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Site announcement: Selected to demonstrate at CEQ’s 2026 Permitting Innovators Expo
opef
Platform
How it worksCapture evidence, coordinate review, and export with sources intact.→Free to tryTry our Phase I enginep1.opef.aiRun a real Phase I ESA workflow on p1 with structured intake and export-ready records.→How we fit inWhere OPEF sits in your permitting and compliance workflow.→PartnersIntegrations with compliance platforms and data providers.→
Solutions
Browse all solutions109 permitting domains across 14 regulatory categories.→12 domainsFederal Environmental ReviewNEPA and agency-specific environmental review workflows across all federal programs.→8 domainsSite Assessment & RemediationEnvironmental site assessments, contamination investigations, and regulatory cleanup frameworks.→9 domainsWater & WetlandsClean Water Act permits, wetland jurisdictional determinations, and water quality programs.→9 domainsSpecies & EcosystemsEndangered species consultation, take permits, biological assessments, and habitat conservation.→7 domainsAir Quality & ClimateClean Air Act permits, GHG accounting, noise analysis, and climate disclosure frameworks.→9 domainsEnergy & InfrastructureFERC licensing, renewable energy siting, pipeline safety, and nuclear facility review.→9 domainsCoastal & MaritimeCoastal zone management, offshore permitting, marine sanctuary protection, and maritime safety.→7 domainsCultural Resources & TribalNHPA Section 106 consultation, tribal government engagement, and historic preservation compliance.→9 domainsHazardous Materials & WasteRCRA permitting, CERCLA cleanup, hazardous waste compliance, and chemical risk management.→9 domainsLand Use & ConservationFederal land permits, conservation programs, and statutory use protections for parks and historic resources.→7 domainsAgriculture & ForestryUSDA conservation compliance, timber management, grazing permits, and invasive species programs.→4 domainsDrinking Water & Public HealthSafe Drinking Water Act compliance, underground injection, source water protection, and environmental justice.→5 domainsState Environmental ReviewState-level environmental review statutes including CEQA, SEPA, and state EIR equivalents.→5 domainsReporting & DisclosureClimate and ESG financial disclosure, GHG reporting, TRI, and sustainability frameworks.→
Resources
All guidesNEPA, ESA, administrative records, AI governance, and permitting workflow.→PolicyWhat the FY2026 NEPA Reform Means for Permitting TeamsRecent legislative changes to NEPA timelines and categorical exclusion authority change how agencies and consulting firms structure review processes.→ComplianceFive Common Mistakes in Section 7 ESA Consultation DocumentationSection 7 consultations are consistently among the most litigated parts of federal permitting. These documentation gaps create avoidable risk.→GuidanceHow to Build an Administrative Record That Holds Up in CourtWhen a NEPA decision is challenged, the judge reviews the administrative record—not the narrative. Disorganized or post-hoc records lose cases even when the underlying analysis was sound.→AI & GovernanceUsing AI in Federal Environmental Review: A Governance FrameworkAs AI enters environmental review workflows, agencies need governance that preserves defensibility while allowing speed gains.→ComplianceASTM E1527-21: What Changed and Why It MattersThe 2021 update introduced meaningful changes to recognized environmental condition definitions. Here is what practitioners need to know.→GuidanceCATEX Documentation: What Agencies Actually Need in the RecordCategorical exclusions are common, but poor documentation is a leading cause of successful legal challenges.→
Company
About OPEFMission, principles, and the team behind the platform.→How we fit inWhere OPEF sits in your permitting and compliance workflow.→PartnersIntegrations with compliance platforms and data providers.→CareersFull-time roles, hiring updates, and how we work as a team.→Environmental Professional NetworkFind permitting projects and connect qualified environmental reviewers.→ContactRequest a demo or ask a question about your program.→
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COORD.OPEF / RECORD

About OPEF

The system of record forenvironmental permitting.

OPEF was built because the tools that exist for environmental permitting were never designed for the complexity, accountability, and legal defensibility the work demands.

Make every environmental permitting decision traceable, defensible, and fast, without trading off any of the three.

Built for
Defensibility
Program scope
109 domains
Request a demoMeet the team
Topographic survey pattern representing structured environmental review records

Company announcement

Arlington, VA · August 1, 2026

OPEF at CEQ’s Permitting Innovators Expo

OPEF showcased its technology at the Permitting Innovators Expo in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Council on Environmental Quality’s Permitting Innovation Center. The company was selected from a national call to demonstrate technology supporting modern federal environmental review and permitting.

OPEF demonstrated how environmental data, agency records, field evidence, and reviewer decisions can move through one connected workflow, from intake through cited, decision-ready output.

