What CBSbutler does

CBSbutler is a UK-headquartered technical (STEM) recruitment agency that places professionals across permanent, contract, interim, and project-based engagements. Founded in 2003 from the merger of CBS Appointments and the UK arm of Butler International Inc., the company is based in Redhill, Surrey, with 51-100 employees and stated operations across the UK, Europe (including Ireland), North America (United States), and Asia-Pacific (Australia). It serves nine distinct technical verticals — Engineering, IT, Automation & Process Controls, Defence Consultancy, Aviation & Aerospace, Building Management Systems (BMS), Manufacturing, Medical and Life Sciences, and Business Support — and reports a history of collaboration with 1,500+ employers.

The service portfolio comprises five core lines: Permanent Search (contingent and executive), Contract and Interim, Managed Service Provider (MSP) programmes, Global Payroll Services built around the proprietary InTime timesheet management system, and outcome-based Statement of Work (SOW) project delivery. These are supplemented by IR35 Management Solutions providing CEST-based employment status assessments and Status Determination Statements. The InTime portal is the firm's main proprietary technology asset, providing automated timesheet capture and manager approvals for contractor payroll; the rest of the technology stack is conventional (public-facing job search, candidate registration portal, standard CMS, Google Analytics, reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare) with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or developer-facing tools.

The revenue model is transaction-fee-led: contingent permanent placement fees, contract staffing margins, managed service programme fees, and professional services revenue from global payroll. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; listed job rates (£300-£400/day for BMS service engineers; £45,000-£65,000 for permanent engineering roles) provide indirect signals. CBSbutler is privately held with no disclosed external investment, indicating management-led or closely held ownership, and has accumulated substantial industry recognition including 10 Recruiter Magazine Awards for Excellence, six 'Best Engineering Agency' titles, Feefo Platinum Trusted Service status for five consecutive years, and compliance credentials (JOSCAR, Cyber Essentials, ISO, BSI, ARC, SafeRec, Armed Forces Covenant, Disability Confident).

Name

CBSbutler

Legal name

CBSbutler Holdings Limited

Website

https://cbsbutler.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CBSbutler is a UK-based technical recruitment agency placing STEM professionals across permanent, contract, and project-based roles in sectors including IT, Engineering, Defence, Aviation, and Medical/Life Sciences, serving 1,500+ employers with operations spanning the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Staffing & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Contractor Onboarding, Vetting & Credentialing (BPACAGAC)

Keywords

• Technical recruitment services
• Permanent search staffing
• Contract interim recruitment
• Engineering talent acquisition
• Managed service recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Redhill

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. Permanent Search/Contingent Recruitment: Contingent permanent placements and executive search services, placing candidates in permanent roles for clients
2. Contract and Interim Recruitment: Contract and interim staffing services placing contractors in temporary and project-based roles
3. Managed Service Programme (MSP): Managed Service Provider model taking full responsibility for managing the recruitment supply chain on behalf of clients
4. Global Payroll Services: End-to-end payroll services for contractors including independent contractors, Umbrella Company workers, and PAYE solutions, with RTI reporting and HMRC compliance

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CBSbutler is a specialist technical (STEM) recruitment agency placing permanent, contract, and interim professionals across Engineering, IT, Defence Consultancy, Aviation & Aerospace, Manufacturing, Medical & Life Sciences, Automation & Process Controls, BMS, and Business Support sectors. Core service lines include Permanent Search, Contract and Interim staffing, Managed Service Provider (MSP) programmes, Global Payroll services (with proprietary InTime timesheet system), and Statement of Work (SOW) project delivery, with IR35 compliance tools supporting contractor engagements.

