What Tenos does

Tenos is a UK fire engineering consultancy delivering three integrated service lines: fire safety engineering design, fire surveying/inspection/consultancy, and fire expert witness work. Its core technical offering spans fire strategy development, thermo-fluid analysis, egress analysis, structural fire analysis, and passive fire protection assessment, combined with on-site supervision to ensure design intent is preserved through construction. The firm serves building operators and owners, architectural and engineering teams, legal teams involved in fire safety disputes, and public sector clients including government bodies, housing associations, and universities, with a documented post-Grenfell legacy of remediation and expert witness work on poorly built buildings.

Tenos is 100% employee-owned through an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT), which pays tax-free bonuses of up to £3,600 per member per annum and is the primary governance vehicle rather than external shareholders or venture capital. Headquartered in Manchester with additional offices in London, Bristol, and Glasgow, the firm sells B2B professional services through direct engagement with building operators, facilities management firms, architects, and engineering teams, and through Crown Commercial Service frameworks for public sector procurement. GTM is sales-led and reputation-driven, supported by a resource library, contributions to industry publications such as IFP Journal, and a graduate/apprenticeship early-careers programme.

Commercial credibility is underpinned by UKAS-accredited ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 27001 certifications, Cyber Essentials, Constructionline, and CHAS accreditation, alongside memberships in the Institution of Fire Engineers and the Fire Industry Association. Recent operating signals include the early repayment of £1m of deferred employee debt in October 2024, office relocations in London (October 2023) and Manchester (December 2024), appointments onto two Crown Commercial Service frameworks in 2025 and 2026, and a series of senior leadership appointments through 2023–2026. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Tenos

Legal name

Tenos Ltd

Website

https://tenos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tenos is a UK fire engineering consultancy delivering fire safety engineering design, surveying and inspection, and expert witness services to public and private sector clients across four UK offices, operating as a 100% employee-owned trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Building Inspection Services (54135), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Safety & Major Hazard Risk Management (PSM) (BPAHAJAE)

Keywords

• Fire engineering consultancy
• Fire safety engineering
• Fire risk assessment
• Passive fire protection
• Fire expert witness

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fire Engineering Consultancy: Professional consulting services for fire safety engineering, including fire strategy development, design analysis, and compliance assessment for new and existing buildings.
2. Fire Surveying and Inspection: Fire protection surveying services including inspection, assessment, and certification of passive fire protection measures across residential and commercial properties.
3. Fire Expert Witness Services: Legal dispute resolution support for fire safety matters, including expert witness testimony and assessment of unsafe building conditions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tenos is a UK fire engineering consultancy delivering fire safety engineering, fire surveying/inspection/consultancy, and fire expert witness services for the built environment. Services cover fire strategy development, thermo-fluid/egress/structural fire analysis, passive fire protection inspection, fire risk assessment, and expert witness support for fire safety-related legal matters across public and private sector buildings.

Product overview

Tenos is a fire engineering consultancy providing specialized services for the built environment. The company offers a unified portfolio of three core service areas: Fire Safety Engineering (innovative design solutions ensuring compliance without compromising architectural intent), Fire Surveying/Inspection/Consultancy (comprehensive inspection and advisory services), and Fire Expert Witness (legal advisory and dispute resolution support). All services are delivered through their national network of offices in Manchester, London, Bristol, and Glasgow.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Safety Engineering Innovative fire engineering solutions for the built environment, developing fire strategies with architectural and engineering teams, undertaking complex thermo-fluid, egress and structural fire analysis, and resolving buildability issues on-site to ensure design intent is delivered. Targeted at building operators, architects and engineering firms on new build and refurbishment projects.
• Fire Surveying, Inspection and Consultancy Comprehensive fire safety inspection, surveying and consultancy services for public and private sector buildings. Includes inspection, assessment and certification of passive fire protection measures and fire risk assessments across residential and commercial properties and estates.
• Fire Expert Witness Expert witness services and advisory support for fire safety-related legal matters, including dispute resolution support for unsafe building conditions and post-Grenfell building defect cases. Provided to legal teams handling construction and fire safety disputes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Faster career progression for graduates compared to peers at other firms due to exposure to Design, Inspection and Legal teams.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Crown Commercial ServicecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 February 2026Tenos appointed as specialist supplier of fire safety engineering consultancy and surveying services on the Crown Commercial Service RM6343 Estate Management Services 2 (EMS2) framework, enabling efficient public sector procurement.
• Crown Commercial Service Construction Professional ServicescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 February 2025Tenos registered on Crown Commercial Service's Construction Professional Services framework (RM6242) enabling public sector organizations, universities, and housing associations to more efficiently procure their fire engineering services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global multi-disciplinary engineering firm with a well-established fire engineering practice. Overlaps with Tenos on building fire strategy, egress modelling, and structural fire analysis, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Cundall: International multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with a fire engineering team delivering fire strategies, evacuation modelling, and BIM-integrated design. Comparable technical scope within a wider building services offering.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure and building services consultancy with significant UK fire and life safety practice. Overlaps with Tenos on complex public sector and commercial building projects, but operates at substantially larger scale.
• WSP: Global engineering professional services firm with a UK fire engineering team serving public and private sector building clients. Comparable in fire strategy work but as part of a much larger multi-disciplinary practice.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering consultancy with a fire safety and building safety practice serving UK public sector estates, housing, and infrastructure. Comparable clients and regulatory remit, though broader scope.
• Buro Happold: International engineering consultancy with a fire engineering team covering strategy, evacuation, and structural fire analysis. Comparable technically but competes as part of a wider multi-disciplinary offering.
• Hoare Lea: UK building services engineering consultancy with a fire engineering team delivering fire strategies and design analysis for new-build and refurbishment projects. Comparable end market and clients.

Direct peers

• Jensen Hughes: Global fire engineering and code-consulting firm with strong UK practice. Comparable in core fire safety engineering, egress and structural fire analysis, and expert witness work, though much larger and internationally diversified.
• OFR Consultants: UK-focused fire engineering consultancy offering fire strategy design, risk assessment, and expert witness services across buildings. Most direct like-for-like competitor to Tenos in terms of size, geography, and service mix.
• Trigon Fire Safety: Specialist UK fire safety consultancy providing fire engineering, risk assessment, and surveying to building owners and public sector clients. Closely comparable niche, geography, and customer base to Tenos.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/login

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Tenos