Waterman Aspen
Waterman Aspen is a UK specialist engineering secondment firm employing 501–1,000 professionals, placing them with local authorities, government agencies, and consultancies across highways, rail, water, utilities, planning, and defence sectors, supplemented by the RisKma flood monitoring platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Waterman Aspen does
Waterman Aspen is a UK-based specialist engineering secondment company founded in 1989 and headquartered in Chelmsford, Essex, employing between 501 and 1,000 staff. The company recruits, employs, and places engineering and technical professionals on fixed-term and flexible secondments within client organisations across six infrastructure sectors: Highways & Transportation, Water & Environment, Rail, Utilities & Streetworks, Town Planning, and Defence. Clients are primarily UK local authorities, central government agencies, and major engineering consultancies, with named engagements spanning HS2, Network Rail, National Highways, the Environment Agency, AECOM, AtkinsRéalis, WSP, Jacobs, Severn Trent, Thames Water, and more than twenty additional county, district, and city councils.
The company's revenue model is professional services billing for specialist time at negotiated rates, with Waterman Aspen retaining employment, payroll, CPD, and professional development obligations for all secondees. Distribution is direct via a network of regional directors engaging clients and procurement frameworks, with framework appointments including the Government Commercial Agency's Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) Framework, the Environment Agency's FRAM Framework (with AtkinsRéalis and Stantec), and the Midlands Highways Alliance Plus (MHA+) PSP Framework. Beyond secondments, the company co-developed RisKma with CTI Engineering (Japan) — a web-based real-time flood monitoring and forecasting platform integrating rainfall forecasts, sensor data, CCTV imagery, and hydraulic modelling refreshed every 15 minutes, currently piloted in the UK with Warwickshire County Council.
Waterman Aspen operates as a subsidiary of Waterman Group, a diversified engineering consultancy. The company holds UK accreditations including Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award, Disability Confident Employer, and Real Living Wage Employer status, and markets itself around having contributed to every major UK civil engineering project from the Channel Tunnel to HS2. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; revenue figures are likewise not published. The company presents itself as offering "variety with security" to its employed specialists — enabling rotation between client engagements without changing employer — while providing clients flexible access to vetted engineering talent without long-term recruitment commitments.
Waterman Aspen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waterman Aspen
- Legal name
- Waterman Aspen
- Website
- https://watermanaspen.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Waterman Aspen is a UK specialist engineering secondment firm employing 501–1,000 professionals, placing them with local authorities, government agencies, and consultancies across highways, rail, water, utilities, planning, and defence sectors, supplemented by the RisKma flood monitoring platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Waterman Aspen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Engineering Secondment Services
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Disaster Risk Reduction Services (Flood Mitigation, Erosion Control, Landslide Stabilization) (AFAMAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Waterman Aspen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Waterman Aspen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Engineering Specialist Secondments: Waterman Aspen employs engineers and technical specialists and places them on secondment with clients (local authorities, consultancies, public bodies, construction companies) for fixed-term and flexible periods. The company handles all employment administration, payroll, and professional development, generating revenue through billing clients for specialist time at negotiated rates. The secondment model provides continuity and flexibility for clients while Waterman manages HR, compliance, and career development.
- Specialist Consultancy Services: In addition to secondments, Waterman provides consultancy support including project management, systems engineering, human factors engineering, safety engineering, civil/structural engineering, and mechanical engineering directly to defence and infrastructure clients.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels13 records
Waterman Aspen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Waterman Aspen employs engineering and technical specialists and places them on secondment with UK public sector and private sector clients for fixed-term and flexible engagements. The company handles all employment administration, payroll, professional development and HR, billing clients for specialist time at negotiated rates. In addition, it provides direct consultancy services in defence and infrastructure, plus the RisKma real-time flood monitoring platform co-developed with CTI Engineering Japan.
Product overview
Waterman Aspen operates as a specialist secondment services company providing engineering and technical professionals across six core sectors: Highways & Transportation, Water & Environment, Rail, Utilities & Streetworks, Town Planning, and Defence. The company's core offering is its Specialist Secondment Services, which provides skilled engineers and technical specialists to infrastructure projects across the UK. Supporting services include Road Safety Audit Services, Bridge Inspection Services, and Lead Local Flood Authority Planning Services. The company also offers the RisKma Real-Time Flood Monitoring Platform—a proprietary web-based solution developed in partnership with CTI Engineering (Japan) that integrates rainfall forecasts, sensor data, CCTV imagery, and hydraulic modelling for flood risk management. Services span sectors like defence (human factors, systems engineering, safety engineering), town planning (development management, policy, Section 106), utilities and streetworks (project management, network coordination), and rail (engineering design, CAD/BIM, programme management).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Specialist Secondment Services Core offering providing engineering and technical specialists on secondment to clients for infrastructure projects across the UK. Waterman Aspen handles all employment administration, payroll, professional development and day-to-day support while clients receive the right skills at the right time for as long as needed.
- Road Safety Audit Services
Quantifiable outcome
- On the Transpennine Route Upgrade East, the Waterman Aspen secondment team helped improve bridge design milestone delivery from 70% to 90%-100%.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Waterman Aspen
Customer profileNamed customers35 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Waterman Aspen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Waterman Aspen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CTI Engineering (Japan)coreCTI Engineering (Japan) and Waterman (UK) co-developed RisKma, a real-time flood monitoring and forecasting platform. RisKma integrates forecast rainfall, water-level data, sensors, CCTV imagery, and real-time hydraulic modelling within a single interface, updated every 15 minutes. The platform is widely used in Japan and is being piloted in the UK with Warwickshire County Council for surface water flood risk management. The collaboration represents an international knowledge exchange between Japanese and UK flood risk management expertise.
