What SEH French does

SEH French Construction Ltd is a privately held UK construction contractor headquartered in Ipswich, Suffolk, delivering design-and-build, commercial, residential, healthcare, education, industrial, and public sector building projects across East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire). Founded in 1984 and operating for over 40 years, the company employs more than 50 people directly and generates turnover exceeding £22 million. Its core service portfolio spans six sector verticals — education, community and healthcare, commercial, residential, industrial, and framework/public sector — with specialised capabilities in BREEAM-certified sustainable delivery (Excellent and Very Good standards), modular construction methods that reduce onsite time, and SEND facility construction. SEH French is a subsidiary of One Group Construction, a privately owned holding group with 10 subsidiaries, 600+ staff, and £170 million annual turnover.

The company's go-to-market is anchored in direct enterprise sales and competitive tendering, with distribution heavily weighted toward public sector construction framework appointments. Most significantly, SEH French was appointed in 2025 to all three lots of the Suffolk County Council Construction Framework, which carries a combined £750 million spend over four years — described as the largest contract win in company history. It also holds positions on the Essex County Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, NHS SBS, Pagabo, and Procure Partnerships frameworks. Private enterprise customers include law firm Birketts (£7.7m five-storey office), pet food manufacturer Natures Menu (£13m factory), shipping company MSC (£5.1m headquarters), housing associations, NHS Trusts, and education providers. The company is BIM Level 2 capable, holds ISO 14001:2015, ISO 27001, Constructionline, NHBC, NFB, Living Wage Employer, and Investors in People accreditations, and has won RIBA Sustainability, RIBA East Building of the Year, RICS, LABC, and Green Apple awards.

Revenue is generated through project-based construction fees, with pricing determined per project via competitive tender or negotiation. Project values range from small works (e.g., £454k for Leiston Fire Station) to major schemes (£13m Natures Menu), with the largest framework lot covering projects up to £10m. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contracts are multi-year and project-specific. The company invests in workforce development through training and apprenticeship programmes, and was named an Industry Partner of Suffolk New College in 2024. Recent leadership appointments include Simon Hubert as Contracts Director (October 2025) and Chris Fleet as Commercial Manager, signalling organisational scaling to absorb expanded framework obligations.

Name

SEH French

Legal name

SEH French Construction Ltd

Website

https://sehfrench.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SEH French is a UK construction contractor delivering design-and-build, commercial, residential, healthcare, education, industrial, and public sector projects across East Anglia, primarily through public sector framework appointments as a subsidiary of One Group Construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236116)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Construction services
• Design and build
• Commercial construction
• Residential construction
• Public sector frameworks

Headquarters

HQ city

Ipswich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction project fees: SEH French generates revenue through construction project fees, undertaking projects ranging from small-scale works to multi-million pound schemes. Revenue is project-based and one-time, though framework appointments provide recurring project flow. Turnover exceeds £22 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SEH French is a construction company that delivers design-and-build, refurbishment, and framework-based construction projects across education, healthcare, commercial, residential, industrial, and public sectors in East Anglia. Their offering spans BIM Level 2-enabled project delivery, BREEAM-certified sustainable construction, modular building methods, and public sector framework appointments (Suffolk County Council, Essex, NHS SBS, Pagabo). Project values range from small works to multi-million pound schemes including new school buildings, office headquarters, factories, and SEND specialist facilities.

