NES Fircroft

What NES Fircroft does

NES Fircroft is a privately held global technical and engineering workforce solutions provider headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, founded in 1970. The company operates more than 80 offices across 45 countries, employing over 2,200 recruitment professionals and supporting a contractor workforce of more than 24,000 individuals across 70+ countries spanning 137 nationalities. Its core business is the placement of contract and permanent technical staff into energy, engineering, mining, life sciences, IT, and data centre projects, complemented by Employer of Record (EOR), global mobility, payroll, and managed solutions services delivered through its NES Advantage Solutions division.

The company's service portfolio is anchored by Contract Staffing (markups on contractor day rates), Permanent Hire and Executive Search (success fees typically 20–30% of annual salary), EOR (monthly per-employee fees), Managed Solutions (MSP/RPO multi-year enterprise agreements), and Payroll Services. Underlying technology consists of a proprietary workforce management platform, an ISO 9001/14001/45001-certified integrated management system, a cloud-based learning management system, and compliance/risk infrastructure located in six regions. Distribution is primarily direct enterprise field sales via discipline-specific recruiters, supported by regional inside sales teams, specialist business units (Bedrock for upstream/midstream shale, Redbock for biotech/pharma/medical devices), and acquired capabilities from the 2026 Halian acquisition covering cybersecurity, cloud, data, AI, and digital transformation.

Vertically, NES Fircroft serves Oil & Gas (upstream, midstream/LNG, downstream), Renewable Energy (wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear, carbon capture), Power, Mining, Life Sciences, IT & Technology, Data Centres, Manufacturing, Construction & Infrastructure, Chemicals, and Skilled Trades. Customers include named oil and gas operators (Zohr, West Nile Delta, Abu Qir, El Narges, CCS Trial Offshore Brunei, Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant) and hyperscale data centre operators across APAC, supporting roughly 300+ businesses in the Americas alone. The company is privately held with no public financial disclosure of revenue.

Name

NES Fircroft

Legal name

NES Fircroft

Website

https://nesfircroft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

NES Fircroft is a global technical and engineering workforce solutions provider placing contract and permanent staff into energy, mining, life sciences, IT, and data centre projects across 80+ offices in 45 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical and Engineering Recruitment Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Agent of Record (AOR) / Contractor Engagement Services (BPACAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC), Global Payroll & Multi-Country Payroll Coordination (EOR/PEO Interface) (BPAAAHAE), Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Payroll (FSAMAKAB), IT & Software Engineering Staffing (BPACADAA)

Keywords

• Engineering recruitment
• Technical staffing
• Contract staffing
• Executive search
• Workforce solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Altrincham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices55 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Contract Staffing: Placement of technical and engineering contractors on project-based assignments. The company manages tens of thousands of contractors globally, providing industry-leading logistics support and payroll services. Revenue generated through markups on contractor rates and payroll processing fees.
2. Permanent Hire / Executive Search: Retained search services for direct placement of permanent staff, including C-suite and board-level leadership positions. Over 50 years of experience in orchestrating retained search activities. Revenue generated through success fees or retainers.
3. Employer of Record (EOR): Legal employment services allowing clients to hire employees in countries where they lack local entity presence. NES Fircroft becomes the legal employer, handling payroll, taxation, and compliance. Revenue generated through EOR service fees.
4. Global Mobility Services: Contractor mobility support including travel orchestration, comprehensive insurances, in-country orientations, visa management, and relocation logistics. Services for getting staff to energy projects in remote locations, particularly for expatriate workforces.
5. Managed Solutions (MSP/RPO): Outsourced recruitment management through NES Advantage Solutions division. Includes Managed Service Provider programs, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Consulting & Advisory, Diversity Diagnostic Reporting, and Salary & Rate Benchmarking. Revenue generated through managed service fees.
6. Payroll Services: Award-winning, fully compliant payroll services for internationally mobile contractor workforce. Regional team structure provides in-depth knowledge of specific payroll and tax compliance requirements for each country along with appropriate cultural awareness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NES Fircroft is a global technical and engineering recruitment specialist that places contract and permanent staff — including C-suite and board-level executives — into energy, mining, life sciences, data centre, and infrastructure projects across 45 countries. The company also delivers employer-of-record (EOR), international payroll, immigration/visa, global mobility, and managed workforce services (MSP/RPO) through its NES Advantage Solutions division. It operates 80+ offices and supports more than 24,000 contractors on assignment worldwide.

