CPS Group (UK) Limited

What CPS Group (UK) Limited does

CPS Group (UK) Limited is a Cardiff-headquartered specialist recruitment consultancy founded in 2003 that places permanent and interim technology professionals across the UK and Europe. The group operates through three wholly-owned sub-brands: CPS for technology recruitment across Infrastructure and DevOps, Software, Change and Transformation, Cyber Security, Data, and ERP disciplines; Fuse for security-cleared consulting mandates; and FaulknerScott for corporate function hiring in finance, marketing, and sales. The company runs a second office in Bristol to cover the South West of England and maintains a self-claimed position as the largest IT recruitment team in Wales. Customer logos include Deloitte, Thales, Capgemini, ITV, Virgin Media, Atradius, Vauxhall Finance, The Royal Mint, and a range of mid-market technology and media clients.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for a specialist recruitment firm: a bespoke video interviewing platform, an in-house technical testing platform, a candidate portal (careers.cpsgroupuk.com) with filtering by sector and contract type, and supporting market intelligence and CRM tooling. The CPS Recruitment Academy, launched in 2021, is an internal training function that develops new recruitment consultants rather than a technology product. Value-added service modules include Talent Insights (competitor and market benchmarking), Talent Partnering (onsite embedded consultants), Inclusive Recruitment (blind-hiring process), and advisory on IR35, GDPR, and AWR compliance.

Revenue is generated through transaction fees: placement fees as a percentage of annual salary on permanent hires (typically cited at 15-25%) and margin on contractor day rates for interim and contract engagements. The company also derives revenue from specialist consulting placements via FaulknerScott and from security-cleared placements via Fuse. Marketing is predominantly content-led (blog, LinkedIn, Instagram, SEO-optimised sector pages) combined with direct enterprise field sales and account management. There is no public revenue disclosure, no disclosed funding, and no evidence of private equity, venture, or public ownership, indicating a privately held, founder-controlled firm.

Name

CPS Group (UK) Limited

Legal name

CPS Group (UK) Limited

Website

https://cpsgroupuk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Placement Recruitment: CPS places candidates in permanent technology roles across sectors including Infrastructure & DevOps, Software, Change & Transformation, Cyber Security, Data, and ERP. The company earns placement fees upon successful candidate placement, typically a percentage of the placed candidate's annual salary.
2. Interim / Contract Recruitment: CPS provides interim technology professionals and contractors to clients on a project basis. Revenue is generated through mark-up on contractor rates or contingency fees.
3. Specialist Consulting Services: Through FaulknerScott brand, the company supports corporate function hiring including finance, marketing, and sales roles. Fuse brand supports consultancies with winning and delivering security-cleared projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CPS Group (UK) Limited is a multi-brand specialist recruitment consultancy placing permanent and interim technology professionals with enterprise and mid-market clients across the UK and Europe. The group operates three brands (CPS for technology recruitment, Fuse for security-cleared consulting projects, and FaulknerScott for corporate function hiring), supported by value-added services such as Talent Insights, Talent Partnering, video interviewing, technical testing, and inclusive (blind) hiring. Revenue is generated primarily through placement fees on permanent roles and margin on contract/interim engagements.

Product overview

CPS Group (UK) Limited operates as a multi-brand professional recruitment group consisting of three specialist recruitment brands — CPS (technology recruitment), Fuse (security-cleared projects), and FaulknerScott (corporate function hiring) — unified under a shared parent company. The core offering centres on specialist recruitment solutions, supported by a set of talent services modules including Talent Insights (market intelligence), Inclusive Recruitment (blind-hiring), Talent Partnering (onsite embedding), a Video Interviewing Platform, a Technical Testing Platform, and Expert Knowledge advisory on IR35, GDPR, and AWR compliance. An Engagement Hub job board serves as the candidate-facing portal for vacancy search and applications. The group primarily serves the UK market with operations in Cardiff and Bristol, and has been operating since 2003.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPS: Specialist recruiters for the technology industry
• Fuse
• FaulknerScott

