Top 150 consultants 2021

Read Dave Roger’s analysis: Top 150 Consultants 2021 - Top 150 Consultants 2021 – a world of change

Top 50 Engineers 2021
RankFirmUK Chartered Engingeering StaffTotal UK Chartered StaffTotal UK Chartered StaffOffices
20212019 TotalCivil EngineersStructural EngineersMechanical EngineersElectrical EngineersOther2021202020212020UK
1 5 WSP 3,730 1,587 229 228 131 1,555 3,981 4,237 6,854 7,679 35
2 1 Mott MacDonald Group 1,996 1,230 188 228 211 139 3,673 3,699 7,059 7,252 27
3 2 Arup 1,873 933 317 279 179 165 2,126 2,109 5,915 6,180 15
4 3 Aecom 1,557 1,114 119 182 127 15 2,588 2,590 6,679 7,159 33
5 7 Arcadis 1,045 662 29 46 6 302 2,319 N/A 3,881 N/A 26
6 6 Ramboll 730 171 151 50 48 310 775 774 1,286 1,295 16
7 9 Buro Happold 392 46 74 41 22 209 392 366 970 970 5
8 8 Hoare Lea 374 0 0 151 84 139 374 396 934 858 12
9 12 Cundall 250 33 58 95 43 21 250 212 744 636 6
10 13 Pick Everard 182 19 5 16 21 121 406 370 583 542 13
11 new Pell Frischmann 179 106 21 6 0 46 189 180 443 414 11
12 14 Hilson Moran 131 0 0 60 42 29 131 141 204 220 4
13 19 Hydrock 116 25 16 17 18 40 116 86 558 435 18
14 15 Curtins Consulting 100 45 55 0 0 0 100 107 323 424 13
15 new RPS Consulting Services 98 42 28 12 16 0 501 438 1,155 1,058 28
16 20 AKT II 86 28 31 1 0 26 90 94 347 366 3
17 27 Ridge and Partners 81 5 25 51 0 0 357 350 639 634 12
18= 17 BDP 74 2 31 41 0 0 546 519 947 845 10
18= new HDR 74 6 15 23 13 17 156 130 270 219 6
20 22 Robert Bird & Partners 67 5 56 0 0 6 67 64 215 202 2
21 24 Clancy Consulting 54 15 27 9 3 0 54 N/A 201 N/A 10
22= 23 CampbellReith 50 7 33 0 0 10 50 54 138 151 5
22= 25 Price & Myers 50 11 39 0 0 0 50 56 146 182 4
24= 26 CBRE 46 0 0 4 14 28 377 365 3,706 3,706 16
24= 34= Civic Engineers 46 21 20 0 0 5 46 29 135 91 4
26 21 Elliott Wood Partnership 43 5 38 0 0 0 43 44 106 101 3
27 new Troup Bywaters + Anders 40 0 0 25 10 5 41 36 244 232 7
28= new Kier Business Services 31 7 11 6 6 1 81 88 170 200 5
28= 28 Meinhardt (UK) 31 2 20 2 2 5 32 36 107 91 2
30= 44 Gleeds 30 20 0 2 3 5 647 583 1,196 1,057 22
30= 30 Foster + Partners 30 0 5 8 4 13 427 391 1,244 1,218 1
32= 39= Ingleton Wood 29 3 6 10 9 1 102 97 215 200 5
32= new Conisbee 29 8 21 0 0 0 30 35 55 60 3
34 new Calfordseaden 27 2 3 11 10 1 118 110 313 280 6
35= 32= NPS Group 21 4 2 4 5 6 174 183 540 682 13
35= 29 DSSR 21 0 0 16 5 0 21 25 79 80 3
35= 48= Rolton Group 21 1 4 3 7 6 21 20 65 63 4
38= new Stride Treglown 20 1 0 0 0 19 182 175 351 332 9
38= 42= Webb Yates Engineers 20 3 16 1 0 0 20 19 53 50 3
40= new CPC Project Services 18 6 0 4 3 5 196 183 228 211 7
40= 36 Elementa Consulting 18 0 0 9 5 4 18 18 73 73 2
42= new Rider Levett Bucknall 14 0 0 14 0 0 449 410 710 652 12
42= 48= Hollis 14 0 0 0 0 14 160 152 387 410 19
44 48= Gardiner & Theobald 12 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 679 719 867 927 8
45 new Baily Garner 11 0 0 5 4 2 67 58 195 178 2
46= new Method Consulting 10 0 0 7 3 0 11 7 45 46 3
46= new Powell Tolner & Associates 10 4 6 0 0 0 10 8 51 45 1
46= new Services Design Solution 10 1 0 5 4 0 10 9 65 58 3
49 new NRP 9 9 0 0 0 0 27 N/A 64 N/A 4
50 new Bailey Partnership 8 1 2 3 2 0 62 53 101 92 5

Methodology and notes

More than 350 firms were contacted for this year’s Building Top 150 Consultants Survey, the results of which are shown in the tables above. They were sent a survey form asking for details on the number of chartered staff, non-chartered and technical staff, and domestic and worldwide fee incomes. Practices were also asked questions relating to: staff recruitment, wage patterns, margins, areas of work, and work expectations. 

All data in the tables are taken directly from firms’ replies. As there was no Top 150 survey published in 2020 for covid-related reasons, where a company is marked “new“ that means it was not in the 2019 Top 150 rankings.

The survey does not claim to list all the top consultants, as it relies upon firms completing and returning the annual survey form. For a variety of reasons, firms sometimes decide not to take part. Only those firms completing and returning the survey form are included in the survey.  Firms having any questions about the survey, or wishing to be included in the 2022 survey, should contact Martin Hewes at Hewes & Associates: www.hewes-associates.com.  

NB: “New” is used to mean that the company was not in the 2019 Top 150 consultants table.

Notes

1 WSP: Global acquisition of Golder will lead to integration of Golder UK subsidiary.

2 Arup: Latest financial data are provisional and unaudited.

3 Ramboll: Latest financials are draft.

4 Buro Happold: Amalgamated several companies into Buro Happold.

5 CBRE: CBRE restructured on a service line basis.

6 Ridge and Partners: Small acquisition in January 2020.

7 Hydrock: Acquired Kelly Taylor & Associates in March 2020, which has added around 20 staff and 2 locations to operations.

8 Cumming Group EMEA: In Feb 2020, TowerEight was acquired by Cumming Group.

9 Corstophine & Wright: 2021 financial data are estimates.

10 Kier Business Services: A significant contract TUPE was transferred back to the client at the start of this year, which has had a significant impact on the difference in revenue and staff figures between this year and last year.

11 Artelia UK: Acquisition of Austin Newport Group completed in 2020.

12 Atkins Walters & Webster: Latest financial data are unaudited.

13 Clancy Consulting: Latest financial data covers 2019/2020.

14 Whittam Cox Architects: Acquisition of Scottish timber-frame specialist, DBM Consulting.

15 Pulse Consult: Moving to a regional structure has resulted in further synergies across the business.

16 Trident Building Consultancy: Figures include joint venture with Emerald PM.

17 Meinhardt (UK): Latest financial data are estimated.

18 NRP: Latest financial data are estimated.

19 Imagile Professional Services: Acquisition of Capitec.

20 Concertus: In September 2020 a subsidiary, a joint venture with Derbyshire county council, was set up – TUPE 36 staff and £1.1m for 2020/2021.

21 Baqus Group: Closed Oxford office.

22 Provelio: Latest results are partially estimated.

23 Method Consulting: Latest financial data are estimates.

24 Powell Tolner & Associates: Estimated fee income for 2021.

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