What PBS Construction does

PBS Construction Limited is a family-owned civil engineering contractor headquartered in Hull, United Kingdom, founded in 1988 and operated by the Smurthwaite family (Glenn Smurthwaite, Managing Director; Pete Smurthwaite, Chairman; Brendon Smurthwaite, Community Manager). The company delivers a portfolio of six core civil engineering services — highways, public realm, building and refurbishment, heritage restoration, bridges, and flood defence — using traditional construction methods to local authority and commercial clients across the north of England. Project scope ranges from small-scale public realm works (e.g., £160k footway improvements) to multi-million pound infrastructure schemes, with recently disclosed flagship projects including the £5m South Cliff Gardens restoration (Scarborough, 2021–2023), the £2.3m Anlaby Road resurfacing (Hull, 2020), and the £4.7m Brough roundabout (East Riding, 2024).

Revenue is generated exclusively through competitive tendering for one-off construction contracts, predominantly with public sector clients including Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, North Yorkshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council, Lincolnshire County Council, and Scarborough Borough Council. The company's go-to-market is direct sales-led via inclusion on local authority tender lists and incumbent relationships, with the source noting many clients have been working with PBS for over 20 years. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is project-specific, determined through the tender process. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Constructionline Gold, CHAS, Safecontractor, SSIP, Cyber Essentials, and is a member of CECA, NFB, and Hull Humber Chamber of Commerce — certifications required to qualify for UK public sector construction procurement. Headcount is 51–100; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

PBS Construction

Legal name

PBS Construction Limited

Website

https://pbsconstruction.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PBS Construction is a family-owned civil engineering contractor based in Hull, UK, delivering highways, bridges, flood defence, heritage, public realm, and building refurbishment services to local authority and commercial clients across the north of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Construction Services

NAICS

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works General Contracting (IMAFAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bridge & Viaduct Construction (IMAFAEAB)

Keywords

• Civil engineering construction
• Highways construction services
• Flood defence construction
• Bridge construction maintenance
• Heritage building restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Civil Engineering Construction Contracts: PBS Construction generates revenue through the completion of civil engineering construction contracts for public sector and commercial clients. Projects range from small-scale public realm works to multi-million pound infrastructure schemes including highways, bridges, flood defence, heritage, and building refurbishment. Revenue is project-based, typically obtained through competitive tendering processes with local authorities and commercial clients across the north of England.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PBS Construction is a family-owned civil engineering contractor delivering highways, bridges, flood defence, public realm, heritage, and building refurbishment works for local authorities and commercial clients across the north of England. Projects range from small-scale public realm schemes to multi-million pound infrastructure schemes, with delivery from initial design through to completion, and revenue obtained via competitive tendering and select tender list inclusion.

Product overview

PBS Construction is a family-owned civil engineering company offering a portfolio of interconnected construction services for commercial and public sector clients. The core service offering comprises six main areas: Highways Services (road construction and resurfacing), Public Realm Services (paving and town centre regeneration), Building & Refurbishment Services (commercial and educational construction), Heritage Services (historic building conservation), Bridges Services (bridge construction and maintenance), and Flood Defence Services (flood alleviation and drainage). Projects range from small-scale public realm works to multi-million pound infrastructure schemes including the £5m South Cliff Gardens Restoration, £4.7m Brough Roundabout, and various flood alleviation schemes valued between £150,000 and £1.257m.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Highways Services Civil engineering services for highways construction, resurfacing, and maintenance, including urban resurfacing projects, major road schemes, and infrastructure improvements for local authorities across Hull, East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire regions.
• Public Realm Services Public realm construction and regeneration services including paving, town centre regeneration, promenade improvements, and public space enhancements ranging from small-scale projects to multi-million pound schemes.
• Building & Refurbishment Services Commercial, public sector, and school construction projects including new-build and refurbishment, offering complete packages from initial design to completion, including kitchen refurbishments and extensions.
• Heritage Services Heritage conservation and restoration projects including historic building preservation, Grade 2 listed building maintenance, chimney stack rebuilding, and external wall restoration in collaboration with conservation departments.
• Bridges Services Bridge construction, widening, and repair services for local authorities across Hull, East Yorkshire, and North Yorkshire, including bridge maintenance schemes and footbridge installations.
• Flood Defence Services Specialist flood defence construction including flood alleviation schemes, culvert installation, concrete solutions for tide management, and drainage works to protect properties from flooding.

