GBG
GBG (GB Geotechnics Ltd) is a UK-based forensic structural and geotechnical engineering consultancy founded in 1982, delivering non-destructive testing, structural investigation, measured building surveys, and remediation design to civil engineering, heritage, government, and property clients across the UK, USA, and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersCambridge, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What GBG does
GBG (legal entity: GB Geotechnics Ltd) is a privately held UK engineering consultancy founded in 1982 by George Ballard, headquartered in Cambridge with offices in London, New York, and Sydney (plus secondary presence in Perth, Melbourne, and Los Angeles). The firm specializes in forensic structural and geophysical investigation, serving civil engineers, infrastructure owners, heritage organizations, government agencies, and property developers across the UK, USA, and Australia.
The company's core offerings fall into five integrated service lines: Structural Investigation, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Measured Building Survey (MBS), Geotechnics/Geophysics, and Structural Design/Consultancy. Underlying technology centers on non-destructive testing modalities — impulse radar, ultrasonics, metal detection, thermography, electrical resistivity tomography, electromagnetic profiling, MASW/shallow seismics, and micro-gravity surveys — combined with traditional techniques such as trial pits, boreholes, concrete coring, and petrographic studies. Dimensional capture uses CAD, BIM, Finite Element modelling, photogrammetry, and 3D laser scanning. The 2003 acquisition of Technotrade added in-situ structural investigation to the original NDT/geophysics offering.
GBG operates on a professional services, project-based revenue model. GTM is sales-led and direct: customers engage via phone, email, or website enquiry form for project quotes and on-site consultancy. Notable customers include English Heritage, the British Museum, The National Gallery, the Highways Agency, Cambridgeshire County Council, Arup, Balfour Beatty, and Mott MacDonald. The company is founder-led (James Ballard, Managing Director; George Ballard, Director), privately held with no disclosed external investment, and has completed over 4,000 projects across its four-decade history.
GBG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GBG
- Legal name
- GB Geotechnics Ltd
- Website
- https://gbg.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- GBG (GB Geotechnics Ltd) is a UK-based forensic structural and geotechnical engineering consultancy founded in 1982, delivering non-destructive testing, structural investigation, measured building surveys, and remediation design to civil engineering, heritage, government, and property clients across the UK, USA, and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GBG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Structural Investigation & Geotechnical Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Geotechnical Site Investigation & Engineering Geology (Borings, Lab Testing) (EUAHAFAE)
Keywords
Where GBG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
GBG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Professional Engineering Services: GBG provides specialist engineering consultancy services for structural investigation, non-destructive testing, geotechnical investigation, and remediation design. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees for investigation and consultancy engagements across bridges, tunnels, historic buildings, modern structures, roads, and ground investigations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
GBG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GBG (GB Geotechnics Ltd) is a specialist engineering consultancy providing forensic structural and geophysical investigation services. The firm delivers structural investigation, non-destructive testing (NDT), measured building surveys, geotechnics/geophysics, and structural design/remediation consultancy for civil engineering, building, heritage, and infrastructure projects. Services are delivered on a project-by-project basis by chartered engineers, physicists, and geologists across offices in the UK, USA, and Australia.
Product overview
GBG (GB Geotechnics) is a structural investigation and geotechnical engineering consultancy established in 1982, offering a portfolio of complementary services. The core offering consists of Structural Investigation, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Measured Building Survey (MBS), Geotechnics/Geophysics, and Structural Design/Consultancy. These services work together to provide holistic investigation and remediation solutions: NDT enables investigation without damage to structures, Structural Investigation provides materials testing and analysis, Measured Building Survey delivers dimensional data via CAD/BIM/FE modelling, Geotechnics/Geophysics characterizes ground conditions and foundations, and Structural Design/Consultancy provides remediation design solutions. The company serves clients across heritage buildings, modern structures, bridges, tunnels, roads, and industrial facilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Structural Investigation Independent materials testing and site investigation consultancy for civil engineering, building and construction industries. Covers civil and structural engineering, site investigation, water engineering, and building materials chemistry. For infrastructure owners, contractors, and developers needing structural condition assessment.
- Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Investigation of built environments without disturbance or risk to inhabitants, using electro-magnetic, acoustic and visual techniques including impulse radar, ultrasonics, metal detection and thermography. Enables condition assessment of historic buildings through to industrial facilities without damage. For heritage bodies, asset owners, and engineers needing non-invasive assessment.
- Measured Building Survey (MBS)
- Geotechnics / Geophysics
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 4,000 projects completed across UK and Europe
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use GBG
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
GBG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
GBG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights4 records
GBG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SOCOTEC: SOCOTEC is a UK-headquartered testing, inspection and certification firm offering structural investigation, NDT and geotechnical services to construction and infrastructure clients - the closest direct functional peer to GBG's multi-disciplinary forensic investigation stack.
- Fugro: Fugro is a global geotechnical and geoscience services firm providing site investigation, geophysical surveys and ground characterisation - directly comparable to GBG's Geotechnics/Geophysics practice for infrastructure and asset owners.
- Coffey Geotechnics (Tetra Tech): Coffey, now part of Tetra Tech, is a specialist geotechnical and geo-environmental consultancy with overlapping site investigation, ground modelling and infrastructure characterisation services for UK and international clients.
- Plowman Craven: Plowman Craven is a UK measured building and laser scanning survey specialist - directly comparable to GBG's Measured Building Survey line using 2D/3D laser scanning, BIM and photogrammetry for as-built data.
Broad incumbents
- Waterman Group: Waterman is a UK multidisciplinary engineering consultancy with structural, infrastructure and environmental practices - a broader incumbent that competes with GBG for structural investigation work as part of a wider portfolio.
- WSP: WSP is a global engineering professional services firm whose property and infrastructure assets advisory practice overlaps with GBG's structural and geotechnical investigation work for buildings and transport infrastructure.
- Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, architecture and environmental services firm; its geotechnical and structural assessment capabilities overlap with GBG's investigation and remediation design services across infrastructure and building clients.
- WYG (now KBR): WYG, now part of KBR, was a UK engineering consultancy with infrastructure, environment and project management practices that bid for many of the same public-sector structural and geotechnical investigation frameworks as GBG.
- RSK Group: RSK is a UK-based environmental and engineering consultancy with a substantial geotechnical, structural and site investigation capability that competes with GBG for infrastructure and developer clients across the UK.
Emerging players
- Geoquip Marine: Geoquip Marine is a specialist offshore geotechnical site investigation contractor using geophysical and drilling techniques; an adjacent specialist with overlapping methods to GBG's geophysical investigation toolbox.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
GBG social profiles
Digital presenceGBG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GBG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
GBG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
GBG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GBG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GBG
What does GBG do?
GBG (GB Geotechnics Ltd) is a specialist engineering consultancy providing forensic structural and geophysical investigation services. The firm delivers structural investigation, non-destructive testing (NDT), measured building surveys, geotechnics/geophysics, and structural design/remediation consultancy for civil engineering, building, heritage, and infrastructure projects. Services are delivered on a project-by-project basis by chartered engineers, physicists, and geologists across offices in the UK, USA, and Australia.
Is GBG a public or private company?
GBG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was GBG founded?
GBG was founded in 1982. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is GBG based?
GBG is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does GBG make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Engineering Services.
Who are GBG's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SOCOTEC, Fugro, Coffey Geotechnics (Tetra Tech) and Plowman Craven. Broad incumbents are Waterman Group, WSP, Stantec, WYG (now KBR) and RSK Group. Geoquip Marine is listed as an emerging player.
Does GBG have an API?
No public API is recorded for GBG.
What industry is GBG in?
GBG's product category is Structural Investigation & Geotechnical Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAB, Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of EUAHAFAE, Geotechnical Site Investigation & Engineering Geology (Borings, Lab Testing). Its NAICS code is 5413 and its SIC code is 8711.