Environmental Due Diligence

Surprise contamination is the worst kind an engineer can find on a project site, because by the time a backhoe turns it up, it has already blown the budget and wrecked the timeline. Engineers ask us all the time which type of impact is the most dangerous to discover. The honest answer is not petroleum,

According to the governing body that decides what the standards are for Phase 1 Environmental Surveys, a Phase 1 ESA is good for 6 months. You can see the American Society of Materials and Testing (ASTM) standard here. The reasons we typically get these questions are as follows. You need to refinance a loan. The

This is for all A3 Environmental Consultants bid & quote partners who need to know our services and codes to complete government bids. SIC:  89990700 – Earth Science Services Not Elsewhere Classified  87489905 – Business Consulting Services Not Elsewhere Classified 87449904 – Environmental Remediation  49590302 – Environmental Cleanup Services 162934 – Environmental Reclamation 871120 –

A PESA — a Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment — is the exact same thing as a Phase 1 ESA, only instead of the investigation being done on a single commercial property, it’s performed on a corridor of Rights of Way (ROW). Essentially it’s a long, narrow Phase 1 ESA that seeks to find every possible

A PSI — a Preliminary Site Investigation — is the exact same thing as a Phase 2 ESA, only instead of the investigation being done on a single commercial property, it’s performed inside a corridor of Rights of Way (ROW). Essentially it’s a long, narrow Phase 2 ESA that seeks to confirm or deny the

The following are a list of NAICS Codes for Environmentally Sensitive Industries. If you are looking to purchase commercial property and need to get environmental due diligence done for the loan, you cannot use a Record Search With Risk Assessment (RSRA) if the current or past use of the property is on this list. 211

What Is a Transaction Screen Assessment? A transaction screen assessment (TSA) is an environmental due diligence report governed by ASTM E1528 that evaluates a property for potential environmental contamination. A transaction screen assessment sits between a Record Search with Risk Assessment (RSRA) and a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment in scope and cost. It includes

When clients ask “How Much Does a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment Cost?” there is no other way to answer than to say “It depends”. I know that’s an unsatisfying answer but stick with me! We’ll get you a better answer by the end of this, I swear. But before we start, there’s some background

A Phase I ESA is mainly used to prevent the accidental purchase of a contaminated or otherwise environmentally compromised commercial property at a price that doesn’t take into account the environmental risk or impact. The strategies for purchasing a Phase I ESA depend on which party you are to the transaction. There are generally three

Welcome, 1099 contractors! At A3E we like to make industry friends so we’re giving you some environmental report examples for your review. It was 5 short years ago that A3 Environmental Consultants was started by our fearless boss lady, Alisa Allen. Her initial goal was to be an Freelance Environmental Consultant to her friends in

Commercial Real Estate (CRE) professionals call us looking for Environmental Data Resources all the time — the databases, records, and professional judgment that tell you whether a property carries hidden contamination risk before you buy, sell, or finance it. We’re happy to be your trusted environmental resource, on-call to answer questions and help with strategy.

If you are here for an SBA RSRA Template download, you can only be an environmental consultant — or a freelance environmental consultant — looking to do one of these reports for the first time. Fear not: they are pretty easy, and your pals here at A3 Environmental Consultants are here to help. First, let’s

We’ve learned a few things in the environmental consulting business. We’d like to share them with you. Table Of Contents Who Pays For The Phase 1 ESA? How Long Is A Phase 1 ESA Good For? How Much Does A Phase 1 ESA Cost? How Long Will A Phase 1 ESA Take To Complete? Does

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has very specific environmental due diligence procedures which can be confusing. To sort it all out for you, A3 Environmental Consulting built this infographic SBA Environmental flow chart. Depending on the type of loan you are applying for and the use of the property you are buying, you can determine

The SBA Environmental Questionnaire is the single most-searched-for, hardest-to-find form in all of SBA lending — and your first question is almost always the same: why is it so hard to track down? It would be awfully nice if the Small Business Administration published it in one clean, downloadable format. They don’t. But don’t worry

Before you spend a fortune on environmental due diligence, run an environmental database report first to see what you are getting into. It is the fastest, lowest-cost way to find out whether a commercial property — or any of its neighbors — has a documented history of contamination, and for low-risk deals it is often

A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is the second step of investigation into whether a property has environmental contamination of some kind. Also written “Phase 2 ESA,” it reflects the suspicion of an environmental consultant that contamination exists based on a Phase I ESA. While completing the Phase II ESA, the consultant will confirm

You’ve asked the internet what the best environmental engineering firms are in Chicagoland and the internet delivered you to the website of A3 Environmental Consultants. Full disclosure, we’re not environmental engineers, we’re environmental consultants. My first question for you, is do you know the difference? Are you sure you need an environmental engineer? Unless you’re

You’ve asked the internet what the best environmental engineering companies are in Chicago and the internet delivered you to the website of A3 Environmental Consultants. Full disclosure, we’re not environmental engineers, we’re environmental consultants. My first question for you, is do you know the difference? Are you sure you need an environmental engineer? Unless you’re

A Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is the second step of investigation into whether a property has environmental contamination of some kind. A Phase 2 ESA reflects the suspicion of an environmental consultant that contamination exists based on a Phase 1 ESA. While completing the Phase 2 ESA, the consultant will confirm or exclude

You’re here because you need an SBA Environmental Reliance Letter — most likely because you just had a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment done and now you’re submitting it to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for approval. Maybe you work for a bank or other lender and don’t do this often. End users of Phase

You’ve asked the google-tubes who the best environmental consulting firms are in Chicago and it delivers you to A3 Environmental Consultants corporate marketing posts. You’re probably thinking, you’re in for some completely biased information. To be clear from the outset, I think A3E is pretty amazing but I’m going to do my best at guiding

An EDR report — short for Environmental Database Report — costs $250 for A3 Environmental Consultants’ desktop screening version and is typically delivered in 48 to 72 hours, sometimes within 24. It is the fastest, lowest-cost way to find out whether a commercial property, or any of its neighbors, carries a documented history of contamination

A Desktop Risk Assessment is an environmental database report (EDR) where the scientist performing the work never leaves her desk — no site visit, no boots on the ground, just a professional read of the regulatory and historical record for a commercial property. So much of what we do involves sampling, testing, and site visits