Harwood
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersCanterbury, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Harwood does
Harwood is a privately held UK construction services group headquartered in Canterbury, Kent, operating through three legal entities: Harwood Building Control Ltd. (the primary entity), Harwood Construction Consultancy Services Ltd., and Harwood Construction Ltd. The firm provides professional services across three divisions — Building Control (79% of project volume), Construction Consultancy (13%), and Landscaping & Construction (8%) — with Building Control as the core, regulated offering. Harwood operates as a BSR Registered Building Control Approver, delivering plan checking and site inspections to certify compliance with UK Building Regulations for residential and commercial construction projects. The Construction Consultancy division provides Principal Designer and Principal Contractor appointments, CDM advisory, health and safety, fire safety and fire engineering, building surveys, and environmental compliance services delivered through approved specialist consultants. The Landscaping division offers garden design, sustainable design, ecology surveys, and project management for outdoor spaces, with cross-referral access to Building Control and Consultancy services.
The business operates on a professional services model with quote-based pricing tied to project scope. It serves a horizontal mix of clients spanning residential homeowners and developers, commercial developers, Tier 1 contractors (Willmott Dixon, Kier Construction), hospitality (Hilton Hotels), public sector (Kent County Council, University of Kent), and healthcare (Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust). Harwood is sales-led and distributes services through direct client engagement across a network of UK offices, supported by content marketing, downloadable sector brochures, email newsletters via Mailchimp, and active LinkedIn and Facebook presence.
Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed. The firm is management-led under Chief Executive David Woodward, with 11-50 employees, and holds ISO 9001:2025-2026 (BSI), Constructionline Gold, SSIP, Cyber Essentials, and Association of Building Control Approvers membership. Notable recent strategic moves include partnerships with modular construction specialists Reds10 and Darwin Group to extend into offsite/modular builds, and active recruitment for an Operations Director and additional Building Control Managers to support scaling.
Harwood firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Harwood
- Legal name
- Harwood Building Control Ltd.
- Website
- https://harwood.uk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Harwood industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Control Services
- NAICS
- Building Inspection Services (54135)
- SIC
- Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support) (BPABAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Facility Siting, Permitting & Land-Use Regulatory Compliance (Multi-media Permitting, Zoning/Entitlements Support) (EUAHABAH), Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP) & Permit Compliance Support (EUAHAAAF)
Keywords
Where Harwood is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canterbury
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Harwood business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Building Control Services: Professional building control services as a BSR Registered Building Control Approver, providing inspection and compliance services for construction projects. The company serves both residential and commercial sectors.
- Construction Consultancy Services: CDM advisory services, health and safety consultancy, fire safety and engineering, building surveys, and environmental compliance services for construction industry clients.
- Landscaping Services: Garden design and landscape construction services including sustainable design, ecology surveys, and project management for outdoor spaces.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Harwood product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Harwood provides BSR Registered Building Control Approver services, including plan checking and site inspections for compliance with UK Building Regulations across residential and commercial projects. Its Construction Consultancy division delivers Principal Designer/Contractor appointments, CDM advisory, health & safety, fire safety/engineering, building surveys and environmental compliance. A Landscaping & Construction division offers garden design, sustainable landscaping, ecology surveys and project management, with cross-referral across divisions for integrated compliance.
Product overview
Harwood operates as a unified service provider across three main sectors: Building Control (79% of projects), Construction Consultancy (13%), and Landscaping & Construction (8%). The company offers Building Control services as a BSR Registered Building Control Approver, providing plan checking and site inspections for compliance with UK Building Regulations. Harwood Construction Consultancy Services provides Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, CDM advisory, Health & Safety, Fire Safety, Building Survey, and Environmental Compliance services. The Landscaping & Construction division delivers garden design and construction with sustainable design practices. The three divisions can cross-refer clients, with landscaping projects able to access Building Control and Consultancy services for complete project compliance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Harwood Building Control BSR Registered Building Control Approver service providing plan checking and site inspections to ensure compliance with UK Building Regulations and associated statutory legislation. Serves residential homeowners/developers and commercial developers/contractors across projects including new builds, renovations, extensions, commercial builds, office fit-outs, mixed-use developments, data centres, educational facilities and healthcare buildings.
