Denise Duffy & Associates

What Denise Duffy & Associates does

Denise Duffy & Associates, Inc. (DD&A) is a privately held environmental consulting firm founded in 1984 and headquartered at 947 Cass Street in Monterey, California, with satellite offices in San Jose and Santa Barbara. The firm provides planning, natural resource, and environmental compliance services to public agencies and private clients across California's Central Coast and statewide. Its core practice areas cover California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, regulatory permit acquisition, mitigation monitoring and condition compliance, biological and natural resource evaluations, public outreach, air quality and greenhouse gas modeling, GIS analysis, and, since 2021, aerial imagery and mapping using Part 107 compliant unmanned aerial systems (drones) with photogrammetry and multispectral/NDVI outputs.

Technically, DD&A's stack is conventional for the environmental consulting sector rather than proprietary. Field capabilities include protocol-level biological surveys (e.g., California Tiger Salamander, California Red-Legged Frog under USFWS Federal Recovery Permit #TE-091857-0), wetland delineations, GIS-based spatial analysis, drone-based orthomosaic and multispectral mapping, and air quality/GHG modeling using established tools (URBEMIS2007, EMFAC, OFFROAD, CALINE4). The firm does not develop or license proprietary software, does not hold patents, and has no disclosed AI/ML components; its differentiation rests on personnel expertise, regulatory knowledge, and credentials rather than technology.

DD&A generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements under fixed-fee contracts, master service agreements, and on-call contracts with government clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is described as competitive and DOQ (Depending on Qualifications). Named customers span large water utilities (San Jose Water Company, California-American Water), municipal and county governments (City of Monterey, Monterey County), regional agencies (Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, Fort Ord Reuse Authority), nonprofits (Big Sur Land Trust), and major private-sector clients (Apple, via the California Flats Solar Project). Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales driven by reputation, referrals, and on-call/master service agreements rather than marketing-led demand generation. The firm is a State of California-certified Small and Woman-owned Business Enterprise.

Name

Denise Duffy & Associates

Legal name

Denise Duffy & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://ddaplanning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Denise Duffy & Associates is a Monterey, California-based environmental consulting firm (founded 1984) providing CEQA/NEPA documentation, regulatory permitting, biological assessments, and public outreach services to government agencies and private clients throughout California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP) & Permit Compliance Support (EUAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• CEQA NEPA documentation
• Regulatory permit acquisition
• Biological resource assessments
• Mitigation monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterey

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Environmental Consulting Services: DD&A generates revenue through professional consulting services provided to government agencies and private clients. Services include environmental planning, CEQA/NEPA documentation, natural resource evaluation, regulatory permitting, mitigation monitoring, and public outreach. Revenue is project-based, typically involving fixed-fee contracts for specific deliverables or retainer arrangements for ongoing client relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Denise Duffy & Associates provides environmental planning and consulting services including CEQA/NEPA documentation, regulatory permit acquisition, mitigation monitoring, biological resource assessment, public outreach, and air quality and greenhouse gas analysis. The firm serves government agencies, water utilities, and private developers across California's Central Coast and throughout the state through project-based professional engagements.

