Environmental Science Associates

What Environmental Science Associates does

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is a 100% employee-owned environmental science and planning consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco, California (550 Kearny St, Suite 800). Founded in 1969 and operating with 251–500 employees, ESA delivers professional environmental consulting services across sixteen service lines and six market sectors — Airports/Aviation, Community Development, Energy, Natural Resource Management, Surface Transportation & Ports, and Water — to government agencies, airports, developers, and communities. Core offerings span air-quality monitoring, biological-resources evaluation, climate-change resilience planning, coastal engineering and nature-based adaptation, environmental compliance, environmental review and documentation (including NEPA documentation), federal services, fish and aquatic sciences, flood and stormwater management, landscape architecture, marine infrastructure, planning, ecological restoration, technology-enabled services (including drone-based data collection), and water-resources consulting.

ESA earns revenue primarily through project-based professional-services engagements with federal, state, and local government clients (FAA, DOE, NOAA, USACE, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, FDOT, City of Huntington Beach), supplemented by private-sector infrastructure and energy work and select education-sector engagements (e.g., Stanford). Federal procurement is conducted through a GSA Schedule with pre-approved pricing and through agency-specific IDIQ vehicles (e.g., NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Habitat Conservation). Direct enterprise field sales — not self-service or channel-based distribution — is the dominant go-to-market motion. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with bespoke multi-year contract structures.

Two proprietary technology assets augment the consulting core: ESA Solutions, a secure (256-bit SSL) web environment where clients, vendors, and subcontractors submit project documentation via password-protected accounts, and the Permitting Policy Tracker, a public web tool that tracks federal permitting and NEPA policy changes with expert analysis. ESA has expanded capabilities through acquisitions of ESA PCR (2016) and Sitka Technology Group (Jan 2022), and has built targeted offerings in Advanced Air Mobility planning for airports/FAA and in nature-based coastal adaptation aligned with federal climate-resilience priorities.

Name

Environmental Science Associates

Legal name

Environmental Science Associates

Website

https://esassoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm (founded 1969, HQ San Francisco) delivering NEPA compliance, permitting, biological-resources, climate-resilience, coastal, and aviation planning services primarily to U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies via GSA Schedule and IDIQ contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• NEPA compliance consulting
• Environmental impact assessment
• Biological resources consulting
• Coastal engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Environmental Consulting Services: ESA generates revenue through providing professional environmental consulting services to government agencies, airports, and private sector clients including environmental impact reports, NEPA compliance documentation, biological assessments, and planning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Environmental Science Associates is an employee-owned environmental consulting and planning firm that delivers professional services for environmental impact assessment, NEPA compliance documentation, biological resources evaluation, air quality monitoring, climate change resilience planning, coastal engineering, flood and stormwater management, and ecological restoration. The firm organizes these capabilities into six market sectors — Airports/Aviation, Community Development, Energy, Natural Resource Management, Surface Transportation & Ports, and Water — serving federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private-sector developers.

