Pricing Power Database for Environmental & Infrastructure Deals
Structured hourly billing-rate intelligence from public contracts, normalized for CPI and organized for PE diligence, acquisition underwriting, portfolio-company pricing strategy, and executive market intelligence.
Normalized Rate Database
Hourly professional billing rates from executed public contracts and proposal schedules. Base rates are CPI-adjusted into 2026 estimates where applicable.
| Firm | Geography | Project Type | Representative Role | Base Rate | 2025 Normalized | 2026 / 2026E | Positioning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CollinsSheboygan Harbor Centre | Sheboygan, WI | Marina / Civil Design | Principal Engineer E8 | $492.00 | $492.00 | $505.28 | Premium / Specialized |
| CDM SmithCTRMA Austin | Austin, TX | Traffic & Revenue Engineering | Project Principal / Senior Advisor | $396.79 | $410.68 | $425.05 | Premium Advisory |
| StantecO'Fallon MO | O'Fallon, MO | Lift Station Design | Level 21 — Executive / Senior Leadership | 2026 actual | N/A | $337.00 | 2026 Actual |
| RambollSheboygan Harbor Centre | Sheboygan, WI | Marina / Environmental Consulting | Project Principal L9 | $325.00 | $325.00 | $333.77 | Global Advisory |
| AECOMPalo Alto CA | Palo Alto, CA | On-call Utility Engineering | Principal in Charge | $265.35 (2020) | $315.15 | $326.18 | Large-cap Engineering |
| Maffett LoftisSheboygan Harbor Centre | Sheboygan, WI | Marina / Design Services | Principal Engineer / EOR | $275.00 | $275.00 | $282.42 | Regional Mid-Tier |
| EdgewaterSheboygan Harbor Centre | Sheboygan, WI | Marina Design / Construction | Sr. Principal | $254.00 | $254.00 | $260.86 | Local / Execution |
| MontroseGOAA Orlando | Orlando, FL | Airport Environmental | Principal | $246.00 | $254.61 | $263.52 | Environmental Services |
| APTIMHouston TX | Houston, TX | Municipal Environmental | Project Principal | $264.42 (2023) | $283.25 | $293.16 | Municipal ENV |
| TerraconOskaloosa IA | Iowa | Geotechnical | Principal / Dept Manager | $175.00 | $181.13 | $187.46 | Execution / Field |
Contract Rate Cards
Expandable firm-level schedules for underwriting, benchmarking, and model assumptions.
| Role / Experience | 2024 Base | 2025 Est. @ 3.5% | 2026E @ 3.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Principal / Senior Advisor (15+ yrs) | $396.79 | $410.68 | $425.05 |
| Project Manager (15+ yrs) | $363.26 | $375.97 | $389.13 |
| Deputy Project Manager (15+ yrs) | $307.38 | $318.14 | $329.27 |
| Engineer III (15+ yrs) | $251.49 | $260.29 | $269.40 |
| Technical Leader (15+ yrs) | $195.60 | $202.45 | $209.53 |
| Engineer II (8–14 yrs) | $195.60 | $202.45 | $209.53 |
| Engineer I (1–7 yrs) | $153.69 | $159.07 | $164.64 |
| Senior GIS Specialist (15+ yrs) | $167.66 | $173.53 | $179.60 |
| GIS Analyst II (9–14 yrs) | $139.72 | $144.61 | $149.67 |
| GIS Analyst I (0–8 yrs) | $103.39 | $107.01 | $110.75 |
| Senior Project Administrator / Contract Manager (>10 yrs) | $134.13 | $138.82 | $143.68 |
| Project Administrator / Contract Manager (1–10 yrs) | $111.77 | $115.68 | $119.73 |
| Admin / Clerical (1–5 yrs) | $89.42 | $92.55 | $95.79 |
Source: CDM Smith contract with Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority; Exhibit B rate schedule.
| Level / Role Description | 2026 Actual Rate |
|---|---|
| Level 21 — Executive / Senior Leadership | $337.00 |
| Level 20 — Executive Technical Leadership | $324.00 |
| Level 19 — Senior Principal / Regional Leadership | $311.00 |
| Level 18 — Principal Engineer / Technical Authority | $302.00 |
| Level 17 — Senior Consultant / Senior Program Manager | $295.00 |
| Level 16 — Associate / Program Manager | $285.00 |
| Level 15 — Senior PM — Financial + Technical Authority | $251.00 |
| Level 14 — Senior Project Manager / Technical Lead | $223.00 |
| Level 13 — Project Manager / Senior Engineer | $212.00 |
| Level 12 — Professional — Mid-Level Advanced | $203.00 |
| Level 11 — Professional — Mid-Level | $197.00 |
| Level 10 — Professional — Senior Project Engineer / Geologist / Env Scientist / GIS Manager | $183.00 |
| Level 9 — Junior Professional — Advanced Support | $177.00 |
| Level 8 — Junior Professional — Independent Limited Scope | $164.00 |
| Level 7 — Junior-Level Admin / Project Engineer / GIS PM / CADD | $158.00 |
| Level 6 — Entry-Level Technical Support | $150.00 |
| Level 5 — Entry-Level Technical Support | $145.00 |
| Level 4 — Clerical, Interns, Field / Lab Techs, GIS Tech | $133.00 |
| Level 3 — Admin, CADD Tech, Stenographer | $119.00 |
Source: Stantec Consulting Services labor rate schedule for City of O'Fallon Lift Station Upgrade Design Project. Effective January 1, 2026.