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hull FCcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Principal partner for 2026 season. The partnership goes beyond sponsorship, with PBS wanting to build into the club's vision for engaging supporters and commercial partners.
• Hull SeahawkscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Player sponsorship of Bobby Chamberlain for 2024/25 ice hockey season. PBS previously sponsored Bobby Chamberlain when he played in Kingston Juniors with Chairman Pete Smurthwaite's grandson. Bobby also worked for the company in the past.
• Bricknell Primary SchoolminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024PBS donated materials (pallets, tyres, timber, pipes) to Bricknell Primary School for use on their OPAL (Outdoor Play & Learning) play areas. The Hull-based school started its OPAL journey in 2022.
• Hull FCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing commercial partner relationship with Hull FC rugby league club. PBS has been involved commercially with the club for over 10 years. For 2026, PBS became a principal partner with their logo appearing on the club's alternate jerseys and shorts across all three kits. Previously front of short sponsor for four consecutive seasons (2016-2019, 2023 ongoing).
• West Hull Amateur Rugby League ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommercial partner of West Hull Amateur Rugby League Club, supporting amateur rugby league in the local community.
• Lads FCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst ever front of shirt partner for Lads FC, a not-for-profit community football club that raises awareness around mental health and provides an all-inclusive environment for people of any age, race, gender, religion or ability to play football.
• Run With ItminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPBS supports Run With It, a charity that delivers innovative and challenging learning programmes for children, young people and adult learners. Support includes mock interview days and career talks about the construction industry.
• Callum AkesterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud sponsor of Callum Akester, a Hull-born rising star of golf.
• Local Grassroots Football ClubsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of a number of local grassroots football clubs, both at junior and adult level, across Hull and East Yorkshire.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• JN Bentley: JN Bentley is a civil engineering contractor based in Skipton, North Yorkshire, delivering highways, bridges, flood defence, and infrastructure schemes for local authorities and water companies across the North of England. Closest direct comparable in size, geography, and service mix to PBS Construction.
• Esh Construction: Esh Construction is a civil engineering and building contractor headquartered in County Durham serving the North East of England with highways, public realm, and infrastructure services. Operates in the same regional public sector market with a directly comparable service portfolio.
• Story Contracting: Story Contracting is a civil engineering contractor operating across Northern England and Scotland with capabilities in highways, bridges, and public realm. Similar mid-sized private regional contractor competing for the same council framework work as PBS.
• Eric Wright Group: Eric Wright Group is a privately-owned construction and civil engineering firm based in Preston, delivering highways, civil engineering, and property projects across the North West. Same family-owned/privately-owned UK regional model competing for comparable council work.

Regional players

• Northstone (NI): Northstone is a UK construction and civil engineering contractor operating across Northern Ireland, GB, and Ireland with capabilities spanning infrastructure, building, and surfacing. Comparable scope but primarily serves a different geographic market.
• Farrans Construction: Farrans Construction is a civil engineering and building contractor based in Northern Ireland, part of the CRH group, delivering highways, bridges, and infrastructure across the UK and Ireland. Comparable capability set but operates in a different regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Balfour Beatty: Balfour Beatty is one of the largest UK infrastructure groups with extensive highways, civil engineering, and public realm capabilities. Competes against PBS on council frameworks but at vastly greater scale and with national scope.
• Morgan Sindall: Morgan Sindall is a major UK construction and regeneration group with significant infrastructure services including highways and public realm. Competes with PBS in regional council tenders but operates nationally with a much broader portfolio.
• BAM Nuttall: BAM Nuttall is a UK civil engineering contractor within Royal BAM Group, delivering highways, bridges, and infrastructure nationally. Overlaps with PBS's service lines on council and water company work but at substantially larger scale.
• Galliford Try: Galliford Try is a major UK construction group with highways and environment divisions delivering public sector infrastructure. Competes against PBS for council frameworks but is a much larger listed national player.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PBSConstruct
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pbs-construction-north-east-ltd

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 PBS Construction