Ecoplan
Ecoplan AG is a Bern-based Swiss economic research and policy consultancy, founded in 1988, serving federal agencies, cantons, and municipalities with consulting, evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and proprietary regional economic and microsimulation modeling across six policy themes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ecoplan does
Ecoplan AG, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bern with a secondary office in Altdorf, is a Swiss economic research and policy consultancy organized as a wholly partner-owned Aktiengesellschaft. The firm delivers six core services — consulting, evaluation, data science and models, project management, cost-benefit analyses, and facilitation — across six thematic areas: economy, society, education/family/gender, health/ageing, transport, and energy/environment. Its analytical stack includes proprietary assets such as the i3R regional economic model and microsimulation models, supported by ML methods (Lasso, Random Forest), econometric analysis, QGIS for spatial work, and PowerBI for visualization; the firm is ISO 9001 certified and operates to SEVAL evaluation standards.
Ecoplan's revenue model is project-based public-sector consulting, monetized through long-running mandates from Swiss federal agencies, cantons, and municipalities. The firm supports 160 ongoing projects and has accumulated approximately 0.9 million consulting hours since inception, with a stated team of 49 specialists (a separate firmographic figure of 75 may include broader staff). Pricing is anchored in Swiss public-sector procurement frameworks and not publicly disclosed; the firm does not pursue venture funding and is funded entirely through partner equity and operating cash flow.
The firm is currently navigating a generational leadership transition in 2025: René Neuenschwander has assumed the role of Verwaltungsratspräsident, Matthias Setz and Samuel Zahner have been elevated to Partner, and long-tenured partners André Müller and Felix Walter have transitioned to Senior Expert roles alongside the 2023 transition of Heini Sommer. The strategic emphasis appears to be continuity, internal succession, and deepening of its data-science and energy/environment verticals rather than geographic expansion or inorganic growth.
Ecoplan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ecoplan
- Legal name
- Ecoplan AG
- Website
- https://ecoplan.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ecoplan AG is a Bern-based Swiss economic research and policy consultancy, founded in 1988, serving federal agencies, cantons, and municipalities with consulting, evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and proprietary regional economic and microsimulation modeling across six policy themes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ecoplan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Policy Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Economic & Macroeconomic Research (BPAHALAD), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), Infrastructure & Project Finance Advisory (BPAHADAO)
Keywords
Where Ecoplan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bern
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ecoplan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Consulting Services: Ecoplan generates revenue through providing consulting, evaluation, data science, project management, cost-benefit analysis, and moderation services primarily to Swiss public sector clients including federal agencies, cantons, and municipalities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Ecoplan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ecoplan is a Swiss economic research and policy consultancy providing six core service lines: Beratung (Consulting on strategy and policy design), Evaluation (ex-post and ex-ante policy evaluations), Data Science und Modelle (statistical, econometric, regional and microsimulation modeling), Projektmanagement (project management and process facilitation), Wirtschaftlichkeit (cost-benefit analyses), and Moderation (conference and workshop facilitation). The firm serves Swiss federal agencies, cantons, cities, municipalities, and public-sector organizations with proprietary analytical models including the i3R regional economic model and microsimulation models.
Product overview
Ecoplan is a consulting and research bureau providing advisory services organized into six core offerings: Consulting (strategy and policy design), Evaluation (ex-ante and ex-post assessments), Data Science und Modelle (statistical analysis, econometric modeling, and visualization), Projektmanagement (project management and process facilitation), Wirtschaftlichkeit (cost-benefit and economic analyses), and Moderation (conference and workshop facilitation). The company operates specialized sub-products including the proprietary i3R regional economic model for municipality/canton/regional-level impact analysis and microsimulation models for analyzing distribution effects on tens of thousands of individuals or households. Services are delivered across six thematic areas: Economy, Society, Education/Family/Gender Equality, Health/Ageing, Transport, and Energy/Environment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Beratung (Consulting) Strategy development and policy design services for public and private institutions, including process support for political and economic decision-making.
- Evaluation Ex-post and ex-ante evaluations of political measures using methods adapted to topic, data availability, and desired depth, adhering to SEVAL evaluation standards.
- Data Science und Modelle (Data Science and Models) Statistical evaluations, econometric models, dynamic visualization, regional and macroeconomic modeling, microsimulation, and geodata/spatial analyses services.
- Projektmanagement (Project Management) Comprehensive project management services from development and planning to implementation support, including process organization, steering, and facilitation.
- Wirtschaftlichkeit (Cost-benefit Analyses) Business economics cost analyses and macroeconomic cost-benefit analyses for infrastructure projects using scientifically recognized calculation methods.
