The term suitably qualified person (often shortened to SQP) appears in council conditions, audit requirements, transaction schedules and regulator correspondence. In Australian contaminated land practice, it usually means a senior practitioner with the qualifications and experience to lead or sign off technical work, not a general environmental consultant.
What an SQP does in practice
An SQP may be required to oversee or sign:
- a preliminary site investigation (PSI)
- a detailed site investigation (DSI)
- a contamination risk assessment
- a remediation or validation report
- advice responding to an EPA notice or audit query
The requirement exists because the technical stakes are high. A report that understates contamination risk can delay approvals, inflate remediation liability, or fail under review by a regulator, auditor or opposing expert.
CEnvP Site Contamination Specialist
In most jurisdictions, the recognised credential for contaminated land sign-off is Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) with Site Contamination Specialist endorsement. That certification is administered by the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) and indicates peer-reviewed competence in site contamination assessment and management.
iEnvi’s contaminated land work is led by CEnvP Site Contamination Specialists with direct senior involvement on investigations, remediation and expert matters. See team credentials for detail.
When clients ask for an SQP
Common triggers include:
- council development conditions requiring a qualified person to sign a PSI or DSI
- NSW EPA or QLD DES review of investigation or remediation reporting
- Victorian EPA audit pathways
- lender or purchaser due diligence requiring credentialed review
- disputes where report quality or interpretation is in question
Requirements vary by state and by project. A condition that says “qualified environmental consultant” is not always the same as a requirement for CEnvP sign-off. Read the actual condition or contract clause before assuming generic advice will suffice.
SQP versus junior-led delivery
On higher-consequence sites, clients often need continuity from scoping through to reporting. That means senior practitioner input on conceptual site model logic, sampling design, interpretation and defensibility, not only a final signature on a document prepared elsewhere.
If your project has an SQP or CEnvP requirement, raise it at scoping so the proposal, programme and cost reflect the level of review actually needed.
Contact iEnvi to discuss investigation, remediation or validation with CEnvP-led input.
Need advice on this issue? iEnvi provides practical, senior-led environmental consulting across contaminated land, remediation, ecology and environmental risk.
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