GHD and ZAPATA form mentor protégé relationship to expand federal services

WASHINGTON, DC, March 24, 2025: GHD, a leading professional services company, and ZAPATA, a full-service architecture-engineering firm, announced the formation of a Small Business Administration (SBA) approved mentor-protégé joint venture. This strategic relationship enables the pursuit of small business set-aside contracts across federal agencies.

The SBA mentor-protégé agreement establishes a joint venture led by ZAPATA as the small business protégé, with GHD serving as mentor. Through this relationship structure, which operates as a small business entity, the joint venture will pursue prime contract opportunities with federal agencies. 

Ted Whiton, GHD Executive General Manager for the US said, "This mentor-protégé relationship aligns perfectly with GHD's strategic goals in the federal market. By serving as a mentor to ZAPATA, we're not only expanding our reach into small business set-aside opportunities but also fulfilling our commitment to supporting the growth of small businesses in our industry. Together, we bring complementary strengths that will deliver exceptional value to federal clients."

"This strategic relationship combines ZAPATA's 35 years of federal experience with GHD's established technical capabilities," said Marty Ray, Executive Vice President at ZAPATA. "As the lead firm in this mentor-protégé relationship, we look forward to expanding our services while maintaining our commitment to federal excellence."

The mentor-protégé joint venture combines both firms' strengths in architectural, engineering, business advisory and environmental services under NAICS code 541330 Engineering Services. The relationship allows both firms to pursue contracts as a unified entity, bringing enhanced service offerings and nationwide reach to federal agency clients.

The ZAPATA GHD SBA-approved mentor-protégé relationship establishes a strategic joint venture combining ZAPATA's small business status and 35 years of federal experience with GHD's global resources and technical expertise. ZAPATA, as the protégé, is a full-service architecture-engineering firm specializing in federal projects, while GHD is a leading professional services company with 12,000+ professionals across 160 offices worldwide. Together, they deliver comprehensive solutions in architecture, engineering, environmental services, business advisory and project management to federal clients. This relationship enables federal agencies to meet small business contracting goals while receiving the benefits of large-business capabilities and resources. The joint venture operates under NAICS code 541330 Engineering Services.

Acerca de GHD

GHD es una empresa líder en servicios profesionales que opera en los mercados mundiales de agua, energía y recursos, medio ambiente, infraestructura y edificaciones, y transporte. Comprometidos con la visión de garantizar que el agua, la energía y las comunidades sean sostenibles para las futuras generaciones, GHD ofrece soluciones en consultoría, servicios digitales, ingeniería, arquitectura, medio ambiente y construcción a clientes del sector público y privado. Fundada en 1928 y propiedad de sus trabajadores, GHD cuenta con una red de más de 12.000 profesionales en más de 160 oficinas en cinco continentes.