Pasadena-based consulting and engineering firm Tetra Tech Inc. announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water office awarded it a five-year, $105 million contract to restore and protect watersheds and water bodies throughout the United States.
Under this EPA blanket purchase agreement, Tetra Tech will identify, analyze, and evaluate surface water and coastal ecosystems to protect human health and aquatic environments from the impacts of pollution and the effects of climate change, including ocean acidification.
According to the announcement, Tetra Tech’s scientists will design monitoring programs, develop predictive models and prepare technical guidance documents to assess chemical, physical and biological integrity of water bodies. The goal is to develop management strategies for inland and coastal regions impacted by land use-related activities, stormwater and runoff, habitat loss and invasive species.
This is the 10th consecutive EPA watershed management for Tetra Tech, according to Chief Executive Dan Batrack.
“Tetra Tech has supported EPA’s Office of Water in developing science-based solutions for more than 40 years,” Batrack said. During that time, he added, the company provided the agency with analytics, guidance, and training associated with the development and execution of watershed protection programs.
“We are pleased to continue using our ‘leading with science’ approach and … technologies to assess and protect water bodies throughout the United States,” Batrack said.
This contract follows on the heels of a record quarter for booking contracts. Last month, Tetra Tech reported record-high net revenue (minus pass-through payments to subcontractors) of $737 million for its fiscal first quarter ending Jan. 1. And the backlog of contract awards received but for which billings had yet to flow reached a record-high $3.81 billion as of Jan. 1, which was 11% higher than for Jan. 1 of last year. Backlog volume is the best indicator of future work and revenue for the company.
In January, Tetra Tech closed its biggest acquisition in its 56-year history: the $691 million purchase of British environmental consulting firm RPS Group, which has 5,000 employees throughout Europe and several other countries. That purchase didn’t come easy; Tetra Tech had to outbid a Canadian company, Toronto-based WSP Global Inc., for the prize.