Product overview

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional services rather than a single software product. The firm provides specialized consulting across multiple service lines including Air Quality, Biological Resources, Climate Change & Resilience, Coastal Engineering, Environmental Compliance, Environmental Review & Documentation, Federal Services, Fish and Aquatic Sciences, Flood & Stormwater Management, Landscape Architecture, Marine Infrastructure, Planning, Restoration, Technology, and Water Resources. These services are organized into six market sectors: Airports/Aviation, Community Development, Energy, Natural Resource Management, Surface Transportation & Ports, and Water. Notable offerings include ESA Solutions (a secure client collaboration platform) and the Permitting Policy Tracker (a free public resource tracking federal environmental policy changes). ESA serves government agencies, airports, developers, and communities seeking environmental planning, compliance, and permitting support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Quality Services Environmental consulting services for air quality monitoring and assessment across various project types and regulatory frameworks, supporting infrastructure, energy, and development projects.
• Biological Resources Services Consulting services for evaluating and managing biological resources, including habitat assessments and species protection, in support of environmental review and regulatory compliance.
• Climate Change & Resilience Services Services helping clients assess climate risks and develop resilience strategies for infrastructure, ecosystems, and communities, including adaptation planning.
• Coastal Engineering, Management & Nature-Based Adaptation Engineering and consulting services for coastal infrastructure projects utilizing nature-based solutions for shoreline protection and adaptation.
• Cultural & Historic Resources Services Services for evaluating and preserving cultural and historic resources in compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Environmental Compliance Services Consulting to ensure projects meet federal, state, and local environmental regulatory requirements.
• Environmental Review & Documentation Services Preparation of environmental impact reports, assessments, and NEPA documentation for development projects.
• Federal Services Specialized consulting services for federal agency clients navigating environmental regulatory frameworks and federal procurement vehicles.
• Fish and Aquatic Sciences Services Scientific services for evaluating fish populations and aquatic ecosystems in support of environmental reviews and habitat restoration.
• Flood & Stormwater Management Services Engineering and planning services for flood control and stormwater management infrastructure.
• Landscape Architecture Services Design services integrating environmental considerations with landscape planning and urban design.
• Marine Infrastructure Services Engineering and environmental services for marine and coastal infrastructure projects.
• Planning Services Strategic planning services for land use, transportation, and community development projects.
• Restoration Services Ecological restoration services for degraded habitats and ecosystems, including river and wetland restoration.
• Technology Services Technology-enabled environmental management services, including drone-based data collection and emerging technology applications.
• Water Resources Services Engineering and scientific services for water resource management and infrastructure projects.
• ESA Solutions Secure collaborative web environment for clients, vendors, and subcontractors to securely submit project data and documentation to ESA, using 256-bit SSL encryption and password-protected accounts.
• Permitting Policy Tracker Free web-based resource tracking federal permitting and NEPA policy changes, providing status summaries, links to regulatory orders, and expert analysis on environmental regulatory developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced permit-related costs and delays for temporary events through proper planning and environmental review
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• For A Bright Future FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2025ESA partnered with For A Bright Future Foundation to fund two scholarships for underrepresented STEM students in 2025. ESA granted $10,000 to support scholarships aimed at first-generation college students pursuing environmental sciences. The initiative aims to empower underserved communities and promote diversity in STEM fields.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ICF International: ICF is a publicly traded consulting firm with a large environmental planning, NEPA, climate resilience and federal strategy practice serving many of the same FAA, DOE and NOAA clients as ESA, making it a direct peer for environmental impact assessment work.
• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a global environmental and engineering consulting firm with a deep NEPA, water resources, climate resilience and energy practice directly competing with ESA on federal IDIQ and airport/transportation pursuits.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: SWCA is a privately held environmental consulting firm of similar size offering NEPA, biological resources, cultural resources and permitting services to federal, state and private clients across the western US, directly comparable to ESA.
• Dudek: Dudek is a California-based environmental, planning and engineering firm offering NEPA/CEQA compliance, biological resources and water services to public agencies, closely mirroring ESA's California footprint and service mix.
• Anchor QEA: Anchor QEA is a mid-sized environmental, water resources and ecological restoration consulting firm serving federal agencies, ports and municipalities on projects similar to ESA's Pacific Northwest coastal and fisheries work.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: AECOM is a global engineering and infrastructure firm with a substantial environment, water and coastal practice that competes with ESA on large federal and airport environmental programs as part of a much broader design-and-build portfolio.
• WSP USA: WSP is a global engineering consultancy whose environment, climate and transportation teams directly compete with ESA on NEPA, permitting and coastal projects, but as part of a much larger multi-discipline portfolio.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a large engineering and consulting firm with a significant environmental, water and federal services practice that competes with ESA on federal infrastructure, climate resilience and coastal programs from a much larger revenue base.
• Stantec: Stantec is a large multi-disciplinary environmental and engineering consultancy with a US environmental services practice competing for NEPA, water, and infrastructure work alongside ESA.
• HDR Inc. HDR is an engineering and consulting firm with established environmental, water and transportation practices competing with ESA on transportation, water and climate resilience pursuits as part of a broad infrastructure portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Environmental Science Associates