Core Five

What Core Five does

Core Five is an independent construction cost consultancy founded in 2012 and headquartered in London, with a second UK office in Birmingham. The firm provides Cost Consultancy and Employer's Agent services across the full project lifecycle, from feasibility estimating and cost planning through tender documentation, post-contract cost management, and final account negotiation. It serves market-leading developers, investors, landowners, banks and public sector bodies on complex commercial, residential, mixed-use, tall-building, cultural and stadium projects in the UK and internationally, with named engagements spanning Blackstone, British Land, Canary Wharf Group, Landsec, Berkeley Group, Tishman Speyer, Brookfield Properties, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Google, Microsoft and Aston Villa FC among others.

Name

Core Five

Legal name

Core Five Consulting Limited

Website

https://corefive.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Core Five is an independent UK construction cost consultancy providing Cost Consultancy and Employer's Agent services from feasibility to final account to real estate developers, investors, banks and public sector clients on complex UK and international projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Cost Consultancy

NAICS

Specialty Trade Contractors (238)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Performing General Contractors (IMAFAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Construction cost consultancy
• Quantity surveying
• Employer's agent services
• Cost management
• Embodied carbon optimisation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cost Consultancy and Management Services: Core professional services covering the full construction project lifecycle from conception to completion. Services include Cost Management, Feasibility Estimating, Strategic Advice, Cost Modelling, Cost Planning, Benchmarking, Engineering Services Cost Management, Sustainable Solutions, Procurement and Contract Advice, Tender Documentation, Change Control, Post Contract Cost Management, and Final Account Negotiation. Revenue is generated through professional service engagements on construction projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Core Five is an independent construction cost consultancy providing Cost Consultancy and Employer's Agent services across the full construction project lifecycle, from conception to completion. Its work covers cost management, feasibility estimating, cost modelling, benchmarking, procurement advice, and specialist offerings in tall buildings, facades, MMC, engineering services, and embodied carbon optimisation.

