What Avove does

Avove Limited is a UK-focused infrastructure services and engineering company headquartered in Chorley, Lancashire, delivering design, build, and maintenance services to regulated utility clients across the water, wastewater, telecommunications, and vegetation management sectors. The company was formed in April 2022 when Rubicon Partners, a specialist industrial private equity firm, acquired the utilities division of Amey (itself traced via Enterprise PLC, Lancashire Enterprises, and ARM Services back to 1964) and rebranded it as an independent platform under ultimate parent ERSA Topco Limited. As of December 2024, Avove had 792 direct employees supported by a supply chain of approximately 1,500 subcontractors, operating from headquarters in Chorley plus offices in Preston, Newry (Northern Ireland head office), and Enniskillen.

Avove's revenue model is anchored in multi-year framework agreements and project-based capital works awarded through formal competitive tender by major UK utilities. Named enterprise clients include Severn Trent, United Utilities, Northumbrian Water, Yorkshire Water, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, NI Water (via DLJ Water JV), Northern Powergrid, and SP Energy Networks. Service lines span Design & Build (water/sewerage networks, flood alleviation), Water Services (network operations and developer services), Wastewater Services (treatment works upgrades, sewer diversions), Vegetation Management (arboricultural services to power networks), and Environment & Ecology services. Notable project evidence includes the £32m Strelley-to-Redhill 16km pipeline for Severn Trent and the Vyrnwy Aqueduct Modernisation for United Utilities.

Avove's principal technological differentiator is its Smart Air Pig pipeline cleaning and inspection technology — developed in partnership with iNPIPE PRODUCTS — a world-first for the water industry at this scale (cleaning up to 3000mm-diameter pipelines over distances exceeding 6km, with integrated cameras, tracking, and speed control). This capability has generated multiple 2024 industry awards (NCE Tunnelling Award, Water Industry Awards Groundbreaker of the Year, Pipeline Industry Guild Large Diameter Pipeline of the Year) and quantified outcomes such as 15 million litres of water saved, 118 tonnes of CO2 reduction, and £8m of value-engineered savings on the Strelley project. Pricing is negotiated on a project-by-project basis under framework agreements and is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Avove

Legal name

Avove Limited

Website

https://avove.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Avove is a UK infrastructure services and engineering company providing design, build, and maintenance of water, wastewater, telecommunications, and vegetation management networks to major regulated utility clients including Severn Trent, United Utilities, Northumbrian Water, Yorkshire Water, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Northern Powergrid, and SP Energy Networks, operating as a Rubicon Partners portfolio company formed in April 2022 from Amey's utilities division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chorley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Framework Contracts: Avove secures multi-year framework agreements with water utility companies for the delivery of infrastructure services across water, wastewater, telecommunications, and vegetation management sectors.
2. Project-Based Capital Works: Design, build, and maintenance of utility infrastructure through specific project contracts including pipeline installations, wastewater treatment works upgrades, and flood alleviation projects.
3. Repairs and Maintenance Services: Ongoing maintenance and repair services for utility networks, including water network operations, valve maintenance, and vegetation management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Avove is an infrastructure services company that designs, builds, and maintains essential utility infrastructure for the water, wastewater, telecommunications, and vegetation management sectors in the UK. The company delivers end-to-end engineering services, including pipeline cleaning and inspection using proprietary Smart Pig technology (in partnership with iNPIPE PRODUCTS), as well as environmental and ecological services supporting long-term network resilience.

Product overview

Avove is an infrastructure services and engineering company providing integrated utility solutions across the UK and Ireland. The company's portfolio consists of five core service offerings: Design & Build (sustainable capital projects), Water Services (network operations), Wastewater Services (treatment and sewer infrastructure), Vegetation Management (arboricultural services), and Environment & Ecology Services. These core services are complemented by innovative technology offerings including Smart Air Pig Technology for pipeline inspection and cleaning. Avove operates through multiple frameworks with major water utilities (Severn Trent, Northumbrian Water, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Northern Ireland Water, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water) and energy networks (SP Energy Networks, Northern Powergrid), delivering end-to-end solutions from project concept through construction and commissioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Infrastructure Design, Build and Maintenance

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 million litres of water saved during 16km pipeline cleaning project in Cheshire
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• iNPIPE PRODUCTScoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership to deliver smart air pig technology for pipeline cleaning in the water sector. Combined expertise for cleaning, inspection and maintenance of pipelines using groundbreaking smart pigging technology. The partnership delivered a world-first for using smart pigging at large scale in the water industry, with technology designed for pipelines up to 3000mm diameter and distances over 6km.
• DLJ WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between Deane Public Works, Lowry Building & Civil Engineering, and Avove Ireland formed to deliver water and wastewater projects in Northern Ireland. Delivers sustainable treatment and environmental improvements for NI Water through infrastructure projects including the Clogher Wastewater Treatment Works upgrade.
• Aqua ConsultantsstrategicTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership announced for water sector consulting and technical services.
• Women's Utilities NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to support women in the utilities sector and promote diversity in the industry.
• BITCNI (Business in the Community Northern Ireland)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAvove Ireland joined BITCNI to champion responsible business practices in Northern Ireland.
• Tetra TechstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering consultancy partner involved in Construction Futures Open Doors events and wastewater treatment projects with NI Water.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MWH Treatment: UK water and wastewater treatment works specialist, now part of Stantec following 2023 acquisition. Delivers design-and-build treatment programmes for AMP cycles and is a direct competitor for capital works frameworks.
• Barhale: UK-focused civil engineering and infrastructure contractor with a strong water and wastewater utilities practice. Competes with Avove on AMP-cycle framework work for Severn Trent, Thames Water, Anglian Water, and other UK water companies.
• JN Bentley: Specialist civil engineering contractor delivering clean water and wastewater infrastructure for UK utilities, including joint venture Mott MacDonald Bentley. Closely comparable in size, customer set, and AMP-framework delivery model.
• Clancy Docwra: Multi-utility infrastructure services contractor (water, gas, electricity, telecoms) operating across the UK. Overlaps with Avove's water services and multi-utility civils delivery model on similar utility frameworks.
• Morrison Water Services: A leading UK water and wastewater infrastructure services contractor, part of MGroup Services. Directly comparable to Avove in framework-based delivery of network maintenance, capital projects, and developer services for the same set of UK water utility clients.
• Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB): Joint venture between Mott MacDonald and JN Bentley delivering design-and-build water and wastewater infrastructure for UK utility clients. Direct peer on AMP frameworks with comparable customer base and delivery scope.

Broad incumbents

• Costain Group: Tier 1 UK infrastructure group with major water, highways, and energy practices. Competes with Avove on AMP8 mega-frameworks but operates at materially larger scale and broader portfolio than the Avove pure-play utility focus.
• Skanska UK: UK arm of Swedish infrastructure group with significant water and utilities operations, including AMP framework work. Competes with Avove for utility infrastructure projects but operates across broader infrastructure sectors.
• Kier Group: UK infrastructure and construction group with a Utilities business unit delivering water, gas, and electricity networks. Comparable to Avove on water and wastewater framework delivery but operating at greater scale and breadth.
• Balfour Beatty: Major UK and international infrastructure group with substantial water and utilities delivery capability. Competes on large AMP programmes but at meaningfully greater scale and with broader non-utility exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Avove