Product overview

CBSbutler is a multi-award-winning technical recruitment agency operating as a unified service portfolio. The core offering spans five interconnected service lines: Permanent Search (contingent and executive search), Contract and Interim (contract staffing), Managed Service (MSP supply chain management), Payroll Services (global payroll including InTime system), and Statement of Work (outcome-based project delivery). These are supplemented by IR35 Management Solutions providing compliance tools. The company specialises across nine sectors: Engineering, BMS (Building Management Systems), Automation & Process Controls, Manufacturing, Medical and Life Sciences, IT, Aviation & Aero, Defence Consultancy, and Business Support. The InTime Timesheet Portal is the proprietary internal platform underpinning payroll and contractor management operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Search Executive search and contingent permanent placement services for specialist engineering and technical disciplines, supporting both candidates and employers through a consultative hiring process.
• Contract and Interim Recruitment Contract and interim staffing solutions providing access to thousands of assignments annually, with compliance support for local and international working and contractor mobilisation.
• Managed Service (MSP) Managed Service Provider (MSP) programme taking full responsibility for managing the recruitment supply chain, delivered under master vendor or vendor-neutral model with dedicated account management.
• Payroll Services Global payroll services including the proprietary InTime automated timesheet management system, RTI reporting, HMRC compliance, and end-to-end payroll coordination for independent contractors, umbrella workers, and multinational clients.
• Statement of Work (SOW) Outcome-based project delivery under SOW agreements, covering programme analysis, project scoping, methodology design, delivery planning, and sourcing specialised talent for complex business-critical projects outside IR35 criteria.
• IR35 Management Solutions Suite of IR35 assessment and management tools including role-based reviews, employment status assessments using the CEST tool, Status Determination Statement (SDS) processing, and supply chain compliance support for clients engaging contractors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ contractor satisfaction rating (2015-17 surveys)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Brookson OnesupportingOthersPreferred Supplier List (PSL) umbrella company partner for payroll services, providing compliant PAYE solutions for contractors working through CBSbutler
• i4 Pay PartnerssupportingOthersPSL umbrella company partner for payroll services, offering compliant PAYE solutions for contractors
• ExceedsupportingOthersPSL umbrella company partner providing compliant payroll solutions for contractors engaged through CBSbutler

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Matchtech: UK specialist engineering recruiter (part of the Gattaca group) placing professionals across aerospace, defence, energy, and infrastructure. Highly comparable vertical mix and contract/permanent model to CBSbutler's Engineering and Aviation divisions.
• Morson Group: UK-headquartered technical recruitment and workforce solutions group with deep exposure to defence, aerospace, nuclear, and engineering — directly overlapping CBSbutler's defence and aviation verticals. Operates MSP-style programmes similar to CBSbutler's Managed Service offering.
• SThree plc: London-listed STEM specialist recruiter with contract and permanent placement across engineering, technology, and life sciences; operates multiple global brands including Computer Futures and Real Staffing. Closest publicly comparable peer to CBSbutler's technical/STEM focus and contract-permanent mix.
• Gattaca plc: UK-listed STEM recruitment and workforce solutions business whose brands include Matchtech, Networkers, and Resourcery. Direct comparable in vertical specialisation across engineering, defence, and technology recruitment, and in MSP/programme delivery.
• Airswift: Global workforce solutions provider for the energy, process, infrastructure, and technology sectors, combining permanent, contract, and MSP delivery. Comparable in sector mix (engineering, automation, project services) and global payroll/SOW capabilities.
• NES Global Talent (NES Fircroft): Global engineering and technical talent provider serving energy, infrastructure, and process industries. Comparable in contract staffing model, international payroll, and SOW-style project delivery for engineering clients.
• Fircroft Group: Global technical recruitment and workforce solutions firm focused on engineering, oil & gas, mining, and construction contract staffing. Overlapping contract/interim recruitment model and international delivery footprint.

Emerging players

• Guidant Global: UK-based MSP and contingent workforce solutions provider focused on engineering and technical workforces. Closely comparable to CBSbutler's Managed Service offering and increasingly overlapping on Statement of Work programme delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Hays plc: FTSE-listed global recruitment firm with a substantial UK&I and continental European technical and engineering practice. A larger incumbent with broader sector coverage; competes head-on with CBSbutler on engineering and IT permanent and contract mandates.
• Michael Page International: Global professional recruitment group with strong engineering, technology, and life sciences practices. A larger generalist incumbent that overlaps with CBSbutler on technical permanent and contract hiring but operates at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbsbutler
• Xx.com/CBSbutler
• Facebookfacebook.com/cbsbutler

Compliance9 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 CBSbutler