To determine the cost of environmental consultancy, it is important to understand the different
forms of services under environmental consultancy services. The list below outlines the Environmental services that are common in Kenya.
- Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Studies (High Risk)
- Environmental and Social Impact Assessment – Compressive Project Reports (CPR)
(Medium Risk Projects) - Environmental Impact Assessment – Summary project Reports (SPR) (Low risk Projects)
- Annual Environmental Audits (EA)
- Application for various licenses in waste management such as:
- Transportation of waste license
- Effluent Discharge License (EDL)
- License to operate a waste disposal site or plant.
- Recycling License
- Clearance for Primary Industrial Plastic Packaging.
- Environmental and Social Impacts Research
Factors that determine the Environmental Consultancy cost
The category of the project
Projects are categorized as high, medium and low risk projects. The high risk projects have a wider
scope and are expensive to undertake.
The number of experts involved their experience and qualifications
This is determined by the scope of the project and the comprehensiveness of the report. Some
consultancy services require a multi-disciplinary team of experts from different fields such as
sociology, public health, engineering, geology etc.
The location and area of coverage of the proposed project.
The accessibility of the proposed project has a cost implication on the cost. The environmental
experts have to do site visits to the specific area that the proposed project covers. Projects that are
located in remote areas have higher logistics cost. The vastness of the area to be covered by the
experts also has direct implications on logistics cost.
The comprehensiveness of the public participation process.
Public participation is a key element in environmental consultancy. The project affected persons
have to be mobilized and consulted. The process involves informing the people of the proposed
project activities and the likely impacts. The participation process involves the use of
questionnaires, holding meetings, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, newspaper
and radio adverts etc.
The lab costs
Depending on the type of project being undertaken analysis is done to determine air quality, water
quality, soil analysis etc. The cost of undertaking the tests forms part of the overall cost of the
service being provided.
Getting the quotation
To get the best deal in environmental Consultancy it is important to request for quotations from
several environmental firms / EIA Firms. The request for quotation should have the description of
the project. This will help the firms in determining the category of the project, the scope, and
logistics involved, tests needed etc.
Selecting Environmental Consultancy Firm/ EIA Firm
The registration of the EIA firm/expert
Ensure that you are dealing with registered environmental experts. EIA reports are only submitted by registered Lead experts or Firm of experts.
The experience of the EIA firm/expert.
The profile of the firm/expert should have specific projects undertaken and the reference numbers. The projects should be in line with the type of project you want to undertake.
The qualifications of the EIA firm/expert
The experts involved in the project should have the relevant qualifications to ensure that the
services offered are of best quality.
Reliability of the EIA firm/expert
The experts should be able to make all the follow ups needed and address any issues that may be
raised in a timely manner.
Payment terms
The cost of the services should be competitive. There should be flexible payment terms for instance
payment in phases based on deliverables.