General Engineering Contracting
We hold California A License #777345, a General Engineering Contractor classification. On most engagements we use that license as a source of judgment while advising owners. On some, we use it to build the work.
When an owner wants a single accountable party holding the construction risk, we can contract directly.
A license we actually use
The A classification covers fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill: grading and excavation, roadways, drainage and sewers, water systems, pipelines, and site development. It is the license category that governs most of the horizontal construction in California.
We have held it continuously since the firm's founding in 1994. That matters even on assignments where we never sign a construction contract, because it means our estimates, schedules, and constructability comments come from people who have carried the risk they are describing.
When direct contracting makes sense
- Specialized or unusual work where few qualified bidders exist
- Projects where the owner wants a single point of construction responsibility
- Remedial or corrective work on a project another contractor left incomplete
- Work required under a settlement, judgment, or agency enforcement action
- Rehabilitation of a distressed or partially built asset
- Emergency or time critical repairs where procurement would consume the schedule
- Special projects an owner needs performed by an independent contractor
How we contract
We do not bid work competitively against contractors whose numbers we may later be asked to review, and we do not perform construction on a project where we hold an owner side advisory role. That separation is what keeps our advisory work credible. When we do contract, it is under a negotiated agreement with a defined scope, an agreed price structure, and full transparency on cost.
Asset rehabilitation
A recurring assignment: an owner or lender takes back a partially built project and needs someone to establish what exists, what condition it is in, what it will cost to complete or correct, and then to actually do the work. That combination of forensic assessment and construction capability is difficult to source from either a pure consultant or a pure contractor.
Bonding and insurance
We maintain the licensing, bonding capacity, and insurance coverage required for public and private work in California. Specific limits and bonding capacity are provided on request during qualification.
Contracting capabilities
- Mass grading and earthwork
- Site development and rough and precise grading
- Storm drain and drainage facilities
- Water and sewer main installation
- Roadway and paving
- Erosion control and water quality facilities
- Demolition and site clearing
- Remedial and corrective work
- Asset rehabilitation and project completion
- Emergency and time critical repairs
- Special projects as an independent contractor
- Design-build civil work
What you receive
Every engagement is scoped in writing before it begins, so you know exactly what is being produced and when.
Scope and price proposal
A defined scope of work with a transparent price structure, clear exclusions, and a schedule commitment.
Existing conditions assessment
On rehabilitation and completion work, a documented assessment of what exists, its condition, and what it will take to finish or correct.
Construction schedule
A CPM schedule for the contracted work with agency, procurement, and weather constraints reflected.
Progress reporting
Regular written reporting on progress, cost position, and issues, in the same format we provide as construction managers.
Quality documentation
Testing results, inspection records, and conformance documentation maintained throughout the work.
Closeout package
As builts, warranties, agency acceptance, lien releases, and final reconciliation.
Questions owners ask about this service
Will you bid against other contractors on our project?
Generally no. Competitive bidding puts us in the position of pricing against firms whose work we are elsewhere retained to evaluate. Our contracting work is negotiated and typically arises where the situation calls for our specific combination of analytical and construction capability.
Can you serve as both construction manager and contractor on the same project?
No. Those roles conflict, and an owner who allows them to be combined loses the independent check that makes construction management valuable in the first place. We do one or the other on any given project.
What is a California A License?
It is the General Engineering Contractor classification issued by the Contractors State License Board, covering fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge: grading, roads, drainage, pipelines, water systems, and related infrastructure. Our license number is 777345, and its status can be verified through the CSLB.
Do you self perform or subcontract?
It depends on the work. We structure each project around the most capable execution available, which frequently means qualified subcontractors under our management and our contract. Either way, accountability sits with us.
Talk to us about General Engineering Contracting
Send us the project details and we will tell you what a defensible scope of work looks like and what it would cost. Initial consultations carry no fee.
Send us the project
Tell us the site, the scope, and the deadline. Initial consultations carry no fee and no obligation.