Kellerhals + Haefeli AG

What Kellerhals + Haefeli AG does

Kellerhals + Haefeli AG is a Swiss engineering geology and hydrogeology consulting firm headquartered in Bern, founded in 1967 and operating as a privately held Aktiengesellschaft. It provides specialized professional services across seven interconnected disciplines: engineering geology, hydrogeology, extraction and disposal (quarry and landfill), natural hazards, contaminated sites (Altlasten), soil science, and geothermal energy, supplemented by contribution to the federal Geological Atlas of Switzerland at 1:25,000 scale. The firm's core technology base consists of geological and geotechnical investigation methodologies, hydrogeological and groundwater monitoring systems, standardized StorMe natural hazard event documentation, rock-movement monitoring (manual points, laser and radar scanning, tachymetry, borehole surveys, automatic displacement sensors), and remediation planning under the Altlasten-Verordnung framework. Field instrumentation and GIS-based mapping are deployed alongside conventional survey techniques; no AI/ML capabilities are referenced.

The firm serves predominantly Swiss public-sector clients — cantonal authorities, federal agencies (ASTRA, BAFU, SBB, BLS Netz AG), municipal governments, and a small private-enterprise tail (Migros Aare, Ciments Vigier SA, Kraftwerke Oberhasli). Business development is sales-led through direct professional engagement, project-based consulting, and long-tenure relationships; marketing activity is limited to professional-organization participation. The firm operates from three offices — Bern (headquarters), Luzern (Central Switzerland), and Motto-Blenio (Ticino) — covering German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, and engages in consortium partnerships such as INGE Geo-Kander (with Geotest AG) for the multi-decade Mitholz clearance program. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates on a project-fee professional-services basis.

Name

Kellerhals + Haefeli AG

Legal name

KELLERHALS + HAEFELI AG

Website

https://k-h.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kellerhals + Haefeli AG is a Swiss engineering geology and hydrogeology consulting firm headquartered in Bern, serving cantonal, federal, and municipal government clients plus select private enterprises across engineering geology, hydrogeology, natural hazards, contaminated sites, soil science, and geothermal energy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geological and Hydrogeological Consulting Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Support Activities for Mining (2131), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD), Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA), Reliability, Safety & Risk Engineering (RAMS/PSM) Consulting (BPAHAIAK)

Keywords

• Engineering geology consulting
• Hydrogeology services
• Natural hazard assessment
• Contaminated site remediation
• Geothermal consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geological and Hydrogeological Consulting: Project-based consulting services for engineering geology, hydrogeology, contaminated sites assessment, natural hazard analysis, soil science, and geothermal energy projects for government and private sector clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Kellerhals + Haefeli AG is a Swiss consulting firm that delivers project-based geological and hydrogeological professional services for public authorities and private clients. Its practice covers engineering geology, hydrogeology, quarry and landfill planning, natural hazard assessment, contaminated site remediation, soil science, and geothermal energy, with associated geological atlas cartography. Services span the full lifecycle from preliminary investigations and technical studies through construction site supervision and long-term monitoring.

