Top 250 consultants

Top 250 consultants survey results

Are you planning to take on professional full-time staff in the next six months? Yes - 91% No - 9% Are you planning to increase the pay of your staff in the next six months? No - 2% Yes, by 1-2% - 4% 2-3% - 27% 3-4% - 41% More than 4% - 26% What is the ratio of workload at home or work overseas? 100:0 - 41% 90:10 - 32% 80:20 - 7% 70:30 - 8% 60:40 - 3% 50:50 - 2% 40:60 - 3% 30:70 - 2% 20:80 - 1% 10:90 - 1% 0:100 - 0% Do you plan to open more offices next year? Yes - 41% No - 59% When this happens, will staff overseas be working on UK projects? Yes - 21% No - 79% What percentage of your fee income comes from Partnering agreements? 20% Sixty-two firms replied. Answers ranged from 2-80% – the average was 20%. Lottery cash? 7% Thirty-five firms responded, with answers ranging from 1-21%. Private finance initiative work? 12% Fifty-six firms answered this question. Their answers ranged from 1-75%. On average, how long does it take clients to settle invoices? 30 days - 15% 60 days - 73% 90 days - 9% Longer - 3% Is this faster or slower than last year? Faster - 47% Slower - 53% If you are a partnership, are you planning to incorporate? Yes - 17% No - 83% Within two years, will you be bidding for work on-line? Yes - 82% No - 18% Will you be running projects on-line? Yes - 87% No - 13%

Key for all tables

* = 1998/99 results ** = 1997/98 results † = Building’s estimate †† = Figure adjusted or revised since last year § = May be counted elsewhere 1 = 2000 figures include Faithful & Gould and Lambert Smith Hampton. In last financial year, acquired Ventron Technology, Adtranz Signalling, Yeoman & Edwards and Benham in the USA. 1999 figures exclude Faithful & Gould. 2 = Acquired Jolyon Drury Consultants and NAPA. 3 = Amec Group restructured in single integrated source. 1999 figures for Amec Construction alone. 4 = EC Harris and Povall Flood and Wilson merged on 1 May 2000. Financial figures are for EC Harris only. 5 = Fulcrum Integration, Canto Seinuk, Flack and Kurtz, MMB & Partners and HJT acquired. 6 = Allott & Lomax merged with Babtie Group in January 2000. Kensalls joined Babtie’s QS practice to form Murdoch Green Kensalls. 7 = Merged with Schumann Smith with effect from 1 May 2000. 8 = Silk and Frazier and Yeoman & Edwards integrated. Staff also transferred to sister company WS Atkins Facilities Management. 9 = CPM Environmental Specialists acquired in September 1999. 10 = Formed alliance with Levett & Bailey (Hong Kong and China) and Rider Hunt (Asia Pacific). 11 = Acquisition by WS Atkins not reflected in data. 12 = Edward Roscoe Associates acquired. Chalice transferred to client body. 13 = Management buyout. 14 = Formerly PB Kennedy & Donkin. 15 = Includes Guy Maunsell International and merger with US firm AeCOM. 16 = Takeover of Vantagepoint Management Consultants in June 2000 not included. 17 = Gooch Webster joined New America International alliance. 18 = McBains Cooper acquired BBG Architects in spring 2000 and incorporated on 1 July 2000. 19 = Amalgamation with US firm. 20 = Merged with Peter Lawson Smith Associates in February 2000. 21 = Comprises Dames + Moore, O’Brien Kreitzberg, Radian, Thorburn Colquhoun and Woodward Clyde. 22 = Merged with ESP Architects. 23 = 18-month year resulting from sale in May 1999 to Capita plc. 24 = Majority shareholding in APP Partnership acquired in May 2000. 25 = Trading name changed from Brian Clancy Partnership on 3 July 2000. 26 = US architectural and healthcare practice acquired. 27 = Building surveying income only. 28 = Whole practice. 29 = Alex Sayer and Boxall Davenport merged in June 2000. 30 = Previously Chisholm Nurser & Partners. 31 = Merger with Weedon Partnership demerged in December 1999. a = General practice b = Building services, fire, facilities and property management, lift, safety, member of Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers c = Communications, graphic designers, telecommunication, computer, IT, electronic d = Interior, acoustics, space planning, lighting e = Environmental f = Building, construction, construction manager, M&E surveyor, member of Chartered Institute of Building g = Mining, geologists, geotechnics, archaeologists, tunnelling h = Biomedical, health, public health, hydrology, water, hospital, pharmaceutical, waste i = Marine, power, plant, airport, railway, energy, oil and gas j = Graduates k = Planning and development l = Landscape, landscape surveyor, estate surveyor m = Materials, chemical, metallurgy, process n = Cost, legal, contracts, litigation, arbitration, loss adjustment, valuation, party wall p = Planners, town planners, transport, highway, traffic, planning supervisors q = Includes landscape architects s = Structural surveyors

Methodology

A total of 400 firms were contacted for Building’s consultants’ survey this year. They were asked for details of the number of chartered staff versus non-chartered and technical staff, total fee income, worldwide fee income and the percentage of private and public sector work they carry out. Practices were also asked about the speed at which clients are paying their invoices, the proportion of overseas to UK work and their plans to take on staff in the next six months. Among those that did not respond or indicated that they did not wish to take part in this survey (with 1999 positions) were Brown & Root (2), Chesterton (7), Unicorn Consultancy Services (18), HOK International (=63), George Corderoy & Co (69), Bruce Shaw Associates (71), Llewellyn Davies (102), Richard Ellis St Quintin (=109), Ormrod & Partners (112), Knight Piesold (=113), Widnell (=126), Trett Consulting (=140), Leslie Clark (=151), Malcolm Hollis (=183), Banks Wood (=191), AJP Frankham (=194), Barrie Tankel Partnership (=203), Boswell Mitchell and Johnston (=214), CHQ Partnership (=214), Edward Cullinan (=224), Davis Duncan Harrold (=231), Bower Mattin (=244), and Fitch, Sir Frederick Snow, Tozer Gallagher and Alsop & Störmer. Newcomers responding to the survey include: White Young Green Consulting, NAI Gooch Webster, TPS Consult, RW Gregory and Partners, URS Europe, Summers & Partners, Richard Rogers Partnership, Schal, Schofield Lothian, Shepherd Consulting, Clancy Consulting, Burgess Partnership, Campbell Reith Hill, Foremans, Nigel Rose Group, RTKL-UK, NBW Crosher & James, Colliers Conrad Ritblat Erdman, Hurley Palmer Partnership, Bond Bryan Partnership, Cassidy and Ashton, John McAslan & Partners, Boxhall Sayer, BDB Surveying Services, Architon Group Practice, Burtenshaw Associates, CNP, Anthony Hunt Associates, Rowney Sharman Project Consultants, Hand Deere & Cox, Stubbs Rich, RNJ Partnership and Yolles Partnership.