What DSSR does

DSSR is an independent UK mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) building services engineering consultancy headquartered in Glasgow, founded in 1945 and operating from four offices - Glasgow, London, Manchester and Harrogate - with over 100 staff. The firm delivers MEP design, building performance modelling, sustainability benchmarking, high voltage electrical design, medical gas engineering, smart building automation and related services across twelve distinct vertical sectors: Healthcare, Further Education, Primary & Secondary Education, Defence, Industrial, Pharmaceutical, Hotels, Offices, Residential, Retail & Leisure, Transportation, and Law & Order.

The technical stack is built around accredited building performance simulation (IES Virtual Environment), lighting design tools (ReluxPro, DIALux), vertical transportation analysis (Elevate), and integration via open protocols (BACnet, Modbus RTU, KNX, ProfiBus) into Building Energy Management Systems. DSSR holds ISO 9001 quality accreditation, in-house HTM02-01 Medical Gas Authorised Person certification, BREEAM Assessor and Advisory Professional credentials, CIBSE CP1 Heat Networks certification, and Passivhaus experience, which together pre-qualify the firm for regulated public-sector and framework work. Marquee references include Forth Valley Royal Hospital (£284m contract value), The Event Complex Aberdeen / TECA (£300m), Manchester Joint Hospitals (£370m), Woodberry Down residential regeneration (£1bn programme investment), Heathrow Terminal 5C, and the Glen Mallan jetty supporting the MoD's £7bn Queen Elizabeth Class carrier programme.

Revenue is generated on a project-by-project professional services basis through direct appointments and framework agreements (NHS P22, Pagabo Refit and Refurbishment) with NHS Trusts, developers, contractors, and government agencies; pricing is per-engagement and not publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investors, and leadership is dominated by long-tenured Chartered Engineers, several with 25-40+ years at DSSR.

Name

DSSR

Legal name

DSSR Ltd.

Website

https://dssr.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DSSR is an independent UK building services engineering consultancy founded in 1945, delivering mechanical, electrical, and public health (MEP) design and sustainability services from offices in Glasgow, London, Manchester and Harrogate. It serves public and private clients across twelve sectors including healthcare, defence, industrial, and transportation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Services Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering design services (line design, substation design, civil/structural) (EUADAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Grid-Edge Enablement Services (HEMS/DR Device Integration, VPP Enablement) (EUAEANAL)

Keywords

• Mechanical electrical engineering
• Building services design
• Sustainability consultancy
• MEP design services
• Building performance modelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consultancy Services: DSSR generates revenue through providing professional engineering consultancy services for MEP (mechanical, electrical, and public health) building services design. Revenue is project-based, earned through fees for design, engineering, and consultancy services on construction projects across various sectors including healthcare, education, industrial, commercial, and government projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DSSR is an independent UK building services engineering consultancy delivering mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) design services for buildings across 12 sectors. Its core offering centres on sustainable MEP design supplemented by specialist services such as building performance modelling using IES VE, BREEAM sustainability benchmarking, CIBSE CP1 heat network consultancy, high voltage design, smart building automation, vertical transportation design, medical gas engineering, lighting design, MEPH building condition surveys, modular building (MMC), utility consultancy and expert witness services.