Product overview

Kellerhals + Haefeli AG is a Swiss engineering geology and hydrogeology consulting firm offering professional services across seven interconnected areas: Engineering Geology, Hydrogeology, Extraction and Disposal, Natural Hazards, Contaminated Sites, Soil, and Geothermal Energy. The company provides the complete lifecycle of services from preliminary investigations and technical studies through remediation planning to construction site supervision. Additionally, the firm contributes to the Geological Atlas of Switzerland project, producing map sheets at various scales. The portfolio is organized as a unified consulting service offering rather than discrete software products, with expertise shared across projects in areas such as groundwater protection, natural hazard mapping, contaminated site remediation, and geotechnical engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Geology (Ingenieurgeologie) Engineering geology services including geological and geotechnical site investigations, construction site supervision, and geological prognoses for construction projects such as tunnels, roads, and station expansions.
• Hydrogeology (Hydrogeologie) Hydrogeological services covering groundwater assessment, well construction, spring rehabilitation, groundwater protection zone delineation, and groundwater monitoring, including hydrochemical characterization of NAQUA monitoring stations and tracer tests.
• Extraction and Disposal (Abbau und Deponie) Services for quarry and landfill sites including technical investigations, site rehabilitation, and management of extraction and disposal operations, including support for clients such as Ciments Vigier SA Tscharner quarry.
• Natural Hazards (Naturgefahren) Natural hazard assessment and management including rockfall, landslide, debris flow analysis, hazard mapping, emergency planning, and protection structure design, using the standardized StorMe methodology for cantonal authorities.
• Contaminated Sites (Altlasten) Investigation and remediation of contaminated sites including historical and technical investigations, remediation planning, and construction site supervision for soil remediation projects in compliance with the Swiss Altlasten-Verordnung.
• Soil (Boden) Soil protection and management services including soil surveys, soil conservation planning, and soil-related construction supervision.
• Geothermal Energy (Geothermie) Geothermal energy services including deep geothermal studies, ground source heat pump investigations, and geothermal probe installation supervision.
• Geological Atlas of Switzerland (Geologischer Atlas der Schweiz) Compilation and production of geological atlas sheets for various regions of Switzerland at 1:25,000 scale, including explanatory documents, for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography covering regions such as Lyss, Worb, Wolhusen, Balsthal, Murgenthal, and Adelboden.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully remediated contaminated shooting ranges including 2,000 tonnes of contaminated soil for Gemeinde Mühleberg with all remediation targets achieved
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INGE Geo-Kander (with Geotest AG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Kellerhals + Haefeli AG serves as member of INGE Geo-Kander consortium with Geotest AG, jointly responsible for geology and contaminated sites mandate on the former ammunition depot Mitholz clearance project. This partnership has been active for three years, involving planning, monitoring, and evaluation of drilling and excavation work to characterize complex geological conditions and contaminant distribution.
• CHYN (Université de Neuchâtel)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Collaboration on Phase 2 detailed investigation of CKW contaminated site in Konolfingen. CHYN (Swiss Centre for Hydrogeology) provided specialized hydrogeological research support and expertise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dr. Heinrich Jäckli AG: Long-established Zurich-based geological and hydrogeological consultancy with comparable federal- and cantonal-level mandates, including hydrogeological atlas and NAQUA-style monitoring work that mirrors K+H's portfolio.
• Geotest AG: Swiss geological, hydrogeological and geotechnical consulting firm headquartered in the Bern area. Co-member with K+H in the INGE Geo-Kander consortium for the Mitholz clearance; competes directly on cantonal infrastructure, contaminated sites and natural-hazard mandates in central Switzerland.
• AF Toscano AG (Toscano Group): Swiss geotechnical, hydrogeological and environmental engineering consultancy with offices across Switzerland; directly competes for cantonal engineering geology, natural hazard and contaminated site contracts.
• Sieber Cassina + Partner AG: Swiss geological, hydrogeological and environmental consultancy with similar size profile, serving cantonal authorities on natural hazards, contaminated sites and water protection.
• Pini Group AG (formerly Pini & Partner / Dr. Pini): Swiss-rooted engineering consultancy active in geotechnics, tunneling and underground construction; comparable in its multi-disciplinary approach and competes for major Alpine infrastructure mandates such as tunnel prognoses.
• Bächtold & Moor AG: Bern-based geotechnical and geological consultancy with strong regional overlap in central Switzerland and adjacent cantons; competes directly on infrastructure and slope-stability projects.
• IMPULS AG (Geo & Environment): Swiss geological and environmental engineering firm with comparable contaminated-site, hydrogeology and natural-hazard consulting capabilities, competing for similar cantonal mandates.
• Geoplan AG: Swiss geo-environmental and hydrogeological consultancy offering parallel contaminated-site, water protection and natural-hazard services to public-sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• CSD Ingenieure AG: National Swiss engineering consultancy with broader service portfolio (environment, geotechnics, water) and larger headcount; overlaps K+H on contaminated sites and hydrogeology at the cantonal level but also competes for the same public tenders.

Emerging players

• Kissling + Zbinden AG: Swiss structural/protection engineering firm that partnered with K+H on a 2017 rockfall protection project; operates in an adjacent (structural/protection) rather than directly geological space but competes for related natural-hazard mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kellerhals-haefeli

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Kellerhals + Haefeli AG