Ron Bernstein Consulting Group

What Ron Bernstein Consulting Group does

Ron Bernstein Consulting Group (dba RBCG Consulting) is a founder-owned engineering consultancy founded in 1989 and headquartered in Encinitas, California. The firm specializes in building automation control networking, system design, cybersecurity, and specification development for large end users, owners, industry associations, product and solution vendors, and institutions. Its services are delivered as professional consulting engagements rather than software products, with a recurring focus on open-systems integration and interoperability standards across industrial, commercial, and residential automation applications.

The core technical scope covers open systems integration strategy, control network architecture design, building automation cybersecurity, guide specification development, and enterprise master planning for campus and city-scale control networks. Notable technical contributions include co-authorship of ASHRAE Guideline 13 (Specifying Building Automation Systems), co-authorship of the Division 25 Framework via the Consortium for Smart Buildings, and authorship of the LonWorks Installation Handbook (published in six languages). Eight primary service lines span Owner's Representative, Facility Master Planning, Smart City Architecture, Controls Network Architecture, Corporate Standards Development, Guide Specifications, Smart Buildings Consulting, and Training and Education Programs.

RBCG earns revenue through professional services engagements, with a consultative, relationship-driven enterprise sales motion rather than transactional or volume-based sales. The customer base is highly enterprise-skewed and includes the US Army Corps of Engineers, Suncor Energy, multi-site retail enterprises with 5,000+ locations, Alberta Health Services, and Vancouver Island Health Authority. Distribution is primarily direct via email and phone; marketing relies on LinkedIn presence, industry conference participation, and Ron Bernstein's leadership roles in standards bodies (GridWise Architecture Council, ASHRAE, CTA, LonMark, DLC, ISA Secure, CABA) as the principal credibility and lead-generation channel. The firm is single-principal with no disclosed external funding, no subsidiaries, and a 35+ year operational history.

Name

Ron Bernstein Consulting Group

Legal name

Ron Bernstein Consulting Group, LLC

Website

https://rb-cg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ron Bernstein Consulting Group is a founder-owned engineering consultancy specializing in building automation, control networking, cybersecurity, and open-systems interoperability standards for enterprise owners, vendors, and institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Automation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Risk, Compliance & Internal Controls Consulting (BPAHACAJ)

Keywords

• Building automation consulting
• Controls network architecture
• Open systems integration
• BAS cybersecurity services
• Smart building specifications

Headquarters

HQ city

Encinitas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Engineering Services: Professional consulting services for building controls and automation strategies, integration support, and standards development for owners, product suppliers, contractors, and project managers. Services include owner's representative, facility master planning, controls network architecture, corporate standards development, guide specifications, and training.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RBCG Consulting provides consulting engineering services for building automation control networking, system design (including cybersecurity), and specification development. The firm delivers a unified portfolio of services including Owner's Representative, Facility Master Planning, Smart City Architecture, Controls Network Architecture, Corporate Standards Development, Guide Specifications, Smart Buildings Consulting, and Training and Education to owners, product suppliers, contractors, and project managers in industrial, commercial, and residential automation applications.

