Environmental Consulting Services Industry Profile

The US environmental consulting services industry includes more than 8,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $11 billion. Top firms include Veolia Environment North America, Tetra Tech, and ENSR International, as well as environmental engineering and consulting divisions of large engineering and construction firms such as Bechtel, CH2M HILL, and URS. The industry is fragmented: the 50 largest firms account for less than 30 percent of industry revenue.

The global environmental consulting industry generates about $25 billion in revenue annually, according to Environment Analyst. The US and Western Europe are the largest markets for environmental consulting services. Major companies outside the US include RPS Group and Environmental Resources Management (both headquartered in the UK); Arcadis (Netherlands); and AMEC Earth & Environmental (Canada).

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by the needs of businesses and government agencies to comply with new, existing or anticipated environmental laws and regulations. The profitability of an individual company depends on its ability to accurately predict project costs and to secure contracts with large organizations such as the US government. Large firms have the advantage of providing a wide range of environmental expertise and can thus offer "one-stop shopping" for clients. Small firms are able to compete by specializing in regional markets or particular areas of expertise.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major environmental consulting services include environmental assessment (determining the environmental condition of a particular site), site remediation (cleaning up polluted sites), natural ...