SGS Economics and Planning

What SGS Economics and Planning does

SGS Economics and Planning is an Australian urban and public policy consultancy founded in 1990, headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand. The firm provides fee-for-service economic analysis, land use forecasting, policy development, infrastructure planning, and program evaluation primarily to Australian local, state and federal government agencies, alongside select corporates, educational institutions and non-profits. Core revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements sold directly to clients via thought-leadership publications, events, and free demonstrations of proprietary tools.

SGS's technical platform rests on four proprietary analytical engines: the Small Area Model (SAM), a fine-grain spatial forecasting model producing over 25 million data points across dwellings/population, employment and student variables via combined top-down and bottom-up methodologies; the Transport Impact Model (TIM), which forecasts land use impacts of major transport infrastructure investments; the Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index (CRWI), an annual socio-economic wellbeing index covering six dimensions at LGA level; and the Rental Affordability Index (RAI), an annual affordability tracker running since 2015. These are delivered via publicly accessible interactive dashboards and complemented by client-specific web tools such as Schoolscape, the Local Infrastructure Contributions Calculator, the Australian Co-op and Mutual Directory, and the Resilient Communities Dashboard.

The business is privately held, certified as a B Corporation, and operates on a partnership model with named principals including Julian Szafraniec (CEO), Ellen Witte, Jo Noesgaard, Marcus Spiller, Yuan Deng, Andrew McDougall, Patrick Fensham, Alison Holloway and Peter Galvin (Chairman), alongside approximately 75 specialist staff nationally. Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward Australian local government, with named engagements spanning councils in Victoria and NSW, state departments of education and planning, universities, and sector bodies including Cricket Australia, BCCM and Wilya Janta.

Name

SGS Economics and Planning

Legal name

SGS Economics & Planning

Website

https://sgsep.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SGS Economics and Planning is an Australian urban and public policy consultancy founded in 1990, providing economic analysis, land-use forecasting, transport impact modelling and social research to government agencies, planners and select non-profits across Australia and New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic and Urban Planning Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic & Macroeconomic Research (BPAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scenario Planning, Forecasting Platforms & Planning Intelligence (HDAAAHAL), Competitive & Market Intelligence (Competitive Tracking, TAM/SAM/SOM) (MPAAALAL)

Keywords

• Economic consulting services
• Urban planning advisory
• Land use forecasting
• Policy analysis consulting
• Infrastructure impact modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: SGS generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements with government agencies (local, state, federal) and corporate clients. Projects span economic analysis, land use forecasting, policy development, infrastructure planning, and program evaluation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SGS Economics and Planning is an Australian urban and public policy consultancy that delivers economic analysis, demographic and land use forecasting, policy development, and infrastructure planning services to government agencies and select corporate and non-profit clients. The firm develops and applies proprietary forecasting models (SAM, TIM) and produces annual research indices (RAI, CRWI) to support evidence-based planning and investment decisions.

Product overview

SGS Economics and Planning offers an integrated suite of analytical products and web-based tools for urban planning, economic analysis, and policy decision-making. The core portfolio includes SAM (Small Area Model) for fine-grain spatial forecasting of population, employment and students; TIM (Transport Impact Model) for transport infrastructure impact analysis; the Rental Affordability Index (RAI) for rental affordability tracking; and the Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index (CRWI) for socio-economic wellbeing assessment. These are complemented by specialized web tools including the Local Infrastructure Contributions Calculator, Schoolscape enrolment forecasting tool, Australian Co-op and Mutual Directory, Resilient Communities Dashboard, and Strategic Economic Impact Model (SEIM). All products are delivered through web-accessible interactive platforms enabling analysis and visualization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAM (Small Area Model): A forecast model creating detailed fine-grain spatial data for integrated and locally focused planning decisions across public and private sectors, producing over 25 million data points across dwellings, population, employment, and student variables
• TIM (Transport Impact Model)
• CRWI (Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index)
• RAI (Rental Affordability Index)

