Silcock Dawson & Partners

What Silcock Dawson & Partners does

Silcock Dawson & Partners is a UK-based building services consulting engineering firm established in 1984 and headquartered in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire. The firm delivers Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health (MEPH) engineering design services for new builds and refurbishments across commercial, residential, education, healthcare, retail, leisure, industrial, student accommodation, historic, and science/research property sectors. Its client base includes named enterprises such as Redrow Homes, St. Edward Homes, Telford Homes, Grainger plc, Trinity College Oxford, Cardiff Metropolitan University, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, Sunderland NHS Trust, Westfield, the Department for Education, and the Homebase retail chain (100+ store commissions). Services are delivered across the United Kingdom and Europe.

The firm's technical capabilities centre on BIM Level 2 implementation using Autodesk REVIT 3D, with COBie-based asset information exchange aligned to BSRIA BG6/2018 and integration with the RIBA Plan of Work. It employs building physics simulation software (IESVE, Hevacomp, TAS) for dynamic thermal comfort prediction, energy efficiency evaluation, daylight availability analysis, and natural/hybrid ventilation design. A specialised energy consultancy team delivers Part L compliance assessments, BREEAM advisory, thermal comfort and overheating assessments, climate-based daylight modelling, water efficiency calculations, heat decarbonisation plans, sustainability statements, life cycle analyses, and whole life carbon assessments. Adjacent offerings include lighting design, vertical transportation specification, condition and acquisition surveys, feasibility studies, construction monitoring, project management, expert witness services, and planned maintenance advice.

Silcock Dawson & Partners generates revenue through professional services fees negotiated on a project-by-project basis, with a dedicated Project Engineer assigned as single point of contact and Project Director involvement from inception through completion. The firm is wholly owned by its Senior Directors under an owner-managed model, with no external investment, private equity backing, or parent company involvement; the most recent ownership transition occurred in 2024 when John du Boulay and Paul Russell were elevated to equity partner status. New business is acquired through enterprise field sales, competitive tendering, and referral relationships with architects and developers. Leadership comprises Managing Director Peter Lindsay (with the firm since 1998), Directors John du Boulay and Paul Russell, and Regional Director Eamonn Molloy (Chartered Engineer, 45+ years industry experience).

Name

Silcock Dawson & Partners

Legal name

Silcock Dawson & Partners Limited

Website

https://silcockdawson.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UK-based building services consulting engineering firm established in 1984, delivering mechanical, electrical, and public health engineering design alongside BIM, building physics, and energy consultancy to property developers, universities, NHS trusts, retailers, and government clients across the United Kingdom and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Services Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Building services engineering
• MEP consultancy
• Energy consultancy
• BIM coordination
• BREEAM assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Princes Risborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Services Consultancy: Professional consulting fees for MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Public Health) engineering design services, construction monitoring, feasibility studies, and advisory work on a project-by-project basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Silcock Dawson & Partners is a building services consulting engineering firm providing Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health (MEPH) design across the UK and Europe. Their offering spans surveys, feasibility studies, detailed design, building modelling and thermal simulation, construction monitoring, project management, energy consultancy, BREEAM assessments, Part L compliance, expert witness, and planned maintenance services for new builds and refurbishments.