- Moderation (Facilitation) Organization and moderation of conferences, workshops, and events including concept development, logistics, and administration support.
- i3R-Modell In-house regional economic model for analyzing impacts of political measures on value creation and employment at the municipal, cantonal, or regional level. Offers flexibility for detailed regional analyses.
- Microsimulationsmodelle Microsimulation models for analyzing social distribution effects and economic impacts on individual markets, simulating effects on tens of thousands of persons or households.
Quantifiable outcome
- 160 ongoing projects currently in execution
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ecoplan
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ecoplan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Ecoplan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ecoplan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Polynomics: Polynomics is an Olten-based Swiss economic consulting firm specializing in competition economics, regulation and policy evaluation for Swiss federal agencies and regulators. Overlapping mandate types (cost-benefit analysis, regulatory impact assessment) make it a near-direct peer.
- BAK Economics: BAK Economics is a Swiss economic research and forecasting consultancy based in Basel, providing economic analysis, sectoral forecasts and policy impact studies for Swiss public and private clients. It is the closest direct peer to Ecoplan in macroeconomic and regional economic modeling for Swiss government.
- INFRAS: INFRAS is a Zurich-based research and consulting institute focused on transport, environment, energy and spatial policy for Swiss federal and cantonal clients. Its thematic overlap with Ecoplan's Transport and Energy/Environment divisions is substantial, with shared methodologies (cost-benefit analysis, evaluation).
- Prognos AG: Prognos is a Basel/European policy research consultancy covering economic, social, education, energy and transport themes for public sector clients across DACH. It competes for larger Swiss federal mandates and shares Ecoplan's multi-vertical structure.
- Rütter + Partner: Rütter + Partner is a Swiss consultancy focused on evaluation, economic analysis and policy advice for federal and cantonal clients. It overlaps on evaluation (SEVAL) and economic policy mandates served by Ecoplan's Society and Economics divisions.
- Interface Politikstudien Forschung und Beratung: Interface is a Lucerne-based policy research and evaluation consultancy serving Swiss cantons, federal agencies, and foundations. It is highly comparable on evaluation methodology (SEVAL standards) and education/social policy domains, competing for similar cantonal mandates.
Emerging players
- RAND Corporation Europe: RAND Europe provides policy research, evaluation and impact analysis for European public sector clients with methodologies aligned to Ecoplan's evaluation work. While not a Swiss-market direct competitor, it is an emerging player in cross-border evidence-based policy research.
Broad incumbents
- McKinsey & Company (Switzerland): McKinsey's Zurich office serves Swiss federal agencies on large-scale public-sector strategy, organizational reviews and transformation. It is a broader incumbent that increasingly competes for policy and evaluation mandates at the top of the public-sector market.
- PwC Switzerland: PwC Switzerland's Public Sector practice delivers strategy, economic analysis and evaluation services to federal and cantonal clients. As a Big Four firm, it competes with Ecoplan on larger mandates and bundled engagements.
Others
- Ecoplan Institute (independent academic policy research): Not a commercial peer, but the University of Bern's Institute of Economics and other Swiss academic policy centers occasionally compete for research mandates from SECO and cantons, overlapping with Ecoplan's evaluation and economic modeling work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Ecoplan social profiles
Digital presenceEcoplan compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Ecoplan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ecoplan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Ecoplan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ecoplan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ecoplan
What does Ecoplan do?
Ecoplan is a Swiss economic research and policy consultancy providing six core service lines: Beratung (Consulting on strategy and policy design), Evaluation (ex-post and ex-ante policy evaluations), Data Science und Modelle (statistical, econometric, regional and microsimulation modeling), Projektmanagement (project management and process facilitation), Wirtschaftlichkeit (cost-benefit analyses), and Moderation (conference and workshop facilitation). The firm serves Swiss federal agencies, cantons, cities, municipalities, and public-sector organizations with proprietary analytical models including the i3R regional economic model and microsimulation models.
Is Ecoplan a public or private company?
Ecoplan is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Ecoplan founded?
Ecoplan was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ecoplan based?
Ecoplan is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Ecoplan make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Consulting Services.
Who are Ecoplan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Polynomics, BAK Economics, INFRAS, Prognos AG, Rütter + Partner and Interface Politikstudien Forschung und Beratung. RAND Corporation Europe is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are McKinsey & Company (Switzerland) and PwC Switzerland. Ecoplan Institute (independent academic policy research) is listed as an others.
Does Ecoplan have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ecoplan.
What industry is Ecoplan in?
Ecoplan's product category is Policy Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAMAJ, Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAHALAD, Economic & Macroeconomic Research. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.