SEMP

What SEMP does

SEMP Ltd is a Bristol-headquartered systems engineering consultancy founded in 2015 by Stuart Gilbey and Derek Wynne, delivering technical consultancy, systems engineering assurance, and programme support to major infrastructure owners across rail, nuclear, energy, and urban mobility. The firm operates with 11–50 core staff supplemented by a 100+ associate network, and has established a Toronto office alongside its UK base to serve North American clients. SEMP combines traditional consulting engagements with SEMPx, a proprietary cloud-based collaboration platform that supports configuration management, interface definition, and stakeholder review across multi-year capital programmes.

The company's customer base is anchored in regulated, publicly-funded infrastructure: Network Rail and HS2 in UK rail, EDF Energy on the Sizewell C nuclear new-build, NEOM in Saudi Arabia, OC Transpo in Ottawa, and Cross River Rail in Brisbane. SEMP is an IBM Silver Partner, holds RISQS Verified status for rail, and maintains ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and Cyber Essentials certifications, with a UK DfT STARThree Framework appointment secured in August 2023. The firm is led by an INCOSE UK President-Elect co-founder and a Technical Director appointed in 2022.

The business model blends time-and-materials professional services on long-cycle infrastructure programmes with growing monetisation potential from SEMPx as a platformised extension of those engagements. Go-to-market is driven by pre-qualification frameworks (DfT STARThree, RISQS), OEM partnerships (IBM), and a December 2023 Memorandum of Understanding with Urban.MASS targeting autonomous rail systems. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed, and the firm is privately held with no reported funding rounds, making it a founder-led, organically-scaled specialist consultancy.

Name

SEMP

Legal name

SEMP Ltd

Website

https://sempltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SEMP is a UK-headquartered systems engineering consultancy that delivers technical assurance and programme support to major rail, nuclear, and urban-mobility infrastructure owners via consulting services and its proprietary SEMPx cloud collaboration platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Systems Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Systems engineering consulting
• Infrastructure risk management
• Requirements management
• System assurance services
• Verification and validation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Systems Engineering Consulting Services: Professional consulting services providing systems engineering, requirements management, system assurance, verification and validation, and programme recovery for infrastructure projects. Billed through project-based engagements with government bodies, infrastructure owners and delivery organisations.
2. SEMPx Software Platform: Cloud-based collaboration software licensing for infrastructure project requirements management and compliance tracking.
3. IBM ELM Solutions Partnership: Engineering Lifecycle Management solutions provided as IBM Silver Partner to infrastructure sector.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SEMP provides systems engineering consulting services to government bodies, infrastructure owners, and delivery organisations for complex rail, transport, and nuclear infrastructure projects. The firm delivers requirements management, system assurance, verification and validation, safety assurance, and programme recovery services, complemented by its proprietary SEMPx cloud-based collaboration platform purpose-built for managing infrastructure project specifications across the delivery lifecycle.

Product overview

SEMP offers systems engineering and assurance consulting services for infrastructure projects, complemented by its proprietary SEMPx cloud-based collaboration platform. SEMPx serves as the core product—a unified platform that enables project teams to manage requirements, specifications, and supply chain compliance in real-time across the entire project lifecycle. The consulting services include systems engineering, requirements management, safety assurance, verification and validation, and programme recovery, while SEMPx provides the digital infrastructure to support these disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEMPx: Cloud-based collaboration software designed for infrastructure projects to manage requirements and project assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle

