What Water Research Centre (WRc) does

Water Research Centre (WRc) is a UK-based consultancy, software, certification and training business serving the water, wastewater, waste and environmental sectors. Founded circa 1929 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of RSK Group Limited, WRc employs 220+ staff across offices in Swindon and Helsby, Cheshire. Its service portfolio spans technical consulting, collaborative research (the 20+ year Portfolio programme), product certification (WRc Approved, MCERTS, Fine to Flush), testing services (meter, leak tightness, water technology evaluation), and training through WRc Academy. Customer segments include UK water and sewerage undertakers, the Environment Agency, local/highway authorities, waste services operators, industrial clients, and technology developers.

Name

Water Research Centre (WRc)

Legal name

Water Research Centre Limited

Website

https://wrcgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WRc is a UK-based water, wastewater and environmental consultancy and standards body serving regulated water utilities, government and technology developers with consulting, certification, software (SIMPOL, STOAT, CESWI 8) and training. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RSK Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Swindon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Technical consulting services for water, wastewater, waste and environmental sectors providing strategic advice, planning, and operational support.
2. Testing and Certification: WRc Approved certification scheme for products and services, MCERTS testing, meter testing, and leak tightness testing services.
3. Subscription Database Services: RAPID subscription service for pesticide risk assessment information database.
4. Training Courses: WRc Academy provides in-person, online and digital training courses for the water industry including water quality, leakage, and environmental topics.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WRc provides technical consultancy, knowledge transfer, operational services, and innovative solution development for the water, wastewater, waste, and environmental sectors. The company also develops and sells proprietary software tools for catchment and water network modelling, runs the WRc Approved product and service certification scheme, MCERTS testing, and the WRc Academy training programmes. Its core clients include UK water and sewerage companies, government departments, contractors, and technology developers.

Product overview

WRc offers a comprehensive portfolio of consulting services, software tools, certification schemes, and training for the water, waste, and environmental sectors. The core software suite includes SIMPOL ICM for integrated catchment modelling, STOAT and Plan-It STOAT for wastewater plant modelling, TR61 for cost and carbon analysis, RAPID for pesticide risk assessment, AARDVARK for statistical analysis, and WANDa for water network analysis. The WRc Approved® certification scheme covers over 500 certified products and services. Additional offerings include MCERTS testing, meter testing, water technology evaluation facilities, microplastics research, odour management services, and WRc Academy training courses. The Portfolio programme facilitates collaborative research among clients sharing costs and benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WRc Approved: Testing and certification scheme for products and services in the water industry, covering areas such as CIPP lining, fittings, pipes, manholes, chambers, pump and flow control, coatings, linings, and survey software.
• WRc Academy
• NCET (National Centre for Environmental Toxicology)
• SIMPOL ICM
• WRc Portfolio

Products and services

• WRc Approved Certification Scheme Product and service certification scheme for the water industry providing independent testing and validation of technologies such as pipes, fittings, manholes, pumps, and coatings. Over 500 certificates issued since 1995 for technology developers, manufacturers, and water utilities.
• CESWI 8 (Civil Engineering Specification for the Water Industry) Comprehensive specification standard for civil engineering contracts awarded by UK Water Undertakers and Sewerage Undertakers, available in printed and digital formats. Sold through the WRc Knowledge Store for use by water utilities, contractors, and civil engineers.
• SIMPOL ICM (Integrated Catchment Modelling)

Quantifiable outcome

• AMP8 investment programme of £96bn requires CESWI 8 standards compliance across UK water industry
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• RSK GroupcoreOthersRSK Group is the ultimate parent company of WRc. Water Research Centre Ltd is part of the RSK Group of companies. The registered office and governance is under RSK Group ownership.
• ArupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRc co-convenes the Wet Networks series with Arup. This not-for-profit series allows technology companies and entrepreneurs to share ideas and create business relationship opportunities with leading users, entrepreneurs, advisors and funders.
• Ten UK Water CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research programme co-funded by ten UK water companies to develop RAPID pesticides risk assessment database. Partners share costs, risks and benefits of innovative solution development through WRc Portfolio programme.
• Northern Ireland WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative engagement through WRc Portfolio programme for catchment management and strategic water quality planning support.
• MOSL (Market Operator Services Limited)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOSL sponsored WRc's data centre water efficiency research project funded by Market Improvement Fund to understand water use in data centres and inform policy development.
• Strategic PanelmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned WRc to undertake data centre water use research following successful application to the Market Improvement Fund, representing the most senior governance group in the business water retail market.
• Environment AgencycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-standing partnership supporting the Environment Agency with environmental evidence, policy guidance, Catchment Sensitive Farming evaluation, and regulatory compliance.
• Foundation for Water ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRc contributes articles to the Foundation for Water Research newsletter on wastewater treatment and water quality topics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global engineering professional services firm with a sizeable UK water and environment practice. Comparable on water utility advisory and modelling work, but operates across transport, property, and energy.
• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection and certification company with established water testing and environmental services. Adjacent to WRc's certification and water-quality testing work but spans multiple industries and geographies.
• NSF International: Global public-health and water-quality standards body offering testing, certification, and auditing for water systems and products. Overlaps with WRc Approved and MCERTS but operates across a much broader water/food/health portfolio.
• Stantec: Global engineering consultancy with a major water practice covering treatment, networks, and catchment planning. Competes with WRc for water-utility consulting mandates at much larger scale and broader service breadth.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with strong water and environmental practices serving UK utilities and regulators. Overlaps with WRc on catchment management, climate resilience, and water-quality advisory work at greater scale.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC giant with water-sector testing and certification services. Much larger and broader portfolio than WRc but operates in adjacent water-quality testing and infrastructure certification markets.

Direct peers

• UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR): Collaborative research body funded by UK water companies to deliver strategic water-industry research. Directly comparable to WRc's Portfolio programme in business model (consortium-funded R&D for UK utilities).
• CIRIA: Construction Industry Research and Information Association — UK-based research body producing guidance and standards for the built environment, including water infrastructure. Comparable in its standards-publication and member-funded research model.
• HR Wallingford: UK-based independent water and environmental research organisation specialising in rivers, ports, and coastal water infrastructure. Closest comparable to WRc in scope (water R&D, modelling, physical modelling/testing) and UK-centric customer base.
• Kiwa: Global Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) company with a dedicated water business covering certification, testing, and advisory services for the water sector. Directly comparable to WRc Approved and MCERTS offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wrcgroup
• Xx.com/WRcgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Water Research Centre (WRc)