CDM Smith
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering, Construction, Environmental consulting |
| Predecessor | Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder | Thomas Ringgold Camp, Herman Dresser, Jack McKee |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Design, consulting, program management services in water, environment, transportation, energy, facilities |
| Owner | Employee-owned |
Number of employees | 6000 (2022) |
| Website | cdmsmith |
CDM Smith Inc. is a privately held American engineering and construction company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves both public and private sectors worldwide, focusing on projects related to water, environmental issues, transportation, energy, and facilities. The firm's primary services encompass design, consulting, and program management, with particular attention to developing fields such as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), transportation advisory, lead contamination in drinking water, and digital innovations. Owned by its employees, the company has a workforce of about 6,000 and was ranked 23rd on Engineering News-Record's 2022 Top 500 Design Firms list and 22nd on their 2021 Top 200 Environmental Firms list.
History
Established in 1947 by Thomas Ringgold Camp along with Herman Dresser and Jack McKee, Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) originally focused on drinking water infrastructure projects within New England. The firm began its international expansion during the 1960s with undertakings in Colombia and Bangladesh, gradually transforming into a global engineering and construction enterprise. During the 1970s, CDM grew its capabilities through acquisitions and collaborations with U.S. federal agencies such as the EPA, broadening its service areas to include clean water, hazardous waste management, environmental protection, transportation, energy, and facilities across both domestic and international markets. Today, CDM Smith employs nearly 5,000 people across 131 offices worldwide, including 85 locations within the United States.
In 2011, CDM acquired Wilbur Smith Associates, a transportation engineering company with approximately 1,000 employees, resulting in the creation of CDM Smith. Further acquisitions followed, including the Ohio-based Louis Perry Group in 2014 to strengthen expertise in industrial sectors such as rubber and plastics. In 2015, the company moved its headquarters from Cambridge to a more compact yet strategically positioned office at 75 State Street in Boston. The firm continued its growth by acquiring Milestone Solutions in 2021, a North American company specializing in road usage charging and pricing solutions.
In January 2022, CDM Smith introduced Trinnex, a subsidiary dedicated to providing digital services and software solutions for municipal clients across the United States. Trinnex offers SaaS products including pipeCAST for water infrastructure management, leadCAST for lead pipe evaluation, epiCAST for epidemic surveillance, and precipiCAST for weather forecasting analytics. Its digital service offerings cover risk management, capital planning, digital transformation strategies, decision analytics, optimization techniques, and the development of digital twins. Trinnex operates out of Manchester, New Hampshire with a team of nearly 50 employees.
In 2017, although investigations uncovered $1.18 million in payments made to officials in India connected to highway contracts by CDM Smith employees or agents, the U.S. Department of Justice chose not to pursue prosecution. The company agreed to pay close to $4 million to the U.S. Treasury to settle bribery-related inquiries. Furthermore, CDM Smith faced sanctions imposed by the World Bank for failing to disclose a subcontractor on a project in Vietnam; however, it received a conditional non-debarment status lasting eighteen months. Following these developments, Indian authorities launched investigations; notably, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a First Information Report (FIR) in February 2018 based on findings from the Central Vigilance Commission’s Special Investigation Team.
Principal subsidiaries
Key subsidiaries of CDM Smith encompass:
- CDM Constructors Inc.
- CDM Federal Programs Corporation
- CDM International Inc.
- CDM Smith Consult GmbH (Germany)
- CDM Smith Danismanlik ve Mühendislik Ltd. (Turkey)
- CDM Smith Sp.z.o.o. (Poland)
- The Louis Perry Group
- Trinnex
Significant projects
- Expansion of Houston Northeast Water Purification Plant; a $1.8 billion progressive design-build endeavor, representing the largest project of its category
- Newark Lead Service Line Replacement Program; established as the national benchmark in the United States for lead pipe replacement efforts
- Wadi Al Arab System II Water Conveyance Project; a $129.5 million enterprise delivering potable water in Jordan
- COVID-19 Alternate Care Facility in Kalispell, Montana; rapid design and construction to enhance hospital capacity amid the pandemic
- Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) All-Electronic Tolling System; upgrading Massachusetts Turnpike toll plazas with transponder-based technology
- Brunswick County Northwest Water Treatment Plant Expansion; utilizing reverse osmosis to eliminate PFAS contaminants to undetectable levels for a North Carolina community
- Water Purification Technology Program and Research & Development Testing in Jacksonville, Florida; innovating alternative water sources for one of the largest municipally owned utilities in the U.S.
- Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) US 67 Corridor Master Plan; comprehensive public involvement including bilingual outreach and digital engagement tools
- Metolong Dam and Water Supply Program in Lesotho; supplying safe drinking water to more than 500,000 residents
- Indianapolis All-Electric Bus Rapid Transit System; promoting advancements in bus rapid transit technologies
- DC Water Waste-to-Energy Project; a $470 million facility producing a net 10 megawatts of electricity through wastewater treatment processes