OPEF also demonstrated its Phase I Environmental Site Assessment workspace, showing how the same architecture connects source records, mapped findings, expert review, and evidence-linked reporting in one auditable project record.

OPEF is an independent company and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Council on Environmental Quality or any federal agency.

How we build OPEF

Four commitments that shape every workflow, export, and audit trail.

  1. 01

    RECORD

    Audit-first by default

    Every action, decision, and evidence link is recorded as the foundation of the administrative record.

  2. 02

    HUMAN

    Analyst tool, not autonomous agent

    OPEF supports human analysts. Outputs stay evidence-linked and reviewer-controlled.

  3. 03

    SYSTEM

    Lifecycle, not document

    Environmental review is treated as a connected system rather than a pile of disconnected files.

  4. 04

    DEFENSE

    Built for defensibility

    Decisions are designed to hold up in audit, litigation, and public record review.

Meet the OPEF team

The people behind the record.

Founders and advisors across product, AI, policy, climate, enterprise software, and go-to-market, building for review teams that need speed and defensibility.

Founders

01

Inesh Tickoo

Co-Founder & CEO

Inesh co-founded OPEF on the belief that better permitting lets teams build faster without trading off environmental protection. He leads product, research, and go-to-market, focused on automating compliance record work across NEPA, Phase I ESA, FERC, and federal workflows. He has solved this problem before for regulated industries like healthcare and media licensing.

Role areas

  • Product and go-to-market
  • Federal permitting workflows
  • Compliance automation strategy
LinkedIn
02

Aarav Singh

Co-Founder, CTO

Aarav oversees AI, data architecture, ESG integration, and core automation infrastructure. He aligns technology development with compliance rigor and drives OPEF's data-centric engineering roadmap. He also ensures operational coherence across product, engineering, and strategic execution.

Role areas

  • AI systems and data strategy
  • Technical roadmap and architecture
  • Cross-discipline coordination
LinkedIn
03

Conner Brown

Co-Founder & COO

Conner leads go-to-market execution, technical operations, and the systems that scale OPEF from pilot programs to production deployments. He brings expertise in scaling GTM operations and integrating technical operations with strategy execution across complex enterprise environments.

Role areas

  • GTM strategy and ops
  • Technical operational alignment
  • Growth and scalability planning
LinkedIn

Advisors

04

Matt Bixler

Advisor: Product Management, GTM, Sales

Matt brings senior product management and go-to-market expertise to the team. His background includes leadership roles in product development, consulting, and sales strategy in enterprise software environments.

Role areas

  • Product management advisory
  • Go-to-market planning
  • Sales enablement and client engagement
LinkedIn
05

Madhav Acharya

Advisor: Policy & Climate

Madhav brings deep NEPA and climate tech policy experience from ARPA-E and federal innovation programs. He advises on policy alignment, regulatory context, and federal readiness for environmental permitting and compliance platforms.

Role areas

  • NEPA and climate policy
  • Federal innovation and ARPA-E
  • Regulatory and policy alignment
LinkedIn
06

Lavanya Viswanathan

Advisor: Data Governance

Lavanya led data governance at DOE OCED and brings expertise in structured data, compliance records, and agency-scale information management. She advises OPEF on data governance, auditability, and federal data standards.

Role areas

  • Data governance and standards
  • DOE and federal data practices
  • Auditability and records management
LinkedIn
07

Tim Hayes

Advisor: AI Technology & Software Engineering

Tim advises on advanced AI technologies and software engineering best practices. His role supports technical risk management, scalable architecture design, and implementation strategy for enterprise compliance platforms.

Role areas

  • AI technology strategy
  • Engineering quality and standards
  • Scalable system design
LinkedIn
08

Earl Potters

Advisor: AI Engineering & Enterprise Technology

Earl advises on AI product architecture, enterprise rollout, and technical diligence. He is a Y Combinator alum and co-founder of Missio AI, with engineering leadership experience at JPMorgan Chase on large-scale production systems.

Role areas

  • AI engineering advisory
  • Enterprise technology
  • Product and technical operations
LinkedIn
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People

Meet the team behind OPEF

Researchers, engineers, and permitting specialists building for high-stakes review work.

Meet the team

Coverage

Explore permitting domains

Browse regulatory categories, agency templates, and workflow depth across the platform.

Explore solutions

Build with us

See how OPEF fits your review program.

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Field ready

Built on real-world data. Proven in the field.

Rulepack validated

Aligned to jurisdictional rules. Continuously updated.

Permitting focused

From application to decision. Every step, covered.

Human review

AI-powered insights. Expert decision-making.

Platform

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Solutions

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