Product overview

Silcock Dawson & Partners is a building services consulting engineering firm established in 1984, offering a comprehensive portfolio of engineering consultancy services throughout the UK and Europe. The company operates from a single office in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, with over 40 permanent staff. The core offerings center on Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health (MEPH) engineering services, complemented by specialized capabilities including Lighting Design, Vertical Transportation Specification, and Building Information Modelling (BIM). A key differentiator is their integrated Energy Consultancy team that provides Building Modelling and Simulation services alongside regulatory compliance assessments. The company serves diverse market sectors including Residential, Student Accommodation, Education, Commercial, Industrial, Retail, Sport and Leisure, Healthcare, Hotels and Commercial Leisure, Community, Government, Science and Research, Defence, and Historic Buildings. Project delivery spans the full lifecycle from surveys and feasibility studies through detailed design, construction monitoring, and project management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Services Engineering Design of mechanical building services including heating systems, ventilation, air conditioning, comfort cooling, air-source and ground-source heat pump systems, gas supplies, medical gases, and BMS/controls systems for property developers, councils, NHS trusts, and commercial clients.
• Electrical Services Engineering Design of electrical services including LV switchgear and distribution systems, standby generation, sub-stations, photovoltaic systems, earthing, power factor correction, metering, interior and exterior lighting, electronic access controls, fire alarm and detection, EV charging, broadcast reception, and structured cabling.
• Public Health Services Engineering Design of potable water systems, domestic hot water, water treatment, above-ground drainage, rainwater disposal, surface water disposal, rainwater harvesting, and greywater recycling systems for building projects.
• Lighting Design Comprehensive lighting design services including daylighting concepts, interior and exterior lighting, emergency lighting, control strategy development, and luminaire selection for building projects.
• Vertical Transportation Specification Provision of lift traffic analyses, condition surveys, site inspections, and design/specification services for passenger lifts, goods lifts, vehicle lifts, and escalators.
• Building Information Modelling (BIM) Collaborative 3D modelling process using Autodesk REVIT for services coordination, clash detection, and asset information exchange via COBie at BIM Level 2, following BSRIA BG6/2018 standards.
• Building Modelling and Simulation Virtual environment and simulation software for dynamic building models, thermal comfort prediction, energy efficiency evaluation, and daylighting analysis using IESVE, Hevacomp, and TAS tools.
• Energy Consultancy Specialist low and zero carbon solutions including Part L compliance assessments, energy strategies for planning, thermal comfort/overheating assessments, climate-based daylight modelling, water efficiency calculations, heat decarbonisation plans, whole life carbon assessments, sustainability statements, life cycle analyses, and energy performance certificates.
• BREEAM Consultancy Environmental assessment method consultancy for planning submissions and building regulations compliance, supporting BREEAM certification of building projects.
• Condition and Acquisition Surveys Surveys and inspections to assess building condition and support property acquisition decisions.
• Feasibility Studies and Advisory Work Technical feasibility assessments and advisory documentation for building services projects.
• Construction Monitoring and Supervision Site-based monitoring and supervision during construction to ensure design implementation matches engineering specifications.
• Project Management and Cost Control Project management services with cost control throughout the project lifecycle.
• Expert Witness Services Technical expert witness services for legal proceedings related to building services engineering.
• Planned Maintenance Advice Maintenance planning and advisory services for building services installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects achieving BREEAM Excellent ratings on commercial developments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hoare Lea: One of the UK's largest independent building services (MEP) engineering consultancies, offering mechanical, electrical, public health, sustainability, and BIM services across the same sectors as SD — a direct mid-to-large-scale competitor for major UK developer, healthcare, and education briefs.
• Max Fordham: Independent UK MEP and building physics consultancy with deep expertise in energy modelling, Passivhaus, and low-carbon design. Highly comparable to SD on technical specialism, BIM-led delivery, and education/cultural project portfolio.
• Hilson Moran: Long-established UK building services consultancy delivering MEP, sustainability, and BIM services to commercial, residential, healthcare, and education clients — a closely matched peer across SD's core sectors.
• Cundall: Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with strong MEP, sustainability, and BIM capabilities serving property developers, healthcare, and education clients in the UK and internationally — directly comparable offering and client mix.
• Meinhardt UK: International engineering consultancy with UK MEP practice delivering mechanical, electrical, and sustainability services for residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments — comparable on technical offering though larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• WSP in the UK: Global professional services firm with a substantial UK building services and structures practice competing on larger healthcare, education, and infrastructure programmes where SD also bids; broader portfolio makes it a broad incumbent rather than specialist peer.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy with building services capability often bundled into larger multi-disciplinary commissions; competes for the same developer, NHS, and university frameworks as SD at the larger end.
• BDP (Building Design Partnership): Major UK integrated design practice with in-house MEP engineering teams covering healthcare, education, and residential schemes — competes with SD as part of full multi-disciplinary bids rather than pure MEP consulting.
• Sweco UK: European engineering consultancy with growing UK building services and sustainability practice serving similar residential, healthcare, and education clients; larger and more internationally scaled than SD.
• Arup: Global engineering and design firm with deep UK MEP, fire, and sustainability capability that regularly competes for high-profile healthcare, higher education, and research facility briefs where SD is also engaged.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silcock-dawson-and-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Silcock Dawson & Partners