KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell, a 100% employee-owned engineering, architecture and construction firm, has formed a strategic partnership with SewerAI, an artificial intelligence and data management platform for sewer and water infrastructure. The partnership will help utilities turn inspection data into coordinated plans that prioritize infrastructure investments.

Utilities often manage inspection data across multiple systems and spreadsheets, making it difficult to gain a comprehensive view of asset conditions and investment needs. The partnership combines the engineering and infrastructure experience of Burns & McDonnell with SewerAI’s Pioneer platform, creating a connected approach that helps utilities move from raw inspection data to risk-based rehabilitation strategies and capital plans. Through an implementation partner agreement, Burns & McDonnell will deploy Pioneer across its Water Group. 1898 & Co., the business and technology consulting arm of Burns & McDonnell, will lead implementation and offer the platform to utilities throughout the United States and Canada.

“Developing our digital water strategy means finding partners that can help our clients move more efficiently from raw inspection data to funded plans without adding another disconnected system for their teams to manage,” says Kevin Slaven, managing director of water at Burns & McDonnell. “SewerAI gives our water practice that capability while aligning with how we already serve our clients.”

Burns & McDonnell and SewerAI will also collaborate on customized risk and rehabilitation models that combine SewerAI’s artificial intelligence capabilities with engineering methodologies and cost data from Burns & McDonnell. This approach will help utilities evaluate asset conditions, prioritize improvements and develop practical investment strategies tailored to their systems and needs.

“Our work is focused on modernizing the systems and technologies utilities use to manage their infrastructure,” says Brian Hiller, senior managing director of geographic information system (GIS) solutions at 1898 & Co. “SewerAI integrates with the work management systems utilities already use, making it easier to share inspection information and turn it into valuable data that supports infrastructure decisions.”

“Combining Burns & McDonnell’s engineering experience with SewerAI’s technology helps utilities turn data into action. Utilities can now get ahead of the problem, rehabilitate more of their aging infrastructure and fix pipes before they fail. Moving utilities from reactive to proactive is why we started SewerAI,” says Billy Gilmartin, co-founder and co-CEO of SewerAI.

Through the partnership, Burns & McDonnell and SewerAI will support utilities and municipalities with:

• AI-assisted inspection analysis: SewerAI’s AutoCode technology helps transform inspection footage into consistent, actionable condition data that complies with NASSCO industry standards.
• Customized risk and rehabilitation planning: Pioneer allows utilities to create tailored risk models and rehabilitation recommendation engines using their own inputs, along with engineering methodologies and cost data from Burns & McDonnell, to prioritize infrastructure investments.
• Coordinated client delivery: Burns & McDonnell and SewerAI will collaborate across utility engagements to coordinate infrastructure assessments, planning and modernization.

The partnership builds on nearly three years of collaboration. Burns & McDonnell first selected SewerAI in 2023 to support a wastewater infrastructure project for a municipal utility operating under a federal consent decree. Since then, the organizations have expanded their work together across multiple utility projects.

This work includes developing a customized risk model to help a utility evaluate infrastructure conditions and prioritize rehabilitation needs. The partnership is also active on a sewer project where Burns & McDonnell is using SewerAI’s AutoCode technology to support inspection analysis and condition assessment.

By connecting inspection data, engineering analysis and capital planning, the partnership will help utilities better understand infrastructure conditions, prioritize rehabilitation needs and make informed investments to improve system performance and resilience.

About Burns & McDonnell

Working from more than 75 offices around the world, Burns & McDonnell designs and builds critical infrastructure. Our family of companies — driven by engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists — delivers projects grounded in safety and a desire to make a difference as we make our clients successful. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee owned. Learn more.

About 1898 & Co.

1898 & Co. is a global business and technology consultancy that brings together a unique blend of engineers and industry leaders to deliver strategic business insights and solutions for critical infrastructure industries. We partner with clients to plan, invest, secure and optimize critical assets for a successful, sustainable future. Learn more.

About SewerAI

SewerAI is the AI platform that utilities, contractors, and engineering firms use to inspect, assess, and rehabilitate sewer and water infrastructure. The company’s PIONEER™ platform brings together field capture, cloud-based data management, AI-assisted NASSCO coding with AutoCode™, and AI-driven capital planning with Risk & Rehab™, connecting every step from fieldwork to the master plan. More than 2,000 cities and a national network of contractors rely on SewerAI to deliver faster, more accurate, and more cost-effective infrastructure programs, supported by the industry's largest infrastructure inspection dataset. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, SewerAI serves municipalities, utilities, and contractors across North America. Learn more.