Property Transactions

SCS Engineers has conducted thousands of environmental assessments in connection with business transactions throughout North America and around the world. Our experience ranges from Transaction Screens and Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for small undeveloped sites, to complex, multi-facility assessments of large manufacturing companies. We have considerable experience supporting environmental due diligence for corporate mergers and acquisitions.environmental due diligence oklahoma city

Our nationwide presence and expertise make SCS the consultant of choice for companies requiring environmental due diligence on portfolios of properties with multiple locations throughout the country that require quick turnaround. We have the capacity to expedite multiple, concurrent investigations, giving the parties adequate time to make informed decisions regarding potential liabilities.

Our staff includes engineers, geologists, hydrogeologists, risk assessment specialists, real estate experts, and other environmental professionals. Environmental regulation is complex. Approaches to addressing hazardous substance contamination must satisfy local, state, and Federal requirements.

All parties to a typical transaction have an interest in environmental due diligence:

  • SCS helps purchasers and lenders avoid unplanned expenses to clean up environmental problems by providing a full range of environmental investigation and assessment services before a transaction is completed. We also help identify “appropriate care” and “reasonable steps” that should be taken in response to a release in order to gain liability protections as a Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser or a Contiguous Property Owner.
  • We help sellers identify and manage current environmental problems in order to facilitate the transaction, and establish a baseline to help distinguish between current problems and those caused by future owners. Testimonial.

Property Condition Assessments (PCAs) are conducted as part of the due diligence required by buyers, lenders, and other parties in commercial real estate transactions.  A PCA provides an overview of the physical condition and maintenance requirements of a property. The typical assessment addresses site, structural, mechanical, and electrical systems, and includes property size, improvements, construction dates, tenants, and the anticipated short- and long-term capital expenditures associated with regulatory compliance and maintenance.

The PCA is an important tool in evaluating the anticipated costs and risks of owning and maintaining a particular facility. SCS has provided PCA services for over 3,000 facilities nationwide, including retail facilities, warehouses, office buildings, condominiums and housing units, restaurants, healthcare facilities, manufacturing and industrial facilities, utility plants, and recreational facilities.

SCS helps our clients determine their liability levels as well as their continuing obligations. Our personnel include professional engineers and others with practical experience evaluating property systems and components, including foundations, parking lots and road/site drainage, lighting, exterior and interior finish, elevators and escalators, fire protection, and roofs and windows.

SCS Engineers provides the following PCA services:

  • Conventional PCAs, following ASTM E 2018-99: Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments—Baseline PCA Process
  • Customized PCA approach, based on requirements of the lender or property management firm
  • Statistical survey approach for large numbers of similar units
  • Performance of PCA inspection training
  • Planning, design, and implementation of preventive maintenance program
  • Asbestos, lead-based paint, and radon surveys