Product overview

Core Five is an independent, award-winning construction consultancy providing world-class Cost Consultancy and Employer's Agent services. The company operates as a single integrated offering with specialist service lines that work together across the project lifecycle: the core Cost Consultancy service (including cost management, planning, and benchmarking) is supplemented by specialized Engineering Services Cost Management for MEP and building systems, Facades Consultancy, Tall Buildings expertise, and MMC Advisory services. Supporting these client-facing services are internal platforms including a Data Analytics Platform built on millions of project data points, BIM Services for digital collaboration, and Market Research delivering quarterly intelligence. The company also invests in talent through training programmes including Core Foundations (graduate APC development) and Degree Apprenticeships, all delivered by a 200-strong team with operations in London and Birmingham.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cost Consultancy Construction cost management services from conception to completion, including cost management, feasibility estimating, cost modelling, cost planning, benchmarking, engineering services cost management, sustainable solutions, procurement advice, tender documentation, change control, post-contract cost management, and final account negotiation. For developers, investors, landowners, and public sector clients.
• Employer's Agent (EA) Representation during the post-contract construction phase, overseeing information coordination, instruction issuance, change management, payment certification, claims review, handover arrangement, practical completion certification, defect management, and final certificate issuance. Also offers EA Plus pre-construction services.
• Embodied Carbon Optimisation (ECO) Specialist service combining award-winning cost analysis with embodied carbon assessment. The Carbon Cost Model offers in-depth analysis of carbon reductions and cost implications, enabling informed decision-making from project outset.
• Engineering Services Cost Management Specialist engineering services cost consultancy covering MEP, vertical transportation, utilities, infrastructure, building ratings and certifications (BREEAM, WELL, FitWel, WiredScore, SmartScore, NABERS, HQM), life cycle costing, and smart building technology.
• Tall Buildings Consultancy Specialist expertise in residential, office, hotel and mixed-use towers with over 10,000 storeys of experience. Covers design optimization, smart procurement, engineering services, vertical transportation, and employer agent role for tall buildings.
• MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) Advisory Advisory on Modern Methods of Construction covering MHCLG MMC categories one to seven, from full volumetric housing through prefabricated components. Experience includes 2,000,000 sqft of timber framed buildings, 3,000 prefabricated bathroom pods, 1,000 volumetric homes, and 200 storeys of prefabricated towers.
• Facades Consultancy Pro-active cost consultancy and procurement of facades, typically accounting for 20-30% of new build construction costs. Procures 100,000-200,000m2 of facades annually covering unitised, precast, handset brickwork, and bespoke glazing systems.
• BIM (Building Information Modelling) Services Digital BIM collaboration enabling cost consultants to work in the same environment as designers. Supports digital quantification and estimation from RIBA Stage 0 through procurement, with award-winning Digital Development Team expertise.
• Market Research and Intelligence Quarterly Market Updates analyzing demand and supply-side economic factors affecting construction pricing, plus bespoke data-driven reports tailored to client needs.
• Core Foundations Market-leading APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) development programme for graduates to become Chartered Quantity Surveyors (MRICS). Led by Howard Spurgin (FRICS), RICS UK & Ireland Global Principal Assessor.
• Degree Apprenticeships Four-and-a-half year degree apprenticeship programme combining hands-on workplace experience with distance learning at University of the Built Environment, leading to BSc Hons in Quantity Surveying and RICS APC qualification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £100bn of project value advised upon
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AlectrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2019, Core Five has worked closely with Alectro, a Sustainable Data Analyst and UN Partner, to review their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions including Scope 1, 2, and 3. Alectro supports Core Five's own Net Zero Carbon journey with rigorous carbon footprint assessments across facilities, social events, work travel, and even coffee consumption. Alectro also helps Core Five select offset projects aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Currie & Brown: International cost management, project management, and advisory consultancy, particularly active in UK real estate and infrastructure. Closely comparable in business model to Core Five, with similar Quantity Surveying-led service offering.
• Gleeds: UK-headquartered global cost and project management consultancy serving commercial, residential, and infrastructure clients. Closest direct peer to Core Five, with similar size, professional-services culture, and project advisory focus.
• Alinea: UK-based independent cost consultancy with comparable specialist focus on high-end commercial, residential, and mixed-use developments. Boutique peer competing with Core Five for similar enterprise mandates.
• Turner & Townsend: Global independent cost consultancy operating across real estate and infrastructure, providing cost management, project management, and advisory services to enterprise developers and investors — a direct UK cost-consultancy peer to Core Five with overlapping client base and service lines.
• Rider Levett Bucknall: Global independent construction consultancy providing cost management, project management, and advisory services across real estate and infrastructure. Direct cost-consultancy peer to Core Five in the UK and internationally.
• Linesight: International cost and project management consultancy operating across real estate, data centres, life sciences, and infrastructure. Direct peer to Core Five in delivering specialist cost consultancy to enterprise developers and occupiers.

Broad incumbents

• Faithful+Gould (AtkinsRéalis): Cost and project management consultancy now within AtkinsRéalis, providing quantity surveying and advisory across real estate, infrastructure, and energy sectors. Larger incumbent offering overlapping cost consultancy services to enterprise clients.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy providing cost management, program management, and advisory across real estate, transportation, and major infrastructure. Largest incumbent peer with overlapping cost consultancy capability for enterprise clients.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering, and consultancy firm with a sizeable cost-management practice (including IBI/CallisonRTKL-era cost teams). Broader incumbent that overlaps with Core Five on major commercial and infrastructure cost mandates at scale.
• Mace Group: Global construction and consultancy group spanning cost consultancy, project management, and contracting. Broader incumbent where the Mace Consult business overlaps with Core Five on advisory mandates for major UK schemes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/core-five-llp
• Xx.com/corefivellp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Core Five