What Essential Services & Programs does

Essential Services & Programs, LLC (ES&P) is a third-party administrator (TPA) specializing in claims management and risk management services for self-insured organizations. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Woodbury, New York, the company is licensed throughout the United States and maintains SSAE 16 Type II compliance. ES&P serves enterprise clients across multiple verticals including retail (large retailers, big box stores, supermarkets), hospitality, family entertainment centers, municipalities, automotive, construction/contractors, and manufacturing/product liability. The firm assigns dedicated claims examiner teams to each client (never rotating adjusters) and employs a Complex Claims Team (CCT) staffed by in-house litigation attorneys with almost 50 years of combined experience handling high-value casualty losses.

ES&P's core technology stack includes two proprietary platforms: FileHandler, a secure web-based system providing 24/7 client access to claims files, and sureClaim, an analytics software offering loss trending, location tracking, and loss prevention insights. The company also leverages ISO Central Index Bureau database access, social surveillance, and a network of local field investigators for comprehensive loss analytics. Services are delivered through a relationship-based B2B model targeting mid-to-large self-insured organizations, with revenue generated through service fees for claims management, litigation oversight, risk management consulting, and legal spend monitoring (the latter via a partnership with Sterling Analytics that yields up to 20% annual savings on client legal spend).

ES&P operates as an affiliate of SterlingRisk, one of the nation's top independently owned insurance brokerage firms. Multiple team members serve dual roles at both organizations, and the firm's operations are deeply integrated with SterlingRisk's brokerage infrastructure and client referral pipeline. The company priced its services under quote-based arrangements rather than publicly disclosed pricing. It operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees and serves clients through direct enterprise sales without intermediaries or distribution channels.

Name

Essential Services & Programs

Legal name

Essential Services & Programs, LLC

Website

https://essentialsp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Essential Services & Programs is a U.S.-licensed third-party administrator providing claims management, risk management, investigation, and legal spend monitoring services to self-insured enterprises across retail, hospitality, municipal, construction, and manufacturing verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Third-Party Claims Administration (TPA) and Risk Management Services

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Claims Adjusting (524291), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Claims Administration & TPA Services (FNOL, Subrogation, Litigation Mgmt) (TLABANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workers’ Compensation & Occupational Health TPA (HLAEALAL), Compliance, Reporting & Regulatory Administration (ERISA/ACA/No Surprises) (HLAEALAJ)

Keywords

• Claims administration services
• Third-party administration
• Risk management services
• Self-insured claims handling
• Loss control consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodbury

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. Third-Party Administration Services: ES&P provides claims management and risk management services as a third-party administrator. The company manages liability claims within clients' Self-Insured Retentions, provides claims oversight, contractual risk-transfer analysis, and loss-control services. Revenue is generated through service fees for managing claims, investigating losses, providing litigation oversight, and risk management consulting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Essential Services & Programs (ES&P) is a third-party administrator (TPA) that manages liability and workers' compensation claims within clients' Self-Insured Retentions, supported by investigative services, loss control, pre-loss consultation, service agreement review, and legal spend monitoring. The company deploys dedicated claims examiner teams to self-insured retailers, municipalities, construction firms, and other commercial clients across the United States, using proprietary FileHandler and sureClaim platforms.

