The length of an environmental investigation, review, or remediation will vary.  Nothing surprising there, as each site has its own specific details that will ultimately impact decision making and outcomes; however, how do you assess whether your environmental consultant is actually finding a solution, or merely complicating an otherwise simple situation…or trying to increase their sales numbers?   The easiest answer is determine how long your project is taking.  One (1) month? One (1) year? Ten (10) years?  Like anything, the longer cases or projects drag on (and they sometimes do), the greater the impact on your bottom-line. Again, nothing surprising there, but here are some basic items/questions for consideration:

• Has your consultant outlined the path forward for your project?
• Does your consultant show inconsistencies in their decision-making?
• Are there discrepancies in invoicing?
• Is your consultant readily available to answer questions or….are they generally slow to respond?

Answer these questions early on in the process, and you should be able to gauge the direction of your project…and potentially be able to correct course before disaster strikes.  However, when confronted with a potentially costly remedial effort, the unfortunate truth is that many responsible parties generally feel that they are at the mercy of their consultant and are hesitant to correct deficiencies, or simply ask the difficult questions.  Spin this another way, and ask yourself how you’d like a medical professional to handle your personal situation. The similarities are striking.

Much like we’ve discussed in our earlier posts, getting from Point A to Point B in a remedial project should be discussed early on so that the process is clearly mapped out along with the anticipated costs and contingencies, as nobody likes surprises (unless it’s your birthday…but even that’s debatable). The simplest way to avoid a potential significant (“negative”) impact on your project is to have Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Related objectives.  That’s right folks…SMART goals. Pretty common in the business world, and very relevant in the environmental industry.  By utilizing this basic approach, you should be able to assess whether your consultant is working on your behalf, and finding solutions, or if they are simply making your project their cash cow. 

We hope that you find these posts informative, and relatively useful, and your feedback is always welcome.  For further information regarding environmental remediation and/or environmental business practices, please don't hesitate to contact us.  tfrancis@cardinallsrp.com