ERG

What ERG does

ERG (Eastern Research Group, Inc.) is a privately held environmental, public health, and sustainability consulting firm founded in 1984/1986 and headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts with operational hubs in Fairfax, Virginia, New Mexico, and Honolulu. The firm serves federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies across 20+ U.S. states and Pacific territories, providing interdisciplinary services across approximately 28 practice areas including air quality, water and wastewater, PFAS contamination, ecological and rangeland services, life cycle assessment, clean transportation, hazardous waste, public health, and facilities engineering. ERG's PFAS practice has become a national reference, conducting biospecimen-based exposure assessments for CDC/ATSDR at eight sites, building EPA's first national PFAS records repository, and supporting state PFAS rule implementation.

ERG's technology stack centers on the USEEIO model (1,000+ commodities, 500+ economic sectors) for Scope 3 GHG accounting, now stewarded through the Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative co-founded with Stanford and Watershed; two AI products, Permit IMPROVE and Water Reuse Wayz, that automate permitting workflows and water reuse assessment respectively; open-source LCA tooling (useeior, FLOWSA); the FDA DASH database; the Spatial Emissions Estimator for regional air quality planning; and the EPD Quality Program for the construction sector. ERG holds CMMI-DEV ML3, ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 20000, and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications and operates the PG Environmental wholly-owned subsidiary for ecological and rangeland assessment.

The firm generates revenue exclusively through professional services contracts awarded via government procurement, including IDIQ task orders, sole-source awards, and competitive bids across federal agencies (EPA, CDC/ATSDR, FDA, Navy, BLM) and state environmental, transportation, and health agencies. Pricing is contract-driven with no public list rates; relationships are built on long-term technical credibility, cleared staff, and incumbency on multi-year vehicles. Ownership is private with no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

ERG

Legal name

Eastern Research Group, Inc.

Website

https://erg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ERG (Eastern Research Group) is a private environmental and public health consulting firm serving federal, state, and local government agencies across 20+ U.S. states and Pacific territories. It provides interdisciplinary environmental science, engineering, AI-powered permitting tools, life cycle assessment, and PFAS response services through professional services contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Consulting Contracts: ERG generates revenue primarily through professional services contracts with federal, state, and local government agencies. Contracts include task orders under IDIQ agreements, direct awards, and competitive procurements for environmental consulting, technical assistance, data analysis, and program implementation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ERG provides environmental, public health, and sustainability consulting services to U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies, covering air quality, water resources, permitting, compliance, and risk assessment. The firm augments its consulting work with proprietary data management tools (such as Permit IMPROVE, Water Reuse Wayz, Cornerstone, and the EPD Quality Program) used by regulators and program offices to track environmental and health data.

Product overview

ERG (Eastern Research Group Inc.) is a professional services firm providing environmental, public health, and sustainability consulting services across 28 distinct service areas including Air Quality, Water Quality, Energy, Ecological Services, and Life Cycle Assessment. The company offers a portfolio of specialized software tools, AI-powered solutions, and data platforms including Permit IMPROVE (AI-powered permitting optimization), Water Reuse Wayz (AI-enhanced water reuse assessment), the Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative (open-access USEEIO model and sustainability data), and the EPD Quality Program (environmental product declaration evaluation). ERG also provides open-source LCA tools (useeior, FLOWSA), the Spatial Emissions Estimator (SEE) for regional air quality planning, and technical assistance services including a Cornerstone Help Desk and API-based EPD processing. The firm supports federal agencies, state governments, and organizations with environmental compliance, data systems, life cycle assessment, and sustainability measurement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cornerstone: Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative - ERG is a founding member providing open-access sustainability data, including the USEEIO model for Scope 3 GHG emissions accounting.
• EPD Quality Program
• Permit IMPROVE
• Water Reuse Wayz