- Harwood Construction Consultancy Services Consultancy services for the construction industry including Principal Designer and Principal Contractor appointments, CDM Advisor services, Health & Safety advisory, Fire Safety and Fire Engineering, Building Survey & Inspection, and Environmental Compliance delivered via accredited sustainability consultants. Serves clients, designers, project managers, cost consultants, builders, developers, contractors, Principal Designers and Principal Contractors.
- Harwood Landscaping & Construction Garden design and landscape construction services including sustainable design, ecology surveys, and project management for outdoor spaces. Provides landscaping clients with cross-referral access to Harwood's Building Control and Consultancy services for complete project compliance. Includes a soft landscape planting programme that has delivered over 5,000 trees over the last decade.
Companies that use Harwood
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Harwood technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Harwood partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Reds10minorBuilding control firm Harwood partners with modular construction specialist Reds10 to support modular building projects, providing regulatory compliance and inspection services for offsite construction.
- Darwin GroupminorBuilding control firm Harwood partners with modular construction specialist Darwin Group to support modular building projects, providing regulatory compliance and inspection services.
- Approved Consultants NetworkcoreHarwood works with a number of approved consultants that support organizational capability and help deliver specialist services under the Harwood brand, including sustainability consultants for environmental services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Harwood competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AECOM: Global infrastructure and construction consultancy with significant UK presence in building surveying, code consulting, fire engineering, and CDM advisory. Comparable at the consultancy/inspection service-line level rather than at the niche Approved Inspector level.
- Bureau Veritas UK: Global Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) group with UK building control, fire safety, and environmental services. Overlaps with Harwood's regulated inspection and consultancy work as part of a much broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- Stroma Building Control: UK Approved Inspector delivering building control, energy, and sustainability services. Overlaps with Harwood on BSR-registered building control and the broader construction consultancy services.
- Assent Building Control: UK Approved Inspector offering building control approval, plan checking, and site inspection services for residential and commercial projects. Directly comparable to Harwood's core 79%-of-projects Building Control division.
- Jhai: UK Approved Inspector providing building control services with a particular focus on local authority and public-sector projects. Directly comparable to Harwood's work with councils, NHS Trusts, and educational institutions.
- NHBC Building Control Services: NHBC operates a substantial UK Approved Inspector service alongside its warranty business, providing building control approval to housebuilders and commercial developers. Comparable to Harwood in serving residential and commercial developers with regulated inspection services.
- CLM Building Control: UK-based provider of building control, fire safety, and related construction consultancy. Comparable to Harwood across the Building Control and CDM/health & safety consultancy offering.
- SOCOTEC: Major UK provider of Building Control, building consultancy, fire safety, and environmental services. SOCOTEC (which acquired Butler & Young Group) competes directly with Harwood's core Building Control and Construction Consultancy offerings, with a far broader geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Harwood social profiles
Digital presenceHarwood compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Harwood financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Harwood leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Harwood subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Harwood funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Harwood 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 Harwood
What does Harwood do?
Harwood provides BSR Registered Building Control Approver services, including plan checking and site inspections for compliance with UK Building Regulations across residential and commercial projects. Its Construction Consultancy division delivers Principal Designer/Contractor appointments, CDM advisory, health & safety, fire safety/engineering, building surveys and environmental compliance. A Landscaping & Construction division offers garden design, sustainable landscaping, ecology surveys and project management, with cross-referral across divisions for integrated compliance.
Is Harwood a public or private company?
Harwood is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Harwood founded?
Harwood was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Harwood based?
Harwood is headquartered in Canterbury, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Harwood make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Building Control Services are the primary driver. The others are construction Consultancy Services and landscaping Services.
Who are Harwood's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AECOM and Bureau Veritas UK. Direct peers are Stroma Building Control, Assent Building Control, Jhai, NHBC Building Control Services, CLM Building Control and SOCOTEC.
Does Harwood have an API?
No public API is recorded for Harwood.
What industry is Harwood in?
Harwood's product category is Building Control Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABAHAJ, Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support), with a secondary code of EUAHABAH, Facility Siting, Permitting & Land-Use Regulatory Compliance (Multi-media Permitting, Zoning/Entitlements Support). Its NAICS code is 54135 and its SIC code is 1700.