Products and services

• Small Area Model (SAM) Fine-grain spatial forecasting model producing over 25 million data points across dwellings/population, employment, and student variables. Combines top-down and bottom-up methodologies to deliver scenario testing and policy evaluation for government and private sector clients across NSW, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland.
• Transport Impact Model (TIM) Forecasting model that predicts land use impacts of major transport infrastructure investment, demonstrating the link between accessibility, employment, and housing demand. Used for city-wide visions, investment appraisal, project design, land use controls, and economic development strategies.
• SGS Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index (CRWI) Annual research report examining socio-economic wellbeing at local government area level across Australia, presenting GDP alongside six wellbeing dimensions: income and wealth, employment knowledge and skills, housing, health, equality and community, and environment.
• Rental Affordability Index (RAI) Annual research tracking rental affordability across Australia relative to household incomes, calculating affordability scores based on the 30/40 rule and highlighting experiences of disadvantaged households. Produced in partnership with National Shelter and Housing All Australians.
• Professional Consulting Services Fee-for-service consulting engagements spanning economic analysis, land use forecasting, policy development, infrastructure planning, and program evaluation for government agencies (local, state, federal) and corporate clients across Australia and New Zealand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Permeability alternatives deliver $1.80-$2.20 in community, economic, and environmental benefits for every dollar invested (City of Port Phillip)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SGS designed and developed the Australian Co-op and Mutual Directory for BCCM, funded by the Australian Government through the Care Together program. The directory was released in late 2025 as part of the International Year of Cooperatives.
• National SheltercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015National Shelter is a key partner in producing the annual Rental Affordability Index (RAI). As Australia's peak housing advocacy organization, National Shelter provides expertise on housing affordability issues and helps ensure the RAI serves policymakers effectively.
• Housing All AustralianscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Housing All Australians partners with SGS on the annual Rental Affordability Index, bringing industry perspective to the housing affordability research.
• University of CanberracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGS partnered with University of Canberra to develop a resilience dashboard with 36 indicators across nine dimensions. The dashboard addresses gaps in timely, accurate, and geographically relevant resilience data for proactive planning.
• Wilya JantacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilya Janta is an innovative Aboriginal not-for-profit cultural consultancy. SGS developed a business case for culturally safe and healthy Aboriginal housing, exploring rationale and costs/benefits of implementing Right Way Housing Guidelines in remote Northern Territory communities.
• Aboriginal Housing Northern TerritorycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAboriginal Housing Northern Territory partnered with SGS and Wilya Janta to develop a business case for culturally appropriate remote housing delivery.
• Neighbourhood EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGS partnered with Neighbourhood Economics (with support from Greater Melbourne Foundation) on the Norlane and Corio place-based economic development project, exploring Community Wealth Building approaches.
• Western Sydney Planning PartnershipcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWestern Sydney Planning Partnership engaged SGS to develop a Local Infrastructure Contributions Calculator to assist councils with contributions planning for both infill and greenfield development across Western Sydney.
• Paul HoworthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Howorth leads SGS's place-based approach in Aotearoa New Zealand, with deep expertise in urban policy, Indigenous development and impact investment. Long-time collaborator now expanding SGS's presence in New Zealand.
• Allies for UluruminorOthersSGS is a proud member of Allies for Uluru, supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart and constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ethos Urban: Australian urban planning, economics, and policy consultancy of similar size serving local/state government. Highly comparable business model combining economic analysis, urban policy advisory, and place-based consulting across Australia.
• .id (Informed Decisions): Australian demographic, economic, and housing forecasting firm providing small-area population forecasts to local government. Directly comparable to SGS's SAM model with overlapping government client base and productised data tooling.
• MacroPlan Dimasi: Long-standing Australian economic research and forecasting consultancy serving local and state government. Closely comparable in offering demographic and economic projections, infrastructure contributions analysis, and urban economics advisory.
• REMPLAN: Australian economic and demographic data platform offering impact modelling and small-area forecasts to local government and industry. Comparable as a competitor in economic impact modelling and a complementary data vendor.
• Urbis: Australian urban planning, economics, and property consultancy serving government and developers. Significant overlap in urban economics, policy, and infrastructure advisory work for similar state and council clients.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Access Economics: The economic advisory arm of Big-4 firm Deloitte Australia. Competes for many of the same economic forecasting, policy impact assessment, and infrastructure business case engagements from federal/state government, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• KPMG Australia: Big-4 firm with substantial economics, infrastructure advisory, and government consulting practices in Australia. Directly competes for large multi-year economic and policy mandates that SGS would otherwise bid on.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure and urban planning consultancy with significant Australia presence. Competes on transport infrastructure planning, land use strategy, and economic impact assessment in jurisdictions where SGS operates.
• Oxford Economics Australia: Global economic forecasting and research firm with an Australian practice. Overlap in macroeconomic forecasting, scenario modelling, and policy impact assessment, though typically at a national scale versus SGS's spatial granularity.

Emerging players

• Place Partners: Australian boutique urban strategy and economics consultancy. Similar specialisation in place-based economic analysis and planning for government and precinct developers but a smaller and earlier-stage player.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SGSEcoandPlan
• Facebookfacebook.com/sgseconomicsandplanning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sgs-economics-and-planning

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 SGS Economics and Planning