Frequently Asked Questions

Olmsted is a platform for managing infrastructure permitting. It combines project management, secure document storage, and external advisor collaboration in one workspace designed specifically for the permitting process. We help infrastructure developers, utilities, and consultants navigate federal and state regulatory approvals more efficiently.

Olmsted is designed for infrastructure developers (solar, wind, data centers, transmission, pipelines, broadband, water), environmental and engineering consultants, energy/infrastructure law firms, and anyone involved in the regulatory approval process for large-scale projects. If you work on infrastructure that requires multi-agency federal and state permitting, Olmsted is built for you.

Sign in to your Olmsted account, go to your dashboard, and click "New Project." Enter the project name, type (Solar, Wind, Data Center, etc.), location, and capacity details. Once created, your project will appear on your dashboard map and in your project list. You can start adding tasks and documents immediately.

Go to your Team page and enter the email address of the person you want to invite. They will receive an invitation to join your team. When setting up invitations, you can designate their role: Managers have full access to projects, documents, and team settings; Members can create and edit content but have limited admin capabilities.

On any project's Documents tab, you can create permission groups (e.g., "Geosyntec - Environmental Team") and invite advisors by email. Advisors receive a magic link via email and don't need a password to access the advisor portal. You control exactly what each advisor group can see by setting folder-level permissions.

You control exactly what each advisor group can see. For each workstream folder (NEPA, Water Rights, etc.), you can grant: no access, view-only, or view + download permissions. Advisors cannot edit documents or upload new files — they can only review and download what you specifically authorize them to access.

All data is stored in Supabase (built on AWS) with row-level security policies that ensure each team's data is isolated at the database level. Documents are accessed through time-limited signed URLs that expire automatically. All connections use HTTPS encryption. We also perform regular security audits and maintain detailed access logs.

You can upload any file type to the document room: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, images, CAD files, spreadsheets, and more. There is currently a 50MB size limit per individual file. If you need to store larger files, you can split them or contact us to discuss your needs.

When you upload a new version of an existing document, Olmsted automatically tracks it as v2, v3, etc. All previous versions are preserved and accessible so you can compare changes over time. You can add version notes to document each update (e.g., "Updated environmental assessment per agency feedback").

Yes. You can download any individual document directly from the VDR at any time. If you need a full data export of your projects and documents, contact us at info@olmstedinfra.com and we'll provide it in a structured format. Upon account termination, you have 30 days to export your data before it is deleted.

Not yet. However, the Olmsted web application is fully mobile-responsive and works well on phones and tablets. You can access your projects, view documents, and collaborate with your team from any device with a web browser.

Olmsted is currently in early access. We're working with a select group of design partners — infrastructure developers and energy law firms — to shape the product. Contact us at info@olmstedinfra.com to discuss pricing and early access availability.