Ground and Water

What Ground and Water does

Ground and Water Ltd is a UK-based geotechnical and geoenvironmental consulting firm founded in 2009 by Dipalee Jukes and Francis Williams, delivering contaminated land and ground investigation services to construction industry clients across London and southern England. The firm's service portfolio is structured around a tiered risk-assessment methodology — Phase 1 desktop studies, Phase 2 intrusive investigations, Tier 2 Generic Quantitative Risk Assessments, and Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessments (DQRA) — supported by specialist capabilities in chalk classification (CIRIA C574), ground gas risk assessment using CL:AIRE RB17 Total Organic Carbon analysis, BRE412 heave assessment, basement impact assessments, and groundwater risk assessment (RTM/ConSim). Core client segments include architects, structural engineers, local authorities, builders, and developers, with both mid-market firms and named enterprises (London Borough of Southwark, Trinity Homes, Octagon, William Lacey, Neilcott Construction, BTA Structural Design, Hill, Mildren Construction) referenced across case studies. Cumulative output exceeds 6,700 projects completed since founding, spanning homes, hospitals, sports grounds, and schools.

The business operates as a privately-held, founder-led B2B professional services consultancy with no external institutional investment and a sales-led go-to-market model. Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees scoped per engagement; pricing is not publicly disclosed but a self-service Price Guide Calculator exists on the website alongside a Solutions Centre that guides prospective clients through the engagement process. Distribution is direct via phone (0333 600 1221), email ([email protected]), and website, with referrals and repeat-client work identified as a material demand channel. The firm holds multiple industry accreditations (AGS, SMAS, CHAS, Constructionline, Builders Profile, Mindful Employer) supporting both private construction supply chain and UK public sector procurement qualification, and operates from Alton, Hampshire with a registered office in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Marketing is content-led, centred on a technical blog, published case studies, and selective industry event participation (London Build Expo, London Construction Awards).

Name

Ground and Water

Legal name

Ground and Water Ltd

Website

https://groundandwater.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ground and Water is a UK-based geotechnical and geoenvironmental consulting firm providing contaminated land investigation, ground investigation, foundation design, and specialist risk assessments to architects, structural engineers, local authorities, builders, and developers across London and southern England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG), Brownfield Redevelopment Due Diligence & Grant Support (EUAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Geotechnical consulting
• Contaminated land investigation
• Ground investigation services
• Foundation design engineering
• Geoenvironmental consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Alton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for geotechnical investigations, ground engineering solutions, foundation design assessments, and site characterization services for construction projects.
2. Geoenvironmental Consulting Services: Fees for contaminated land investigation, environmental risk assessments, remediation strategy formulation, validation and verification services.
3. Specialist Services: Additional fees for specialist services including basement impact assessments, ground-gas protection design, piling and groundwater contamination assessments, and bespoke site investigations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ground & Water is a UK geotechnical and geoenvironmental consulting firm that investigates the physical and chemical properties of soil and rock, assesses land contamination, and delivers foundation design and remediation solutions for construction projects. Its core offerings comprise contaminated land investigation services (Phase 1, Tier 2, DQRA, groundwater and ground gas risk assessments) and ground investigation services (soil and rock analysis, foundation design, basement impact assessments, chalk classification using CIRIA guidance). Services are delivered as project-based professional consulting engagements primarily across London and southern England.

Product overview

Ground & Water is a geoenvironmental and geotechnical consulting firm offering a unified suite of investigation and assessment services for the construction industry. The core offerings comprise Geoenvironmental Services (contaminated land investigation, risk assessments, remediation) and Geotechnical Services (ground investigation, foundation design), supported by Specialist Services including Basement Impact Assessments, Ground Gas Risk Assessments, and Chalk Assessment using CIRIA methodologies. The company provides a self-service Price Guide Calculator and a Solutions Centre for client guidance. Services follow a tiered approach: Phase 1 Desk Studies leading to Phase 2 Intrusive Investigations, then Generic Quantitative Risk Assessments (Tier 2), with Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessments (DQRA) and Remediation & Validation for complex sites. The portfolio serves architects, structural engineers, local authorities, builders, and developers across London and southern England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geoenvironmental Services Full range of contaminated land investigation services and remedial solutions, including asbestos in soil assessment, Phase 1 desk study risk assessments, Tier 2 Generic Quantitative Risk Assessments, Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessments (DQRA), groundwater/controlled waters risk assessments, conceptual site models, and remediation strategy and validation. Delivered for construction industry clients including developers, architects, structural engineers, and local authorities.
• Geotechnical Services Ground investigation services determining the physical and chemical properties of soil and rock, with delivery of sound ground engineering solutions including foundation design recommendations (traditional pad, strip, and stepped footings) supported by in-house settlement analysis software. Targeted at builders, developers, architects, and structural engineers.
• Specialist Services Extended specialist services including Basement Impact Assessments, ground gas risk assessments using CL:AIRE RB17 TOC analysis, chalk classification under CIRIA C574/C665 and BRE412 guidance, piling assessments, groundwater contamination assessments, expert witness work, and bespoke site investigations. Designed for complex projects such as London basement developments and chalk geology sites.
• Basement Impact Assessments Assessment of potential ground movement and damage to surrounding structures arising from basement developments, including ground investigation reporting and collaborative ground movement modeling. Targeted at developers undertaking basement constructions in London boroughs with specific council requirements.
• Ground Gas Risk Assessments Assessment of hazardous ground gases including methane, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, using Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis following CL:AIRE Research Bulletin 17 methodology as an alternative to traditional gas monitoring. Targeted at developers and consultants working on brownfield sites.
• Chalk Assessment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved clients £10,000s through thorough DQRA demonstrating lower risk levels, avoiding unnecessary remediation or gas protection measures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered accreditation and project-specific.

