Consultancy: Get ESG-Ready Without the Multi-Year Slog
Most ESG consultancy projects take 9–18 months, produce a deck, and end at handover. We do them in 6–12 weeks, hand over working software, and stay reachable afterwards.
Project-based engagements covering double materiality, carbon baseline, framework selection (CSRD / ISSB / GRI / B Corp / SBTi), supplier programme design, board-facing strategy. Fixed price. Fixed scope. Senior people on the engagement, not a pyramid.
When clients call us for consultancy
Six familiar scenarios. Each one becomes a defined project with a fixed price.
"We don't know if we're in CSRD scope." Post-Omnibus thresholds, EU subsidiary tests, value-chain second-order obligations — the answer's rarely obvious. We scope in two weeks.
"We need a double materiality assessment but don't know how to run one." Stakeholder mapping, impact materiality, financial materiality, IRO documentation, EFRAG-aligned output — defendable to assurance.
"We need a baseline carbon footprint by Q4." Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 categories, GHG Protocol-aligned, with methodology documentation that survives audit. 6–8 weeks.
"We want B Corp / SBTi / ISO 14001 — tell us if we can." Gap analysis against the standard's actual requirements, with a roadmap that estimates time, cost and stretch points. No vapourware.
"Our suppliers don't reply — help us design a programme." Tier-1 mapping, engagement strategy, technology stack, response targets, escalation paths. We design and walk away once it runs.
"The board wants a 3-year ESG strategy." Not a glossy deck. A defendable strategy linked to business value, with measurable milestones, capital requirements, governance and signposting against framework requirements.
Common consultancy packages
Fixed scope, fixed price, fixed timeline. Pick the closest fit or describe your situation and we'll scope a custom one.
Double Materiality Assessment
6 weeksEFRAG-aligned IRO identification, stakeholder workflows, materiality matrix, methodology documentation, board-ready report.
£15,000–£35,000
Carbon Baseline (Scope 1, 2, 3)
6–8 weeksGHG Protocol-aligned inventory across all three scopes. Material Scope 3 categories at activity-based level. Audit-ready methodology.
£20,000–£50,000
B Corp Readiness
8 weeksV2.1-standards gap analysis across 7 Impact Topics. Y0/Y3/Y5 milestone roadmap. Pre-assessment optimisation. Documentation package.
£25,000–£60,000
CSRD Readiness Programme
10–12 weeksScope assessment, double materiality, ESRS data point inventory, gap analysis, roadmap to first compliant report. Includes platform setup.
£60,000–£140,000
Supplier ESG Programme Design
6 weeksTier mapping, engagement strategy, survey design, technology stack selection, escalation framework, KPI targets.
£20,000–£45,000
Board ESG Strategy & Roadmap
8 weeksBusiness-value linked 3-year strategy with milestones, capital requirements, governance model. Board-ready deck plus operational appendix.
£30,000–£80,000
Other scopes available: SBTi target setting, TCFD/IFRS S2 disclosure prep, CSDDD due diligence framework, EUDR implementation, REACH SVHC inventory.
Why us vs Big-4 or a boutique consultancy
Honest comparison.
| What you get | ESG:ONE Consultancy | Big-4 / large consultancy | Boutique sustainability firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior delivery | ✓ Senior on every engagement | × Pyramid — juniors do the work | ✓ Senior, but limited bench |
| Speed | 6–12 weeks | 6–18 months | 10–20 weeks |
| Price (full readiness) | £60k–£140k | £250k–£800k+ | £80k–£180k |
| Working software at handover | ✓ Yes — ESG:ONE if you choose | × PowerPoint and Excel | × Usually deliverables only |
| Methodology operationalised in code | ✓ Yes | × Bespoke each time | × Bespoke each time |
| Conflict-free advice on tooling | × We sell the platform | ✓ Tool-agnostic (usually) | ✓ Tool-agnostic |
The honest catch: we sell the ESG:ONE platform, so we have a commercial interest in you landing there. We disclose it up-front and our deliverables work whether you adopt ESG:ONE or not. If a Big-4 conflict-free recommendation matters more than speed or cost, take that route.
How a project runs
Scoping call
30-minute conversation. Your goal, deadline, internal capacity, decisions you need help with.
Fixed proposal
Within 48 hours. Scope, deliverables, team members, timeline, price — one page.
Delivery
Weekly check-ins. Senior consultant accountable end-to-end. No surprise hand-offs.
Handover
Deliverables in your tooling of choice. Optional landing on ESG:ONE platform. 30 days of post-handover Q&A included.
Consultancy FAQs
How is ESG:ONE consultancy different from a Big-4 ESG team?
We're built by the people who built the ESG:ONE platform. Every methodology we use is operationalised in software, so the deliverables you get from us are the same artefacts you'd produce running ESG:ONE yourselves. Faster than Big-4, cheaper than Big-4, and your handover is to a system instead of a 200-slide deck.
Do we have to use the ESG:ONE platform afterwards?
No. We deliver the project in a tool-agnostic way — frameworks selected, methodology documented, data structures defined. Most clients choose to land in ESG:ONE because the consultancy work is already aligned to the platform, but you're free to take the deliverables to any tool.
How long does a typical consultancy engagement take?
4–12 weeks depending on scope. A double materiality assessment alone is typically 6 weeks. A full CSRD readiness project covering materiality, baseline, gap analysis, framework selection and roadmap is 10–12 weeks.
How is consultancy priced?
Fixed price per project, scoped up-front. Materiality assessment: £15,000–£35,000. Carbon baseline (Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 categories): £20,000–£50,000. Full CSRD-readiness programme: £60,000–£140,000. Quote within 48 hours of scoping call.
Who delivers the work?
ESG:ONE staff plus a small bench of senior associates (former Big-4 sustainability partners, CSOs, framework authors). You'll know exactly who's on the engagement before you sign. No bait-and-switch to junior consultants.
Related Services
Advisory
Fractional ESG officer / quarterly strategic review. Lighter-touch than consultancy or managed service.
Learn moreESG:ONE Platform
The software our consultancy outputs land on if you choose. Buy-only or bundle with services.
Learn moreGet ESG-ready faster than you thought possible.
Book a 30-minute scoping call. Fixed proposal within 48 hours. No pyramid pricing.