Products and services

• SEMPx Cloud-based collaboration software designed for infrastructure projects that brings together commercial, engineering, design, project delivery, and supply chain teams on one unified platform to manage project specifications and compliance throughout the project delivery lifecycle. Provides a single unified real-time view of project specifications, enables change impact analysis in minutes rather than days, and supports requirements management and compliance tracking built specifically for infrastructure projects.
• Systems Engineering Consulting Services Professional consulting services providing systems engineering, requirements management, system assurance, verification and validation, and programme recovery for complex infrastructure projects. Delivered to government bodies, infrastructure owners, and delivery organisations, billed through project-based engagements focused on reducing the six key risks (System Performance, Integration, Safety & Security, Disruption, Bringing Into Use, Resilience) inherent in complex infrastructure delivery.
• IBM ELM (Engineering Lifecycle Management) Solutions Engineering Lifecycle Management solutions delivered to the infrastructure sector through SEMP's status as an IBM Silver Partner, providing specialised deployment of IBM's ELM tooling to infrastructure clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed the TRU Programme's requirements baseline and embedded Systems Engineering best practice held up as benchmark within Network Rail
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Department for Transport (DfT) - UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Appointed to the DfT STARThree Framework (Specialist Technical Advisory for Rail and Other Transport Systems). Provides top-tier industry expertise and specialised technical and commercial advisory services for significant transport projects. Working collaboratively to apply whole system expertise supporting DfT strategic priorities including improving connectivity, transport user experience, and decarbonisation.
• IBMcoreTechnology or IntegrationIBM Silver Partner specialising in providing Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) solutions to the infrastructure sector through the IBM Partner Plus programme.
• Imperial College London - Centre for Systems Engineering & Innovation (CSEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership and collaboration with one of the world's leading academic institutions. SEMP co-authored working paper 'Systems Approaches to Infrastructure - A Shared Perspective'. Team members actively participate in CSEI annual showcase events through presentations and panel discussions.
• INCOSE UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of UK Advisory Board of International Council on Systems Engineering. Contributing to discussions and decisions shaping the direction of systems engineering discipline. Hazel Woodcock currently President Elect of INCOSE UK.
• Urban.MASSflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for system engineering phase of Floc/Duo Rail - zero-emission autonomous transit system. SEMP defining multi-stage design process and Concept of Operations. Memorandum of Understanding signed December 2023 to bring combined expertise to planning, risk reduction and deployment of innovative autonomous system.
• TRACCSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership with leading association dedicated to promoting advancements in transportation. Engages with leading-edge practices and contributes to development of sustainable and efficient transportation solutions.
• Rail Industry Association (RIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership staying at forefront of industry developments, contributing to policy discussions and advocating for the sector.
• Rail ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership illustrating active engagement with the rail industry at large, fostering collaborative relationships with other members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Frazer-Nash Consultancy: UK-headquartered systems and engineering technology consultancy with strong defence and transport heritage; one of the closest comparables in size and systems-engineering specialism.
• PA Consulting: Global innovation and transformation consultancy with a substantial transport and infrastructure systems practice; competes with SEMP for high-end systems engineering and assurance advisory mandates.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive rail, transit and nuclear advisory capabilities; competes for the same framework-level mandates as SEMP, especially in the UK and Canada.
• WSP: Large multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with a strong transportation and systems engineering offering; overlaps with SEMP on rail, transit and major programme assurance globally.
• AtkinsRéalis (SNC-Lavalin): Global engineering services and project management firm with a deep rail and infrastructure assurance practice; competes directly with SEMP on UK rail, Canadian transit and nuclear programmes but at vastly greater scale.
• Arup: Global engineering and design consultancy with deep transport and infrastructure advisory work; a frequent co-bidder or competitor on rail and major programme assurance.
• Mott MacDonald: International engineering, management and development consultancy with significant UK rail and infrastructure advisory capability; a direct competitor for systems engineering and assurance work on DfT-linked programmes.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global professional services firm with critical mission solutions, infrastructure and advanced facilities; competes for systems engineering and assurance mandates on large transit and nuclear programmes.

Emerging players

• Turner & Townsend: International programme management and cost consultancy with growing systems engineering and assurance capabilities on rail and infrastructure projects; a credible emerging systems-engineering competitor.

Others

• Bentley Systems: Infrastructure engineering software vendor whose iTwin / OpenRail platforms sit in the same requirements and digital-twin ecosystem as SEMPx; an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct services competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sempltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 SEMP