Dougall Baillie Associates

What Dougall Baillie Associates does

Dougall Baillie Associates (DBA) is an independent engineering consultancy headquartered in East Kilbride, Glasgow, founded in 1985 by Willard Dougall following his tenure at Scott Wilson Kilpatrick. The firm provides multi-disciplinary engineering services across four interconnected disciplines: civil, structural, transportation, and water management. Its technical capabilities include large-scale network modelling, swept path analysis for abnormal loads (e.g., wind turbine transport), Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) design, flood risk and drainage impact assessments, road network and junction modelling, and RAAC assessment and remediation. DBA has delivered major projects including the 603-unit Dykebar Hospital residential development on former NHS brownfield land, the 81 MW Pencloe Wind Farm for Invenergy, and transportation engineering for the Scottish Power/Iberdrola flagship headquarters in Glasgow.

The firm's customer base is spread across residential developers, housing associations (Clyde Valley Housing Association, Places for People), public sector clients (NHS Scotland), energy and utilities (Invenergy, Iberdrola/Scottish Power), retail (Silverburn Shopping Centre, Co-op), and education. Geographically, DBA operates primarily in Scotland, with extension into Northern England and Northern Ireland. Its go-to-market is direct, enterprise-style engagement with project-based professional services delivery, supplemented by sector-focused case studies, thought leadership content (including director Alan Ferns' RAAC publication), and community/STEM outreach as employer brand and recruitment channels.

DBA generates revenue through professional services billed on a project-by-project basis, with no public pricing, no software products, and no APIs. The firm grew from three founding staff to over 40 engineers and maintains very low staff turnover for the industry, with 20 staff having achieved professional qualification through the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) at a near 100% pass rate. In 2025, the company completed a management buyout by directors Scott MacPhail, Alan Ferns, and Stuart Harrow, marking its 40th anniversary, and remains privately held with no institutional investor involvement.

Name

Dougall Baillie Associates

Legal name

Dougall Baillie Associates

Website

https://dougallbaillie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dougall Baillie Associates is an independent Scottish engineering consultancy founded in 1985, providing civil, structural, transportation, and water management engineering services to property developers, housing associations, public sector clients, and energy and retail firms across Scotland, Northern England, and Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consultancy Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flood Control & Protection Infrastructure (Levees, Floodwalls, Gates, Pump Stations) (EUANAEAI), Detention, Retention & Storage Systems (Ponds, Tanks, Vaults) (EUANAEAD), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Structural engineering consultancy
• Transportation engineering services
• Water management engineering
• Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consultancy Services: Professional engineering services billed on a project-by-project basis for civil, structural, transportation, and water management engineering. Services include design, tender, site supervision, and multi-disciplinary project delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dougall Baillie Associates is an independent engineering consultancy providing integrated civil, structural, transportation, and water management engineering services to property developers, housing associations, local authorities, and public sector clients. Services span design, tender, site supervision, and multi-disciplinary project delivery across residential, commercial, industrial, retail, education, renewables, regeneration, and sustainable travel sectors in Scotland, Northern England, and Northern Ireland.

Product overview

Dougall Baillie Associates is an independent engineering consultancy offering integrated civil, structural, transportation, and water management engineering services. The firm operates as a single unified consultancy with four interconnected discipline departments that provide coordinated multi-disciplinary services to clients across residential, commercial, industrial, retail, education, renewables, regeneration, public realm, and sustainable travel sectors. Rather than a software product platform, the company delivers professional engineering consultancy services through its specialized departments working collaboratively on projects of varying scales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Engineering Services Civil engineering design, tender and site supervision services for multi-million-pound infrastructure developments, commercial, retail, industrial, and residential developments. Provided to property developers, housing associations, local authorities, and public sector clients.
• Structural Engineering Services Structural design services across commercial, industrial, retail, and residential sectors, including house foundation and superstructure design, for property developers, housing associations, and public sector clients.
• Transportation Engineering Services Traffic and transportation services including large-scale network modelling, economic appraisal, urban and rural transport assessments, swept path analyses, and access and junction studies, for public and private sector clients.
• Water Management Services Water management services including flood risk and drainage impact assessments, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), and River Corridor Planning and Development, for developers, housing associations, and public sector clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near 100% pass rate for professional qualification through Institution of Civil Engineers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of StrathclydecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBA is proud to be an ambassador for the University of Strathclyde Graduate Apprenticeship Programme. Through this partnership, young people can combine academic study with practical, hands-on experience in a live consultancy environment. Graduate apprentices gain a recognised degree qualification while developing real-world skills.
• Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBA works closely with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), supporting regional STEM events such as the Step Into Future Jobs event at South Lanarkshire College and the EDT Awards held at Hamilton Council Headquarters.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Woolgar Hunter: Scottish-based independent civil and structural engineering consultancy. Direct peer to DBA in the Scottish market with a similar multi-disciplinary service model, comparable headcount scale, and overlapping client base across residential, commercial, and public sector projects.
• Fairhurst: UK-wide independent engineering consultancy with strong Scottish presence. Directly comparable to DBA as a privately held, multi-disciplinary firm offering civil, structural, transportation, and environmental engineering, with similar project-based professional services delivery.
• Waterman Group: UK independent engineering consultancy providing civil, structural, transportation, and environmental services. Comparable in multi-disciplinary offering and project-based professional services model, with broader UK geographic reach than DBA.
• Pick Everard: UK-based independent engineering and design consultancy with civil, structural, and transportation disciplines. Directly comparable to DBA in business model, project types, and mid-market positioning across public and private sector clients.
• Curtins: UK independent engineering consultancy offering civil, structural, and infrastructure services. Comparable to DBA as a privately held multi-disciplinary firm with a similar client mix of developers, housing associations, and public sector bodies.

Broad incumbents

• Sweco UK: Major European engineering consultancy with substantial UK presence. Broader incumbent with overlapping services in civil, structural, transportation, and water engineering; competes with DBA on larger UK infrastructure programmes and frameworks.
• WSP UK: Global engineering consultancy with a significant UK and Scotland practice. Direct competitor to DBA on major infrastructure and development projects but at much greater scale, with broader service portfolio including advisory and environmental services.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy with strong UK presence. Overlaps with DBA across civil, structural, transportation, and water management disciplines; competes on larger UK infrastructure frameworks where scale matters.
• Stantec UK: Global engineering consultancy with established UK practice, including Scottish operations. Comparable across water, civil, and structural disciplines; competes with DBA on regional and national framework opportunities.
• AtkinsRéalis UK: Global engineering consultancy (formerly Atkins/SNC-Lavalin) with substantial UK and Scottish operations. Directly competes with DBA on transportation, water, and civil infrastructure projects, including the renewables and water sectors where DBA is active.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dougallbaillie
• Facebookfacebook.com/dougallbaillie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dougall-baillie-associates

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 Dougall Baillie Associates