Product overview

DSSR is an award-winning independent building services engineering consultancy with over 80 years of experience, offering a unified portfolio of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health) design services through a multi-specialist approach. The core offering centers on MEP design services supplemented by specialized modules including Building Performance Modelling (using IES VE software), Energy Performance Studies, Expert Witness services, Heat Network Consultancy, High Voltage Design, Lighting Design, MEPH Building Condition Surveys, Modular Building (MMC), Smart Building Automation, Sustainability Benchmarking (BREEAM), Sustainability Consultancy, Utility Consultancy, and Vertical Transportation. These services are delivered across 12 distinct sector practices: Defence, Further Education, Healthcare, Hotels, Industrial, Law & Order, Offices, Pharmaceutical, Primary & Secondary Education, Residential, Retail & Leisure, and Transportation. DSSR positions itself as a sustainability-focused consultancy helping clients achieve operational Net Zero Carbon through innovative MEP systems design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEP Design Services Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health engineering design services for buildings across 12 sector practices, focusing on sustainable and energy-efficient MEP solutions.
• Building Performance Modelling Dynamic simulation modelling using IES VE software to assess thermal performance, energy requirements, carbon dioxide emissions and building regulatory compliance throughout design and construction phases.
• Energy Performance Studies Comprehensive building energy studies providing guidance on EPC improvement and decarbonisation pathways, considering capital costs and practical limitations for new builds and existing building stock.
• Expert Witness Services Independent technical reviews, technical advisor roles and expert witness support on building services-related issues including design, installation and operation disputes.
• Heat Network Consultancy CIBSE Certified Heat Networks consultancy services covering design, build and operation of district heating and cooling networks, including feasibility studies and Code of Practice CP1 compliance.
• High Voltage Design High voltage electrical engineering design services including 11kV networks, transformer substations, switchgear, protection systems and compliance with BS EN 50522, BS EN 62271 and ENA publications.
• Lighting Design Specialist lighting design services including energy-efficient LED solutions, daylighting strategies, lighting controls and compliance with CIBSE lighting codes using ReluxPro and DIALux software.
• MEPH Building Condition Surveys Condition surveys assessing mechanical, electrical and public health systems including condition evaluation, life expectancy, decarbonisation advice and preparation of 10-year PPM Investment Schedules.
• Modular Building (MMC) Design and implementation services for Modern Methods of Construction including modular buildings, off-site manufacture, repeatable components and standardisation for government-funded projects with MMC targets.
• Smart Building Automation Integration of building services systems using open protocols (BACnet, Modbus RTU, KNX, ProfiBus) for coordinated control of BEMS, lighting, access control, security, smoke control and specialist equipment.
• Sustainability Benchmarking (BREEAM) BREEAM assessment services for New Construction, Refurbishment and Fit-out projects, plus BREEAM Advisory Professional services to help project teams achieve sustainability targets.
• Sustainability Consultancy Net Zero Carbon strategies, operational energy, low and zero carbon heat, renewable energy, ESG benchmarking and road maps, building performance, climate resilience, and health and wellbeing advisory services.
• Utility Consultancy Utility infrastructure strategies covering electrical, water, gas, telecoms and heat networks including feasibility studies, load assessments, utility applications and coordination with network operators.
• Vertical Transportation Vertical transportation strategy and design services including lift traffic analysis, destination control systems and specifications for all building types using Elevate software modelling.
• Medical Gas Engineering Specialist medical gas engineering services for healthcare facilities with in-house HTM02-01 Medical Gas Authorised Person (MGPSAP) expertise and national NHS Trust experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buildings designed to achieve Net Zero Carbon through low-carbon technologies and energy-efficient MEP systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles12 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hilson Moran: Hilson Moran is a UK building services engineering consultancy specialising in MEP and sustainability design for commercial, residential, healthcare, and education projects. Directly comparable to DSSR in scope (MEP design, BREEAM, sustainability advisory) and sector mix, with a similar mid-sized independent profile.
• Cundall: Cundall is a UK-headquartered independent multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with a strong MEP/building services practice alongside structural and civil capabilities. Comparable to DSSR as a UK engineering consultancy delivering MEP design across sectors including healthcare, education, and residential, with a sustainability-led positioning.
• Hoare Lea: Hoare Lea is one of the UK's largest independent MEP engineering consultancies, headquartered in Bristol with offices across the UK. Directly comparable to DSSR as a UK-focused building services design consultancy serving healthcare, education, commercial, and residential sectors. Both firms emphasise sustainable, low-carbon MEP design as a core differentiator.
• BDP (Building Design Partnership): BDP is an international practice of architects, engineers, and designers with a major UK building services engineering team. Closely comparable to DSSR in delivering MEP design for healthcare, education, and public-sector projects across the UK, with overlapping specialisms in sustainability and building performance.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with a sizeable UK buildings and places practice delivering engineering design for healthcare, transportation, and defence projects. Overlaps with DSSR in MEP and sustainable design services but with global delivery capability and a multi-sector/multi-disciplinary portfolio.
• WSP: WSP is a global professional services consultancy with a substantial UK building services and MEP practice acquired through the merger with Mott MacDonald's rival firms. Overlaps with DSSR in providing engineering design for healthcare, transportation, and buildings, but operates at much greater scale and with multi-disciplinary offerings beyond MEP.
• Sweco: Sweco is a European engineering and architecture consultancy with a meaningful UK presence following acquisitions, providing building services and infrastructure design across healthcare, residential, and transportation sectors. Comparable to DSSR as a building services consultant but with deeper Nordic/European geographic reach.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consultancy with substantial UK building services design capability spanning healthcare, transport, education, and sustainability advisory. Comparable to DSSR in providing MEP and sustainability expertise but operates at far greater scale, with global reach and a wider range of disciplines under one roof.
• Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with a major UK buildings practice serving healthcare, defence, transport, and education sectors. Overlaps with DSSR on building services design within much broader multi-disciplinary and infrastructure offerings.
• Atkins (member of the AtkinsRéalis group): AtkinsRéalis (formerly Atkins/SNC-Lavalin) operates a UK building design practice providing MEP and multi-disciplinary engineering for healthcare, rail, aviation, and defence sectors. Comparable to DSSR in vertical breadth across UK infrastructure but with significantly larger headcount and global delivery capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dssr-limited
• Xx.com/dssrltd

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 DSSR