• AGS (Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists)accreditationOthersMembership with AGS professional body for geotechnical and geoenvironmental specialists, demonstrating industry standards compliance.
• SMAS (Safety Management Advisory Services)accreditationOthersSMAS accreditation demonstrating health and safety management standards.
• CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme)accreditationOthersCHAS accreditation demonstrating compliance with health and safety requirements for contractors.
• Mindful EmployeraccreditationOthersMindful Employer accreditation demonstrating commitment to mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
• Builders ProfileaccreditationOthersBuilders Profile accreditation for pre-qualification in construction supply chain.
• ConstructionlineaccreditationOthersConstructionline accreditation for UK government procurement, demonstrating compliance with standard procurement requirements.
• Specialist Geotechnical Consultancy (FEM Analysis)project-specificStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on deep basement project requiring finite element analysis (FEM) using Geo5 software. Ground & Water provided ground investigation while partner provided specialized ground movement modeling using Oasys XDISP software.
• Award-winning Engineering Consultancy (Southwark)project-specificImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorked as site investigation contractor for London Borough of Southwark project via award-winning engineering consultancy partner.
• Global Geotechnical Engineering Company (Chalk)project-specificImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with global geotechnical engineering company specializing in chalk dissolution for Kennylands Road project, undertaking rotary cored boreholes and specialized testing.
• Developer of Distinctive Homes (Thames Valley)project-specificImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSite investigation contractor for developer producing distinctive homes in the Thames Valley region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RSK Group: UK-headquartered environmental and geosciences consultancy offering contaminated land assessment, ground investigation, and geotechnical services. Closely comparable in service mix, customer base (developers, contractors, local authorities), and tiered risk assessment methodology.
• Cawood Scientific: Environmental testing and geosciences group (incorporating former ESG and Scientifics) providing geotechnical, environmental, and contaminated-land services. Direct competitor for UK site investigation and ground-gas/CL:AIRE work.
• Structural Soils: UK geotechnical and geoenvironmental consultancy providing site investigation, contaminated-land assessment, and ground engineering services to construction clients. Direct peer in scale and service portfolio.
• Soil Engineering Geoservices: UK specialist in geotechnical site investigation, in-situ testing, and ground engineering. Comparable mid-sized consultancy serving construction and developer clients with overlapping ground investigation capability.
• SOCOTEC UK: One of the UK's largest geotechnical, environmental, and materials testing consultancies. Directly comparable because it provides contaminated land investigation, ground investigation, and geoenvironmental services to the same construction and developer buyer base across the UK.

Broad incumbents

• Hydrock (now part of Stantec): Stantec's UK geoenvironmental and ground engineering practice (built on Hydrock). Competes with Ground & Water on contaminated-land, ground investigation, and basement impact assessments across UK development projects.
• AECOM UK: Global infrastructure consultancy with UK geotechnical, environmental, and contaminated-land capabilities serving construction, developer, and public-sector clients — overlapping buyer base but operating at significantly larger scale.
• WSP UK: Major global engineering consultancy with UK geotechnical and environmental teams that compete for the same developer and local-authority ground investigation work as Ground & Water, but as part of a much larger multi-disciplinary portfolio.
• SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory firm with a strong UK geoenvironmental practice. Overlaps in contaminated-land and ground investigation but offers a broader environmental, planning, and engineering portfolio than Ground & Water.

Regional players

• Apex Drilling Services: UK specialist drilling and ground investigation contractor. Adjacent in the value chain — provides boreholes and in-situ testing that complements, and partly overlaps with, Ground & Water's site investigation scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GroundandWater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Ground and Water