, and federal agencies, developers, and contractors since 1989.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Surveying Services Professional land surveying services for government agencies, developers, and contractors including boundary and cadastral surveying, topographic mapping, construction surveying, GPS networks, FAA/airport surveying, drone/UAV photogrammetric and LiDAR surveying, 3-D laser scanning, and bathymetric/hydrographic marine surveying.
• Civil Engineering Services Full-service civil engineering for government agencies, developers, contractors, and institutional clients including site planning and design (grading, drainage, access, parking, LID), roadway design (corridor analysis, intersections, sight distance), stormwater management and utilities (water systems, sanitary sewers, dry utilities), permitting (building, fill/grade/mining, stormwater/SWPPP, shorelines, SEPA/NEPA, JARPA), and construction administration and management (PS&E, bidding, on-site inspection, federal/ARRA project requirements, contract documentation, project closeout).
• Geotechnical & Geohazard Services Geotechnical and environmental consulting services delivered through affiliate Element Solutions for commercial and residential developments, municipal projects, tribal land management, and environmental compliance support. Services include geotechnical engineering investigations and feasibility studies, bearing capacity testing, settlement analysis, deep foundation recommendations, seismic liquefaction analysis, pavement assessment, retaining wall design, slope stabilization, coastal bluff and shoreline assessments, erosion hazard evaluations, coal mine hazard reviews, stormwater infiltration design assessment, infiltration rate determination, environmental site assessments, biological services, and mapping and geospatial services.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Element SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElement Solutions is a geotechnical and environmental consulting affiliate that applies a communicative approach to every project. They provide geological and biological support for planning, permitting, design, and construction of various projects throughout western Washington. The partnership extends PSE's capabilities to include geotechnical investigations, environmental consulting, stormwater assessment, and biological services.
• Talbot GroupnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Talbot Group on the Barkley Regal Cinema project, contributing civil engineering services, permitting services, land surveying services, and construction staking.
• Barkley CompanynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Barkley Village development project involving boundary survey, topographic mapping, and construction surveying.
• Peace HealthnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Peace Health on major upgrade to St. Joseph's Medical Center East Garage, providing engineering, land surveying, and geotechnical capabilities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• HDR: Global engineering, architecture, and surveying firm with deep Pacific Northwest presence. Competes for transportation, water, and public infrastructure projects that overlap with PSE's service portfolio.
• Stantec: Global engineering, surveying, and environmental services firm with broad capabilities including surveying and civil engineering. Operates in the Pacific Northwest and competes for many of the same public works and developer clients, though at much larger scale.
• Jacobs: Large global engineering and professional services firm with surveying, civil engineering, and environmental consulting capabilities. Competes for major federal, state, and municipal infrastructure projects in the same geography.

Direct peers

• MacKay Sposito: Pacific Northwest surveying, civil engineering, and land use consulting firm with comparable service offerings and client mix. Closely aligned mid-sized regional peer.
• Parametrix: Pacific Northwest engineering, environmental, and surveying firm with comparable services to government agencies and developers. Similar employee-owned culture and regional focus.
• KPFF Consulting Engineers: Seattle-headquartered civil and structural engineering firm with strong Pacific Northwest presence. Provides comparable site development, transportation, and infrastructure services to public and private clients.
• Otak: Pacific Northwest architecture, engineering, planning, and surveying firm serving similar public agency and developer clients. Directly comparable in scope of integrated land development services.
• Perteet: Washington-based civil engineering and surveying firm serving municipal and transportation clients throughout the Pacific Northwest. Closely comparable in size and service mix.
• Reid Middleton: Washington State-based civil and structural engineering firm providing comparable site development, infrastructure, and public works services. Operates at a similar mid-sized regional scale.
• David Evans and Associates: Large Pacific Northwest surveying, civil engineering, and planning firm with comparable service lines and similar client base (public agencies, developers, transportation). Operates across multiple Western states but maintains a similar project-based professional services model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pse_survey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 PSE