Sheboygan Harbor Centre — Same-Project Rate Dispersion
Direct comparison of Edgewater, Collins, Maffett Loftis, and Ramboll bidding on the same municipal marina design and construction-services scope. Base year is 2025; 2026 estimates apply +2.7% CPI.
| Firm | Top Role / Rate | Mid-Level Engineer | Junior / Entry | Spread | Market Positioning | PE Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CollinsPremium engineering ladder | $505.28 Principal Engineer E8 | $308.10 Senior Engineer E6 | $143.78 Junior Engineer E1 | 3.5x | Premium / Specialized | Strongest pricing power; likely specialty capability or scarcity premium. |
| RambollGlobal advisory benchmark | $333.77 Project Principal L9 | $246.48 Sr. Consultant 2 L6 | $154.05 Field Staff / CAD-GIS | 2.2x | Global Advisory | Premium international platform, but below Collins at top end. |
| Maffett LoftisRegional mid-market | $282.42 Principal / EOR | $179.72 Engineer | $107.83 Draftsman | 2.6x | Regional Mid-Tier | Useful regional comp; lower premium at technical leadership level. |
| EdgewaterEngineer of record / execution-led | $260.86 Sr. Principal | $185.89 PM Engineer | $105.78 Intern | 2.5x | Local / Execution | Potential underpricing signal versus premium peers. |
Principal-Level Pricing Dispersion
Collins prices nearly 94% above Edgewater at the senior-most role level.
| Firm | Position / Level | 2025 Rate / hr | 2026E @ +2.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewater | Sr. Principal | $254.00 | $260.86 |
| Edgewater | Principal | $230.00 | $236.21 |
| Edgewater | Sr. Architect / Sr. Engineer / Sr. Landscape Architect | $204.00 | $209.51 |
| Edgewater | PM Engineer / Project Landscape Architect | $181.00 | $185.89 |
| Edgewater | Project Engineer | $165.00 | $169.45 |
| Edgewater | Project Director / Landscape Designer / Staff Engineer | $153.00 | $157.13 |
| Edgewater | Administration | $115.00 | $118.10 |
| Edgewater | Intern | $103.00 | $105.78 |
Scope: design and construction services. Hourly rates may increase up to 3% based on CPI; 2026E shown using +2.7% CPI.
| Firm | Position / Level | 2025 Rate / hr | 2026E @ +2.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collins | Principal Engineer E8 | $492.00 | $505.28 |
| Collins | Principal Engineer E7 | $382.00 | $392.31 |
| Collins | Senior Engineer E6 | $300.00 | $308.10 |
| Collins | Senior Engineer E5 | $256.00 | $262.91 |
| Collins | Engineer E4 | $226.00 | $232.10 |
| Collins | Engineer E3 | $195.00 | $200.26 |
| Collins | Junior Engineer E2 | $162.00 | $166.37 |
| Collins | Junior Engineer E1 | $140.00 | $143.78 |
| Collins | Sr. Eng. Technician / Designer T3 | $179.00 | $183.83 |
| Collins | Sr. CAD Technician D3 | $165.00 | $169.45 |
| Collins | Technician T2 | $136.00 | $139.67 |
| Collins | CAD Technician D2 | $131.00 | $134.54 |
| Collins | Junior CAD Technician D1 | $93.00 | $95.51 |
| Collins | Junior Technician T1 | $95.00 | $97.56 |
| Collins | Project Administrator | $137.00 | $140.70 |
| Collins | Project Planner | $159.00 | $163.29 |
| Collins | Clerical C2 | $131.00 | $134.54 |
| Collins | Clerical C1 | $92.00 | $94.48 |
| Firm | Position / Level | 2025 Rate / hr | 2026E @ +2.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maffett Loftis | Principal Engineer / Engineer of Record | $275.00 | $282.42 |
| Maffett Loftis | Project Manager | $225.00 | $231.07 |
| Maffett Loftis | Engineer | $175.00 | $179.72 |
| Maffett Loftis | Designer | $125.00 | $128.38 |
| Maffett Loftis | Draftsman | $105.00 | $107.83 |
| Maffett Loftis | Clerical | $85.00 | $87.29 |
| Firm | Position / Level | 2025 Rate / hr | 2026E @ +2.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramboll | Project Principal L9 | $325.00 | $333.77 |
| Ramboll | Senior Managing Consultant L8 | $315.00 | $323.50 |
| Ramboll | Managing Consultant L7 | $285.00 | $292.69 |
| Ramboll | Sr. Consultant 2 L6 | $240.00 | $246.48 |
| Ramboll | Sr. Consultant 1 L5 | $220.00 | $225.94 |
| Ramboll | Engineer / Geologist Consultant 3 L4 | $200.00 | $205.40 |
| Ramboll | Engineer / Geologist Consultant 2 L3 | $175.00 | $179.72 |
| Ramboll | Field Staff Consultant 1 L2 | $150.00 | $154.05 |
| Ramboll | CAD / GIS Drafting L1 | $150.00 | $154.05 |
| Ramboll | Administrative Support L1 | $120.00 | $123.24 |
PE Diligence & Underwriting Tools
Use public rate-card benchmarks to test target-company pricing power, blended bill rates, revenue per FTE, and EBITDA impact from repricing.