Product overview

Denise Duffy & Associates (DD&A) is an environmental consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around seven core practice areas: CEQA/NEPA Documentation, Natural Resources Division, Regulatory Compliance and Land Use Entitlements, Public Outreach, Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Analysis, Geographic Information Systems, and Aerial Imagery and Mapping. The firm operates as a services-based consultancy rather than a software product company, providing integrated environmental planning, natural resource evaluation, and regulatory compliance services to government agencies and private clients throughout California's Central Coast and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEQA/NEPA Documentation Specializes in preparing environmental documentation in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including Initial Studies, Negative Declarations, Environmental Impact Reports, Environmental Impact Statements, and categorical exemptions for government agencies and private developers.
• Natural Resources Division Services Multi-disciplinary team providing biological investigations, special-status species surveys, wetland delineations, habitat conservation plans, and restoration planning for clients requiring ecosystem analysis under federal and state endangered species regulations.
• Regulatory Compliance and Land Use Entitlements Provides regulatory permit acquisition, mitigation design, monitoring, and entitlement acquisition services ensuring compliance with local, regional, state, and federal regulations for development and infrastructure projects.
• Public Outreach Provides public outreach throughout the environmental review process including community outreach plans, agency coordination, stakeholder identification, public meetings, media relations, and online outreach for project proponents and government clients.
• Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Analysis Prepares air quality analyses and modeling to identify direct and indirect air quality impacts using URBEMIS2007, EMFAC, OFFROAD, and CALINE4 models, including greenhouse gas inventories, CO2 hot spot analyses, emission reduction strategies, and climate action plans.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Incorporates GIS into resource planning to evaluate complex analytical and spatial resources including GPS data collection, GIS data creation and management, manipulation, and professional cartographic products for environmental and planning clients.
• Aerial Imagery and Mapping Provides high-resolution geo-referenced aerial imagery using Part 107 compliant unmanned aerial systems (drones), photogrammetry software, and GPS equipment, with outputs including orthomosaic RGB imagery, multispectral imagery, NDVI imagery, 3D modeling, DEM, near infrared (NIR), and point clouds.

Quantifiable outcome

• EIR and EIR Addenda won statewide award for Outstanding Environmental Analysis Document from Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) - described as a model for future purified water projects

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• San Jose Water CompanycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018In early 2018, DD&A entered into a Master Agreement to provide environmental services to San Jose Water Company, the primary water supply company to cities of San Jose, Morgan Hill, Cupertino, and various municipalities in Santa Clara County. DD&A provides CEQA compliance documents, biological assessments, wetland delineations, habitat mapping, and regulatory permitting assistance.
• Monterey One Water (M1W)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDD&A provided CEQA compliance and permitting services for the Pure Water Monterey/Groundwater Replenishment Project. Services included EIR preparation, CEQA-Plus documentation, and mitigation monitoring. DD&A coordinates with SWRCB-Division of Financial Assistance and U.S. EPA for compliance with federal laws.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dudek: California-based environmental and planning consulting firm offering CEQA/NEPA documentation, biological services, water resources, and cultural resources. Comparable service mix and customer types, though larger and more diversified across the western U.S.
• Environmental Science Associates (ESA): California-headquartered environmental consulting firm delivering CEQA/NEPA, biological assessments, permitting, and water resources work for public agencies and private developers. Directly comparable in service scope, with a larger footprint and headcount.
• Rincon Consultants: California-focused environmental services firm providing CEQA/NEPA, biological resources, cultural resources, and air quality/GHG services to municipalities, water districts, and private developers. Closely comparable in scale, geography, and practice areas.
• Ascent Environmental: California-focused environmental planning and CEQA/NEPA consulting firm with overlapping service lines (CEQA documentation, biological resources, permitting, air quality and GHG). Closely comparable on geography, service mix, and customer base to DD&A.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: National environmental consulting firm with deep practice in biological surveys, CEQA/NEPA documentation, permitting, and cultural resources. Directly comparable services, with a broader national footprint that competes with DD&A on larger California pursuits.
• LSA Associates: California-based planning, environmental, and engineering firm offering CEQA/NEPA documentation, biological resources, and cultural resources for municipalities and private developers. Directly comparable practice mix and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• ICF International: Large global consulting firm with a substantial environmental planning, air quality, climate, and energy practice. Competes with DD&A on larger CEQA/NEPA, GHG, and renewable-energy permitting pursuits, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with environmental planning, permitting, and natural resources practices. Competes for large public-sector and private environmental mandates in California but is a much broader, diversified firm.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with a leading water and environmental practice. Overlaps with DD&A on CEQA/NEPA, water resources, and biological services for municipal and developer clients, but operates at vastly larger scale.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global environmental, health, safety, and sustainability consultancy with practices in permitting, impact assessment, and natural resources. Adjacent incumbent with overlap on EHS and environmental due diligence for large corporate clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DeniseDuffy831

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Denise Duffy & Associates