Product overview

NES Fircroft operates as a global technical and engineering recruitment group offering a comprehensive portfolio of workforce solutions. The core offering consists of Contract Staffing, Employer of Record (EOR), Permanent Hire, Global Mobility, and Executive Search services. These are supported by specialized platforms including NES Advantage Solutions (delivering MSP and RPO managed solutions), and acquired specialist brands Bedrock (onshore upstream/midstream shale) and Redbock (biotech/pharma/medical devices). The company also provides ancillary services including Payroll, Compliance, Immigration, L1 Visa Solutions, Assignment Support, Workforce Consolidation, Technical Consultancy, and Consulting & Advisory offerings. EngineeringPro serves as the company's job platform and subscription service. The portfolio spans 80+ offices across 45 countries, supporting over 24,000 contractors globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NES Advantage Solutions: Specialized division delivering comprehensive outsourced solutions in MSP and RPO across the globe for over 10 years
• Bedrock
• Redbock

Products and services

• Contract Staffing Placement of technically qualified contract and temporary personnel for engineering, energy, life sciences, and data centre projects worldwide, with integrated logistics support, payroll management, and compliance.
• Permanent Hire Direct hire and retained search services for placing candidates into permanent technical, engineering, managerial, and leadership positions across NES Fircroft's served industries.
• Executive Search

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 99% contractual compliance rate maintained month-on-month since 2015
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HaliancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026NES Fircroft acquired Halian, a technology and talent services provider headquartered in St Albans. The acquisition strengthens NES Fircroft's service portfolio and positions the group to meet growing global demand for specialist IT talent as organisations accelerate toward an AI-powered, data-driven future. Halian CEO Stuart Fry continues to lead the business following the acquisition, which follows Halian's management buyout backed by Twenty20 Capital three years prior.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Airswift: Airswift is a global workforce solutions provider specializing in the energy, process, infrastructure, and mining sectors. It is the closest direct peer to NES Fircroft, competing head-to-head for technical and engineering contractor placements across oil & gas, renewables, and data centres globally.
• SThree: SThree is a London-listed specialist STEM staffing firm placing contract and permanent professionals across life sciences, technology, energy, and engineering. Its operating model — focus on contract staffing of technical specialists and energy sector exposure — closely mirrors NES Fircroft's core business.
• Hays: Hays is a UK-listed global specialist staffing and recruitment group with a strong technical and engineering recruitment franchise across energy, infrastructure, and life sciences. Direct competitor in technical direct-hire and contract staffing, with comparable global office footprint.
• Brunel International: Brunel International is a Netherlands-headquartered specialist staffing firm focused on engineering, energy, mining, and offshore projects. Highly comparable to NES Fircroft given the energy and engineering vertical focus and global contractor placement model.
• Petroplan: Petroplan is a specialist energy recruitment firm focused on oil & gas, renewables, and mining sectors with global contractor and direct-hire placement services. Closely comparable in sector focus (energy technical staffing) and contract-driven revenue model.
• Fircroft: Fircroft is a UK-based specialist technical and engineering recruitment firm focused on oil & gas, mining, and power sectors. Despite the historical name connection with NES Fircroft (NES and Fircroft were separate entities before consolidation), Fircroft operates as an independent direct competitor in the same energy/engineering staffing niche.

Broad incumbents

• ManpowerGroup: ManpowerGroup is one of the world's largest staffing firms, offering contract, permanent, and managed workforce solutions across all major verticals including industrial/technical staffing. Competes with NES Fircroft in technical contract staffing, RPO/MSP programs, and EOR services globally.
• Robert Half: Robert Half is a global staffing and consulting firm with a strong professional/technical staffing presence (especially IT, finance, and engineering). Overlaps with NES Fircroft in technical direct-hire and contract staffing, and in RPO/MSP services for enterprise clients.
• Michael Page International: Michael Page is a global specialist recruitment group placing permanent and contract professionals across technical, engineering, and life sciences disciplines. Competitor to NES Fircroft in permanent hire and executive search for technical/engineering leadership roles.

Regional players

• Cpl Resources: Cpl Resources is an Irish-headquartered recruitment and workforce solutions group with strong technical, engineering, and life sciences verticals across Ireland, UK, and continental Europe. Comparable in service mix (contract, permanent, MSP/RPO) but with a more regionally concentrated footprint than NES Fircroft.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NESFircroft
• Facebookfacebook.com/NESFircroft

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NES Fircroft