- AtkinsRéaliscoreWaterman has been appointed to the Environment Agency's Flood Risk and Asset Management (FRAM) Framework as part of a strategic partnership with AtkinsRéalis and Stantec, under the Government Commercial Agency's Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) Framework. The partnership covers all three sub-lots: Lot 9a (Technical Services), Lot 9b (Environmental Services), and Lot 9c (Commercial and Programme Management Services). Waterman provides specialist secondment and consultancy services, embedding experienced professionals within Environment Agency teams and partner organisations. The framework is expected to run for four years and supports the Environment Agency's national flood and coastal erosion risk management programme across England.
- StanteccoreWaterman has been appointed to the Environment Agency's Flood Risk and Asset Management (FRAM) Framework as part of a strategic partnership with AtkinsRéalis and Stantec. Stantec brings environmental consultancy and programme delivery expertise. The three partners create an integrated national supply chain capable of delivering large-scale, multi-site flood and coastal infrastructure programmes. Waterman's role focuses on secondment support with experienced professionals embedded within Environment Agency teams.
- Environment AgencycoreThe Environment Agency is the primary client and framework authority for the FRAM (Flood Risk and Asset Management) Framework. Under the CPS2 Framework, Waterman, AtkinsRéalis, and Stantec provide integrated capability across the full project lifecycle to support delivery of the Environment Agency's national flood and coastal erosion risk management programme, contributing to long-term investment in flood resilience and climate adaptation across England.
- Midlands Highways Alliance Plus (MHA+)coreWaterman Aspen is a partner in the Midlands Highways Alliance Plus (MHA+) Professional Services Partnership (PSP) Framework, providing specialist secondment and consultancy services to local authority members across the Midlands region. Teresa Hylton has strong involvement with the MHA+ promoting collaborative framework successes with partners. The framework enables fast, compliant mobilisation for public sector clients.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Waterman Aspen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- WSP: One of the world's largest engineering consultancies with deep UK presence across highways, rail, water, and environment. WSP is a listed partner/client of Waterman Aspen and a broad incumbent that competes for the same framework work while also operating in-house secondment and resourcing models.
- RPS Group (Tetra Tech): UK-headquartered environmental, water, and infrastructure consultancy, now part of Tetra Tech. RPS overlaps with Waterman Aspen in flood risk, water environment, and planning services to local authorities and government agencies.
- AECOM: Global engineering consultancy with substantial UK infrastructure practice. AECOM is a listed partner/client of Waterman Aspen and a broad incumbent operating competing secondment and resource services for UK public sector clients.
- Mott MacDonald: Major UK-headquartered engineering consultancy with strong water, environment, highways, and defence practices. Mott MacDonald is a partner/client of Waterman Aspen but also a broad incumbent offering competing secondment-style resource services to the same UK public sector clients.
- Jacobs: Global engineering and programme management consultancy with a large UK footprint in water, highways, rail, defence, and environment. Jacobs is both a listed partner/client and a broad incumbent competing for major UK framework contracts.
Direct peers
- Stantec: North American-headquartered engineering consultancy with a large UK water, environment, and infrastructure practice. Stantec is a named FRAM Framework partner alongside Waterman Aspen and AtkinsRéalis, serving Environment Agency, water utility, and local authority clients with overlapping service lines including flood risk, highways, and town planning support.
- Matchtech: UK specialist engineering recruitment and workforce solutions business (part of Gattaca plc). Matchtech directly competes with Waterman Aspen for engineering contractor and permanent placements in the UK infrastructure, water, and transportation sectors.
- AtkinsRéalis (formerly Atkins / SNC-Lavalin): Global engineering consultancy and Waterman Aspen's partner on the Environment Agency's FRAM Framework. AtkinsRéalis runs its own UK water, highways, rail, and defence secondment/resource businesses and is both a client (placing work with Waterman Aspen via frameworks) and a competitor for the same public sector talent pools.
- Morson Group: UK-based specialist engineering and technical staffing/secondment provider serving rail, infrastructure, nuclear, and defence clients. Morson is a direct competitor to Waterman Aspen's secondment model, often bidding on the same frameworks and talent pools.
Emerging players
- BWB Consulting: UK mid-sized engineering consultancy with strong highways, transportation, and infrastructure design practices. BWB is an emerging player that competes with Waterman Aspen for local authority and regional framework work in similar geographies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waterman Aspen social profiles
Digital presenceWaterman Aspen compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Waterman Aspen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waterman Aspen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Waterman Aspen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waterman Aspen 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 Waterman Aspen
What does Waterman Aspen do?
Waterman Aspen employs engineering and technical specialists and places them on secondment with UK public sector and private sector clients for fixed-term and flexible engagements. The company handles all employment administration, payroll, professional development and HR, billing clients for specialist time at negotiated rates. In addition, it provides direct consultancy services in defence and infrastructure, plus the RisKma real-time flood monitoring platform co-developed with CTI Engineering Japan.
Is Waterman Aspen a public or private company?
Waterman Aspen is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Waterman Aspen founded?
Waterman Aspen was founded in 1989. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Waterman Aspen based?
Waterman Aspen is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Waterman Aspen make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Engineering Specialist Secondments are the primary driver. The others are specialist Consultancy Services.
Who are Waterman Aspen's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are WSP, RPS Group (Tetra Tech), AECOM, Mott MacDonald and Jacobs. Direct peers are Stantec, Matchtech, AtkinsRéalis (formerly Atkins / SNC-Lavalin) and Morson Group. BWB Consulting is listed as an emerging player.
Does Waterman Aspen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waterman Aspen.
What industry is Waterman Aspen in?
Waterman Aspen's product category is Engineering Secondment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAD, Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAIALAD, Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8711.