Product overview

SEH French is a construction company offering comprehensive building services across multiple sectors, including education, community and healthcare, commercial, residential, industrial, public sector, and leisure and retail construction. The company operates primarily across East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire) as part of One Group Construction. Their service portfolio includes general construction, design and build projects, and framework agreements with public sector bodies. Notable specialized services include SEND unit construction, modular building methods, and BIM Level 2 implementation. The company is recognized for delivering award-winning projects including the RIBA Sustainability Award, LABC Building Excellence awards, and RICS awards, with a focus on BREEAM-certified sustainable construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Sector Construction Services Construction of modern school blocks, classrooms, refurbishments, extensions, and new teaching spaces for primary, secondary, and further education facilities across East Anglia.
• Community and Healthcare Construction Services Construction and refurbishment projects for healthcare facilities including hospitals, mental health wards, care homes, doctor surgeries, and community buildings such as places of worship and crematoria.
• Commercial Construction Services Construction of multi-storey offices, commercial buildings, retail spaces, and professional facilities including headquarters and office fit-outs.
• Residential Construction Services Residential housing construction including affordable homes, luxury homes, bungalows, conversions of listed buildings, and properties for housing associations and private developers.
• Industrial Construction Services Construction of industrial units, warehouses, distribution centres, manufacturing facilities, and depots tailored to client specifications and end-user needs.
• Framework Construction Services Construction services delivered through public and private sector framework agreements including Suffolk County Council Construction Framework, Essex Construction Framework, NHS SBS Framework, Pagabo, and Procure Partnerships.
• Natures Menu Factory Headquarters 11,200m2 purpose-built manufacturing factory, warehouse, and office accommodation for a leading UK raw pet food manufacturer, featuring cold storage, production areas, and sustainable drainage design.
• Princes Street Office Building Five-storey, 55,000 sq ft office building constructed for a regional law firm, featuring curtain walling, brick facade, innovative garden roof, and BREEAM 'Very Good' standard.
• MSC Headquarters Three-storey office building with undercroft car park and curtain walling facade, constructed to BREEAM Very Good standard featuring renewable wind turbine generation.
• Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre Award-winning construction of a Buddhist retreat centre featuring single-storey modular living accommodation, communal areas, and charred timber cladding, recognised through RIBA East and National Awards.
• SEND Units Construction Construction of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) classroom blocks and units providing additional school places for pupils with cognition and learning difficulties.
• Modular Building Construction Modular construction method with factory-built building elements assembled on location, reducing onsite time from 30+ weeks to 16 weeks for minimal disruption in active settings such as schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every £1 spent with the company, £2.56 worth of economic benefit is provided to local communities. In 2024, this totalled £56 million.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Suffolk County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021SEH French was appointed to Suffolk County Council's new Construction Framework across all three lots (LOT 1: £0-£750k, LOT 2: £500k-£3.5m, LOT 3: £2.75m-£10m), making it the largest contract win in the company's history. The combined framework spend is £750 million over four years. Resultant contracts are managed by Concertus Design and Property Consultants.
• Concertus Design and Property ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEH French frequently partners with Concertus as the design and property consultant on Suffolk County Council Framework projects. Concertus designs projects including education sector works (SEND units, school expansions) and community projects, with SEH French as the main contractor.
• One Group ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEH French is one of 10 subsidiary businesses within One Group Construction, one of Suffolk's largest privately owned holding companies. One Group Construction provides financial backing, strategic direction, cross-subsidiary collaboration, and shared resources (including civil engineering via Jackson Civil Engineering, surfacing via SEH Asphalt, building materials via SEH BAC, and developments via SEH Developments). The group has 20 offices across the UK, 600+ staff, and £170 million annual turnover.
• Jackson Civil EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company within One Group Construction that SEH French collaborates with on projects requiring civil engineering and groundworks. Worked together on the Natures Menu project.
• Essex County Council Construction FrameworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSEH French has been appointed to the Essex Construction Framework for education and public sector projects, alongside Suffolk County Council Framework, Central Bedfordshire Council, NHS SBS, Pagabo, and Procure Partnerships frameworks.
• Walters & Cohen ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm behind the award-winning Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre project in Walsham le Willows. SEH French was the main contractor on this £4.5 million project completed over 58 weeks.
• KLH ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKLH Architects partnered with SEH French on the Suffolk New College project converting a horse box trailer into a mobile wellness trailer, which won the Innovative Project of the Year Award. Also worked on Ipswich Hospital Dementia Ward refurbishment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Willmott Dixon: UK mid-market general contractor delivering education, healthcare, residential, and public sector schemes across regional offices. Comparable in sector mix, framework reliance, and design-build posture to SEH French, though at significantly larger scale.
• Bowmer + Kirkland: Privately held UK construction firm operating across commercial, education, residential, and leisure sectors. Comparable to SEH French on private status, regional operating model, and broad sector exposure.
• McLaren Construction Group: Mid-sized UK contractor with divisions in construction, infrastructure, and developments. Operates across similar commercial, education, healthcare, and residential sectors as SEH French, with comparable BIM and design-build capabilities.
• RG Group: Independent UK contractor focused on design-and-build across commercial, education, healthcare, and residential sectors. Closely comparable to SEH French in size, private status, and sector mix.
• Conamar Building Contractors: Mid-market UK contractor serving education, public sector, healthcare, and commercial clients. Comparable scale and sector coverage to SEH French, with similar reliance on regional framework wins.
• Barnes Construction: Long-established East Anglian contractor delivering education, commercial, healthcare, and public sector projects. Directly comparable to SEH French by geography, sector mix, and company age/positioning.
• Graham Group: Privately owned UK and Ireland contractor with building, civil engineering, and facilities management divisions. Comparable to SEH French on private ownership, design-build, and multi-sector delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Sindall Group: FTSE-listed UK construction and regeneration group with construction, infrastructure, fit-out, and property services divisions. A much larger incumbent that competes for the same public sector frameworks but with broader capabilities and deeper pockets.
• Galliford Try: FTSE-listed UK construction group operating across building, infrastructure, and PPP. Overlaps with SEH French on public sector construction frameworks and education/healthcare schemes, but operates at materially larger scale nationally.
• Kier Group: Major UK construction and infrastructure group with strong public sector framework presence. Overlaps with SEH French on education, healthcare, and local authority schemes; much larger scale and broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sehfrench
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seh-french

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 SEH French