Environmental consulting firms provide professional services for environmental concerns, including assessment and advice. Assessment services review proposed construction plans and their impact on the environment, while advice services provide guidance on environmental regulations. The company’s employees, including subject matter experts, senior consultants, and junior consultants, are the main asset of the business.
The main objective of an environmental consulting firm is to provide companies and organizations with access to a range of professional services relating to environmental concerns. It is important to note that there are actually two very different types of environmental consulting services: assessment and advice. A growing number of companies provide both services, using in-house expertise to meet the needs of different customer groups.
An environmental consulting firm that focuses on assessment services is typically engaged by government departments and construction and property development companies. The primary service provided is reviewing proposed construction or development plans and documenting the impact on the local environment of these plans. The vast majority of construction and development proposals must include an environmental impact assessment. This report is created by licensed professional environmental engineers along with experts in biology and environmental science.
The purpose of the report is to obtain an independent and unbiased opinion on the long-term impact of any proposed development. While many people feel that this simply adds to the costs of public works projects, these assessments often identify problems that were not uncovered elsewhere in the process. Underground streams, varying soil conditions, water runoff and surrounding development all affect the cost and risks of any development project.
There is a specific set of skills needed to set up an environmental consulting business. In consulting, the main asset of the company is the employees and their skills. Typically, there are three tiers of employees in this type of company: Subject Matter Expert, Senior Consultant, and Junior Consultant. The subject matter expert usually has extensive experience and formal training in the field. He or she is often a founding partner and has limited interaction with customers.
A senior consultant with an environmental consulting firm has 10 to 12 years of experience in the field and is assigned to projects as a project manager or coordinator. He or she is responsible for managing the project team, meeting customer requirements, and producing the final report. Formal academic credentials are required for this position, most commonly at the master’s or doctoral level.
Junior consultants work under the guidance of the senior consultant. He or she is responsible for conducting the fieldwork, meeting with the client, and providing detailed reports to the senior consultant. An undergraduate degree and at least three years of work experience are required to qualify for this type of position.
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