Acquisition Underwriting
Benchmark a target’s rate card against regional and service-line peers.
Portfolio Pricing Strategy
Identify where a portfolio company is underpricing senior technical talent.
Margin Bridge
Translate billing-rate changes into EBITDA sensitivity.
Pricing Uplift Calculator
Estimate incremental annual revenue and EBITDA from rate-card repricing.
Competitive Benchmarking
Compare firms by role ladder, top-end pricing, mid-level rate engine, junior leverage, and service-line positioning.
| Segment | Firms / Examples | Rate Signal | What It Means | Modeling Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Specialty | Collins, CDM Smith | Top rates $425–$505/hr | Technical scarcity, advisory premium, or specialized role mix. | Higher blended-rate assumptions; test premium multiple. |
| Global Advisory | Ramboll, AECOM | Senior rates $300+/hr | Scale platform with premium senior oversight. | Compare senior-to-junior leverage and utilization. |
| Regional Mid-Tier | Maffett Loftis, Montrose, APTIM | Principal rates ~$260–$293/hr | Solid public-sector pricing; potential repricing upside. | Base-case underwriting comp. |
| Local / Execution | Edgewater, Terracon examples | Principal rates ~$187–$261/hr | Execution-led or local-market pricing. | Potential margin-expansion thesis. |
Role Ladder Leverage
Principal-to-junior spread reveals whether a firm captures premium value at the top while maintaining lower-cost delivery capacity underneath.
Service-Line Premium
Toll revenue advisory, specialty marina engineering, PFAS, expert witness, and regulatory consulting can command higher senior rates than generalized field execution work.
Rate Positioner
Illustrative percentile ranking using the current visible dataset.
Principal / Senior Technical Rate Position
Market Intelligence Layer
Translate raw billing data into market themes that matter for investors, management teams, and consultants.
1. Specialty pricing beats geography
Collins and CDM show specialized infrastructure advisory or engineering can command higher rates than geography alone would suggest.
2. Same-project data is a moat
The Sheboygan multi-bid set gives a cleaner view of true competitive positioning because client, year, and scope are held constant.
3. Full ladders reveal pyramid economics
Stantec and Collins show the spread between senior leadership and junior execution roles, critical for utilization and gross margin modeling.
4. Disclosed overhead unlocks margin bridges
CDM’s 154.03% overhead disclosure anchors cost base, profit add-on, and billing-rate multipliers.
Database Schema & Product Model
Suggested structure for turning the website into a queryable pricing-intelligence product.
| Role Band | Examples | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Executive / Principal | Principal, Sr. Principal, Project Principal, Partner, E8 | Captures top-end pricing power and specialty premium. |
| Senior PM / Technical Lead | Project Manager, Senior Engineer, Senior Consultant, Technical Leader | Core management layer; important for blended-rate modeling. |
| Mid-Level Professional | Engineer II/III, Consultant, Designer, Geologist | Primary delivery engine; key revenue-per-FTE input. |
| Junior / Field / Technical | Junior Engineer, CAD, GIS, Technician, Field Staff | Labor leverage and margin execution layer. |
| Admin / Clerical | Project Admin, Clerical, Administrative Support | Support-cost allocation and fully burdened billing comparison. |
Benchmark a Target or Portfolio Company
Upload a rate card or target model and compare pricing against Gaya Capital’s environmental and infrastructure consulting labor-rate database.