Products and services

• CPS (Technology Recruitment Brand) Specialist recruitment brand of CPS Group placing permanent and interim technology professionals with clients across Infrastructure & DevOps, Software, Change & Transformation, Cyber Security, Data, and ERP disciplines. Positioned as 'The Experts at Finding Experts'.
• Fuse (Security-Cleared Consulting Recruitment) Recruitment brand partnering with consultancies to support the winning and delivering of security-cleared projects, providing specialist recruitment for security-cleared mandates in the UK public sector and defence ecosystem.
• FaulknerScott (Corporate Function Recruitment) Recruitment brand supporting all corporate function hiring across finance, marketing, sales, HR, and events, offering talent solutions for non-technology roles and positioned as 'A Different Kind of Talent Business'.
• CPS Group Engagement Hub (Job Board) Online candidate job board and management portal allowing job seekers to search and apply for technology and corporate roles, with advanced filtering by industry, expertise, location, and contract type, plus CV submission and job alerts.
• Expert Knowledge Advisory (IR35, GDPR, AWR) Expert advisory service covering IR35, GDPR, and AWR compliance to guide clients through regulatory requirements in the UK recruitment market.
• CPS Recruitment Academy In-house academy training recent graduates and individuals new to the recruitment industry, offering theory, classroom learning, interactive sessions, and peer-to-peer shadowing to develop specialist recruitment consultants. Launched in 2021.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over two decades of operation since 2003 with a high percentage of consultants remaining with the company for more than eight years.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BupaminorOthersBupa provides CPS Group employees with a Health Cash Plan, allowing claims back on routine health expenses including dental, optical, and physiotherapy, along with a dedicated employee assistance programme and access to the Bupa Rewards programme for offers and gym discounts.
• Octopus Money CoachminorOthersOctopus Money Coach provides CPS Group employees with their own personal financial coach to help them understand and manage savings, mortgages, debt, and pensions — setting employees up for the future and helping them make the most of their money.
• Scottish WidowsminorOthersCPS Group provides a company defined contribution pension scheme with company and employee contributions, along with a salary sacrifice option, administered through Scottish Widows.
• AvivaminorOthersAviva provides CPS Group employees with a company private health insurance scheme offering private treatment and support, video GP services, savings, discounts, and more.
• Fuse Digital ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuse is a brand of CPS Group that partners with consultancies to support the winning and delivering of security cleared projects. It operates as an internal brand within the CPS Group portfolio, focused on the security-cleared recruitment niche within the UK public sector and defence ecosystem.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hays plc: London-listed global recruitment firm with one of the strongest UK IT/technology practices (Hays Technology), directly competing with CPS across permanent and contract tech placements including Infrastructure, Software, ERP, and Cyber.
• SThree plc: Listed STEM recruitment specialist operating computerfutures, Progressive, and Real Staffing brands — direct competitor to CPS Group's specialist tech recruitment model across the UK and Europe.
• Computer Futures (part of SThree): UK-headquartered tech recruitment specialist (SThree-owned) placing contractors and permanent staff across IT disciplines — the closest direct comp to CPS's core technology recruitment offering.
• Reed Technology: Major UK generalist recruitment firm with a substantial technology and digital vertical that competes directly with CPS for permanent and contract IT placements across enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Robert Half UK: US-listed specialist in technology, finance, and accounting recruitment with a strong UK presence — directly comparable to CPS's specialisation on high-skill professional roles including IT and change/transformation.
• Salt (Salt Recruitment): Global digital, tech, marketing, and creative recruitment specialist with a significant UK hub — comparable to CPS Group for software, data, and digital product hiring across permanent and contract mandates.
• Michael Page UK: Listed professional recruitment specialist covering technology, transformation, and corporate functions — overlapping with CPS across Software, ERP, Change, and FaulknerScott-style corporate hiring.
• Investigo: UK-based professional services and technology recruitment firm — directly comparable to CPS Group for technology, transformation, and corporate function permanent placements in the UK mid-market.

Emerging players

• Trust in SODA: Welsh-headquartered tech and digital recruitment specialist — a regional emerging player in the same UK tech recruitment space as CPS, with comparable mid-market enterprise client focus.

Broad incumbents

• Pertemps (Pertemps Network): Major UK generalist staffing group with an IT division providing technical and professional recruitment — broader incumbent serving many of the same enterprise accounts as CPS but as part of a much wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cps-group-uk-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/cpsgroupukltd/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
• Xx.com/CPSGroupUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/248510078496197

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 CPS Group (UK) Limited