Product overview

Essential Services & Programs (ES&P) is a third-party administrator (TPA) offering a unified suite of claims and risk management services. The core offering includes Claims and Risk Management Services supported by proprietary software platforms (FileHandler for 24/7 claims access and sureClaim for analytics and loss trending), complemented by Investigative Services, Loss Control, Pre-Loss Consultation, Legal Spend Monitoring, and Service Agreement Review. The company deploys a dedicated Complex Claims Team (CCT) staffed by in-house litigation attorneys for high-exposure matters. ES&P serves clients across multiple industries including retail, hospitality, municipalities, construction, and product liability sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Claims and Risk Management Services Hands-on third-party claims administration, contractual risk-transfer analysis, and loss-control services delivered through dedicated claims examiner teams for self-insured organizations.
• Investigative Services Comprehensive investigation of liability and damages including medical records review, social media analysis, surveillance footage review, and access to the ISO Central Index Bureau database to minimize claim overpayments.
• Loss Control Proactive risk management programs including on-site inspections, employee training seminars, and business continuity plans designed to reduce claim frequency and severity.
• Pre-Loss Consultation Pre-loss consultation and training covering accident investigation procedures, strategic training using cutting-edge techniques, and interactive video instruction from defense litigation partners.
• Legal Spend Monitoring Legal fee compliance monitoring and optimization delivered through the Sterling Analytics partnership, including legal invoice auditing against industry best practices, billing guideline compliance, and alternative cost-saving solutions yielding up to 20% annual savings.
• Service Agreement Review Review of vendor, contractor, and service agreements to provide advice on risk transfer and exposure capping for self-insured programs.
• FileHandler State-of-the-art secure web-based system providing 24/7 access for clients to view and manage their claims files.
• sureClaim Claims analytics software providing loss trending, essential analytics, and data tracking for locations, loss types, and other data points to identify loss prevention measures.
• Complex Claims Team (CCT) Specialized team of in-house insurance defense litigation attorneys with almost 50 years of combined experience deployed for highest exposure losses, handling high-value casualty losses, lawsuits, and investigations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20% savings on legal spend annually through legal invoice auditing and compliance with billing guidelines
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sterling AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSterling Analytics is a leading legal bill auditing company owned by SterlingRisk. ES&P partners with Sterling Analytics to audit and analyze client legal bills against industry best practices, build or overhaul outside counsel billing guidelines, and implement cost-saving solutions. The partnership yields combined savings up to 20% annually for clients on legal spend.
• SterlingRiskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerES&P is affiliated with SterlingRisk, one of the nation's top independently owned insurance brokerage firms. Multiple team members serve dual roles at both ES&P and SterlingRisk, including David Sterling as CEO, Lia Krautmanis as Associate General Counsel, and Dennis Sturtz and Steven Markowitz as Directors. SterlingRisk provides the broader brokerage infrastructure and client referrals to ES&P's TPA services.
• The Hartford Claims Brokerage Advisory BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJosh Weisberg serves on The Hartford Claims Brokerage Advisory Board, providing strategic input on claims brokerage matters and maintaining a strategic relationship with The Hartford insurance company.
• New York Insurance AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJosh Weisberg serves on the New York Insurance Academy Board, indicating ES&P's involvement in industry education and professional development initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mitchell International: Provider of claims technology, estimating, and pharmacy solutions for property & casualty and workers' comp; relevant to ES&P as a tech-enabled claims platform whose FileHandler/sureClaim-style solutions compete for the same claims management and analytics workloads.

Direct peers

• York Risk Services Group: National claims administration and managed care services firm providing workers' compensation, liability, and property TPA services to self-insured clients — directly comparable to ES&P's service mix and customer profile.
• Gallagher Bassett: Arthur J. Gallagher's TPA division offering claims management, risk control, and loss consulting for self-insured organizations; competes with ES&P in the same enterprise self-insured segment and offers an integrated brokerage-to-TPA model analogous to the SterlingRisk/ES&P relationship.
• Broadspire (a Crawford company): Third-party claims administrator offering workers' compensation, liability, and medical claims management to self-insured employers; targets the same mid-to-large enterprise market as ES&P with a comparable mix of dedicated adjusters and risk control services.
• ESIS (Chubb subsidiary): Risk management and claims administration services unit of Chubb providing TPA services for general liability, workers' comp, auto, and product liability; directly comparable to ES&P's service suite and self-insured client focus.
• Cannon Cochran Management Services (CCMSI): Mid-sized independent TPA providing workers' compensation, general liability, auto, and property claims administration; structurally similar to ES&P in being a focused, regional-rooted claims administrator serving self-insureds.
• Sedgwick: Largest independent North American claims management TPA serving general liability, workers' comp, and property claims for self-insured employers; competes head-to-head with ES&P for the same enterprise, mid-to-large self-insured client segment and offers a comparable dedicated-account model.
• Crawford & Company: Global claims management and adjusting TPA providing general liability, auto, workers' comp, and complex claims administration — directly overlapping ES&P's core TPA and investigative services across self-insured retail, hospitality, and municipal accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty Mutual Insurance: Major global P&C insurer with in-house claims operations and TPA-adjacent capabilities; Helen Behek's prior tenure at Liberty Mutual illustrates the lateral career pipeline and direct competitive overlap in self-insured workers' comp and liability claims.
• Travelers: Large national P&C carrier and the operator behind The Hartford's claims brokerage advisory (where ES&P's CIO sits); competes with ES&P in casualty claims handling and risk control while also being a buyer of TPA services for excess and complex claims.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/essential-services-programs

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 Essential Services & Programs