Products and services

• Environmental Consulting Services Advisory and technical consulting on environmental regulations, permitting, and program delivery for U.S. government clients.
• Public Health Consulting Risk assessment, exposure analysis, and health-program consulting for agencies such as CDC and FDA.
• Sustainability Consulting Strategic and technical sustainability advisory supporting climate, energy, and environmental program goals.
• Permit IMPROVE Proprietary permitting data management system used by environmental regulators to track and manage permit workflows.
• Water Reuse Wayz Proprietary platform supporting water reuse data collection and mapping for program offices and stakeholders.
• Cornerstone Proprietary environmental data management platform supporting regulated entities and program offices.
• EPD Quality Program Proprietary system supporting Environmental Product Declaration quality programs and reporting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8.7 trillion gallons of water saved through WaterSense program support since 2006
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WSPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026WSP will join Cornerstone as a collaborator to lead ongoing technical development and user support for the Cornerstone sustainability dataset. WSP brings additional expertise to the Cornerstone initiative alongside founding members ERG, Stanford, and Watershed.
• Carbon Leadership ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Collaborated with Carbon Leadership Forum to co-author report on LCA modeling approaches for construction material reuse, advancing discussion on PCR guidance and EPD development for reused materials.
• Opus InspectioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026Partnership for Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 10-year remote sensing emissions study. Opus deploys remote sensing devices every two years to measure on-road vehicle emissions while ERG conducts quality assurance and data analysis.
• Women of Color Health Equity CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025Partner for Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program advisory board, bringing diverse perspectives on effective program design and evaluation.
• Data+SoulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025Partner for Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program advisory board, providing community engagement expertise.
• Public Health Institute of Western MassachusettscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025Partner for Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program advisory board, bringing public health expertise to the initiative.
• Lemon Light ProductionsminorOthers · 25 September 2025Local video production studio collaborated with ERG to create electric vehicle messaging video ad for New Mexico Environment Department, available in English and Spanish.
• Stanford Doerr School of SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Founding member of Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative alongside ERG and Watershed. Stanford provides academic rigor and research capabilities to support open-access sustainability data.
• WatershedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Founding member of Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative alongside ERG and Stanford. Watershed provides commercial sustainability platform expertise to support open-access sustainability data initiative.
• CLEAResult EnergeticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2025Teaming partner with ERG for New Mexico Department of Transportation fleet electrification project. CLEAResult is a consulting firm focused on clean energy that supports ERG in developing transition plans, rules, policies, and tracking systems for state fleet electrification.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: International engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a North American environmental practice competing for federal/state water, air, and climate programs.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a sizable federal environmental, water, and sustainability practice serving EPA, DoD, and state DOTs at much larger scale than ERG.
• WSP USA: Global engineering professional services firm with an environmental practice; already a Cornerstone co-lead alongside ERG and competes for major federal/state environmental contracts.

Direct peers

• ICF International: Public environmental and energy consulting firm providing federal and state agency support in air quality, climate, and water, with growing AI/data analytics capabilities overlapping ERG's services.
• RTI International: Nonprofit research institute with environmental and public health practices supporting EPA, NIH, and CDC, with comparable life cycle, emissions, and exposure assessment capabilities.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with deep federal environmental water, air, and sustainability practices serving EPA, USACE, and international agencies — directly comparable client base and service mix.
• SLR International Corporation: Global environmental and sustainability consultancy with strong federal/state compliance, PFAS, and life cycle assessment practices overlapping ERG's core services.
• TRC Companies: Public environmental, engineering, and construction management firm serving utilities, states, and federal agencies on air quality, water, and energy transition programs.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Major federal consulting contractor supporting EPA, Navy, and HHS on environmental, public health, and digital modernization programs, competing for the same IDIQ vehicles as ERG.
• Abt Associates: Research and consulting firm with a federal health and environment division (formerly Abt Environmental) doing PFAS exposure assessments, air quality, and water work similar to ERG's ATSDR/EPA portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ERGupdate
• Facebookfacebook.com/EasternResearchGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eastern-research-group-erg-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ERG