Product overview

RBCG Consulting is a consulting engineering firm that provides specialized services for building automation control networking, system design including cybersecurity, and specification development. The company offers a unified portfolio of consulting services including Owner's Representative, Facility Master Planning, Smart City Architecture, Controls Network Architecture, Corporate Standards Development, Guide Specifications, Smart Buildings Consulting, and Training and Education Programs. These services are delivered as professional consulting engagements rather than software products, serving owners, product suppliers, contractors, and project managers in industrial, commercial, and residential automation applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Owner's Representative Services Guides system owners through new construction and retrofit projects by establishing standards and specifications that result in customized control systems, ensuring the owner truly owns their systems.
• Facility Master Planning Assists clients with master planning for enterprise, campus, and city control energy network automation through open systems standards and open procurement best practices.
• Smart City Architecture Provides practical integration strategies for innovative and effective solutions for citywide controls updates or campus integrated facility control systems.
• Controls Network Architecture Architects control system infrastructures using open-system principles that provide for continuous monitoring and management for optimal building performance.
• Corporate Standards Development Helps organizations establish standard procedures for system and device installation to reduce commissioning time, accelerate site deployment and optimize resources.
• Guide Specifications Develops step-by-step plans for realizing repeatable, scalable open architecture, safeguarding against closed, proprietary technologies and vendor lock-in.
• Smart Buildings Consulting Develops comprehensive project views including short-term and long-term needs, KPIs, system functional requirements, balancing with budget, resources, and maintenance.
• Training and Education Programs Develops and produces workshops and training classes on building automation, including online workforce development programs and team consensus building, with the program having trained 5,000+ professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ professionals trained through education and workforce development programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein serves as Chair of the GridWise Architecture Council, focusing on Grid Architecture for the energy transition. The company provides tutorial development for GWAC.
• ASHRAEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein is a voting member of TC1.4 (Control Theory and Application committee), author, and trainer. Company develops training for ASHRAE YEA and participates in ASHRAE conferences.
• Design Lights Consortium (DLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein serves as Advisor, supporting Network Lighting Controls (NLC) and HVAC controls integration. Participates in DLC sessions at AHR Expo.
• Consumer Technology Association (CTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein is past chair of CTA R7 Control Networking committee and member of Networking and Communications Committee.
• C4SB/DIV25 - Consortium for Smart BuildingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein is Co-Author of the Division 25 Framework for integration standards, a key standards development initiative for smart buildings.
• LonMark InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein served as CEO/Executive Director Retired, providing direction and tools for developers using LonWorks for building controls.
• ISA SecureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributing member focused on standards for security and automated building management systems.
• ASHB/CABA - Association for Smarter Homes and BuildingsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributing member of the Association for Smarter Homes and Buildings (formerly CABA), participating in International Integrated Buildings Council.
• HeatspringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped and implemented advanced building automation system (BAS) controls training program and online workforce development program.
• U.S. Department of Energy / SlipstreamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCybersecurity module developer for DOE/Slipstream training programs.
• Smart Buildings InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein serves as Director of Training Development and Delivery Program for Smart Buildings Institute.
• CiscocoreTechnology or IntegrationSmart Building Systems Team Trainer for Cisco.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationSmart Building Systems Team Trainer for Microsoft.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRon Bernstein serves as Adviser to Architecture Department.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consulting firm with deep smart-buildings, sustainability, and digital-twin capabilities. It engages with many of the same institutional and corporate owners as RBCG and competes for master-planning and high-performance-building advisory work.
• WSP: WSP is a global engineering consulting firm with a dedicated Property and Buildings practice covering smart buildings, energy, and digital infrastructure. It competes with RBCG at the enterprise level with substantially greater geographic reach and delivery capacity.
• Burns & McDonnell: Burns & McDonnell is a large multi-discipline engineering firm with a building and facilities practice that includes BAS design, cybersecurity, and federal/military work. It is a broader incumbent competing for many of the same government, healthcare, and industrial master-planning programs as RBCG.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with a buildings practice that includes smart-building advisory, BAS consulting, and energy services. It is a broader incumbent that often competes with RBCG on healthcare, government, and campus master-planning programs.

Direct peers

• Syska Hennessy Group: Syska Hennessy Group is a national MEP and critical-systems engineering consulting firm with a dedicated intelligent-buildings and cybersecurity practice. It is a comparable peer for RBCG's BAS advisory, integration oversight, and cybersecurity engagements at enterprise scale.
• Newcomb & Boyd: Newcomb & Boyd is a long-standing MEP and building-systems engineering consulting firm with deep controls and integration expertise. It serves many of the same institutional and government owners as RBCG and competes for specifications, commissioning, and owner's-rep work.
• CMTA: CMTA is an engineering consulting firm specializing in high-performance, energy-efficient buildings, including HVAC, lighting, and controls design. It competes with RBCG for owner-advisory and master-planning engagements across healthcare, education, and government.
• Henderson Engineers: Henderson Engineers is a building-systems engineering consulting firm with significant work in HVAC, lighting, and BAS. It competes with RBCG for owner-advisory and specifications work in retail, hospitality, healthcare, and sports-venue environments.
• Interface Engineering: Interface Engineering is a MEP and building-systems engineering consulting firm with strong controls and smart-buildings capabilities. It offers similar owner-side advisory services to RBCG across commercial, healthcare, and higher-education markets.
• Mazzetti (now part of Woolpert): Mazzetti was a specialty MEP and building-systems engineering consulting firm, now integrated into Woolpert. It served healthcare and mission-critical clients with engineering and commissioning services that overlap RBCG's owner's-representative and master-planning work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/RBCG-Consulting-Engineering-Education/100054287586669
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/ron-bernstein-bb21295

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 Ron Bernstein Consulting Group