What Scantec does

Scantec Personnel Limited is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 1990 by Peter Bates and headquartered in Wirral, North West England. The company provides permanent, contract, temporary, executive search and managed agency recruitment services across four core vertical divisions: Engineering (including nuclear, water, infrastructure and skilled trades), Manufacturing (FMCG, food, packaging, chemical, pharmaceutical), Scientific (pharmaceutical, biotech, fine chemicals), and Defence & MOD (security-cleared engineering for AWE, Sellafield, Devonport, Faslane and related programmes). Customers are predominantly enterprise-scale employers operating in regulated UK sectors, with service offerings segmented into Source (contingency permanent), Source+ (exclusive permanent with milestone payments), Contract & Temporary recruitment, Project-Based recruitment, and Account Management including Preferred Supply List (PSL) and Managed Agency models. Pricing is transaction-based (placement fees as a percentage of salary or day-rate/hourly mark-ups on contractor payroll), with no publicly disclosed tiers.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction fees on permanent placements and margin on contract/temporary contractor payroll, supplemented by managed services revenue from PSL and Managed Agency engagements. Scantec operates a sales-led go-to-market with dedicated sector-specialist consultants and direct enterprise engagement; it was the first UK recruitment business to sign the FCSA Supply Chain Charter (2017) and holds ISO 9001:2015, Cyber Essentials, Investors in People Gold and APSCo membership. The underlying technology stack is a proprietary candidate database and compliance management system supporting IR35 off-payroll handling and security clearance (CTC, SC, DV, eDV) administration. In 2025 the company converted to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), transferring majority shareholding to employees while Peter Bates continues as Managing Director. FY2025 turnover was £34,467,690 (Modern Slavery Statement) generated by approximately 20 internal employees.

Name

Scantec

Legal name

Scantec Personnel Limited

Website

https://scantec.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Scantec Personnel is a UK specialist recruitment agency placing permanent, contract and temporary engineering, scientific, manufacturing and security-cleared defence staff for enterprise clients across the UK, including AWE, Sellafield and EDF Energy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birkenhead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Recruitment: Contingency-based permanent placement with no placement no fee model for Source. Source+ operates on exclusive engagement with staggered milestone payments.
2. Contract and Temporary Recruitment: Contract staffing with FCSA-accredited payroll partnerships. Handles IR35 determinations and umbrella arrangements for contract engineering, nuclear, and energy placements.
3. Project-Based Recruitment: Bespoke hiring projects combining Source, Source+, and contract hiring products for volume mobilization requirements.
4. Account Management: Managed agency and preferred supplier list services with tiered supply systems, benchmarking, and KPI-based performance management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Scantec is a UK specialist recruitment agency providing permanent, contract and temporary staffing for the engineering, manufacturing, scientific and defence sectors. It delivers hires through dedicated engagement models (Source contingency, Source+ executive search, contract/temporary and project-based hiring) and runs managed agency and Preferred Supplier List programmes for enterprise clients. Service is underpinned by FCSA-accredited payroll, IR35 expertise and deep cleared-candidate databases covering CTC, SC, DV and eDV security levels.

Product overview

Scantec is a recruitment services company offering a portfolio of staffing solutions organized around core service lines (Contract & Temporary Recruitment, Source Permanent, Source+ Executive Search, Project Based Recruitment, and Account Management) and specialized sector divisions (Scantec Engineering, Scantec Manufacturing, Scantec Scientific, and Defence & MOD Recruitment). The company operates as a general staffing platform serving engineering, manufacturing, scientific, defence, and infrastructure sectors with supporting payroll services. The core services provide different engagement models from contingency contract labor to dedicated executive search, while sector divisions specialize in niche vertical expertise with compliance requirements such as security clearance for defence work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scantec Engineering: Engineering recruitment division providing exceptional talent for the UK engineering sector, covering design, management, construction, project controls, IT, and skilled trades.
• Scantec Manufacturing
• Scantec Scientific

Products and services

• Contract & Temporary Recruitment Temporary and contract staffing services supplying engineers, technical specialists, trades and scientific personnel to UK engineering, manufacturing, scientific and defence clients, with IR35 determination, SDS documentation and FCSA-accredited umbrella/CIS payroll arrangements for compliant contractor payment.
• Source (Permanent Recruitment) Contingency-based permanent recruitment service that leverages Scantec's network and candidate database to source active job seekers and passive candidates for permanent engineering, manufacturing, scientific and defence roles on a no-placement, no-fee basis.
• Source+ (Executive Search) Exclusive executive search and dedicated permanent recruitment for business-critical roles, featuring a dedicated consultant, weekly client updates, longlist/shortlist management, headhunting and onboarding support, with staggered milestone-based fees.
• Project Based Recruitment Bespoke multi-hire recruitment projects combining Source, Source+ and contract hiring products for companies needing volume mobilization across engineering, manufacturing or scientific functions within short timeframes.
• Account Management (PSL / Managed Agency) Managed supply partner solutions including Preferred Supply List (PSL), Managed Agency and Alliance models, providing tiered supplier systems, compliance audits, KPI benchmarking and full recruitment process management for enterprise clients.
• Payroll Services FCSA-accredited payroll solutions for contract engagements, including PSC, PAYE, umbrella (via Brookson and Advance) and CIS options, ensuring compliant contractor payment and IR35 administration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces contractor start time from 12-26 weeks (fresh UKSV sponsorship) to 2-4 weeks for candidates with active clearance

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, preferred and flagship.

• FCSA (Freelancer and Contractor Services Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017First UK recruitment business to sign up to the FCSA Supply Chain Charter in 2017. Commitment to working exclusively with FCSA Accredited Members and maintaining tiered approved supplier list (ASL) reviewed annually for validity and service levels.
• Advance Contractor SolutionspreferredChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred supplier on Scantec's Approved Supplier List (ASL) offering FCSA-approved Self Employed, CIS, Umbrella Employment and Limited Company Accountancy services. Only supplier on ASL to offer full suite from outset.
• AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive cleared engineering placements for AWE Aldermaston warhead programmes. Roles range from CTC for site-access to DV for warhead-programme engineering. Ongoing partnership for GCAP fighter programme HQ at Reading.
• SellafieldflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership for Sellafield decommissioning and retrievals programmes. Placing engineering and technical specialists into decommissioning roles with security clearance requirements.
• Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C (EDF Energy)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive recruitment for UK nuclear newbuild programmes. Hinkley Point C approaching peak construction; Sizewell C given green light and gearing up. Demand for cleared engineers, project controls and skilled trades.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SThree: Listed STEM-focused recruiter (Huxley, Real Staffing, Computer Futures brands). Overlaps with Scantec's engineering and scientific contract placement, though at materially greater scale and global footprint.
• Michael Page Engineering: Mid-to-senior permanent recruitment specialist across engineering, manufacturing and technical functions in the UK. Comparable on the permanent Source / Source+ side of Scantec's service mix.
• Morson Group: Larger UK-listed engineering and technical recruitment group with significant nuclear, defence, aerospace and infrastructure exposure. A scaled incumbent operating across most of Scantec's verticals.
• NES Fircroft: Global engineering and technical staffing provider with strong UK presence in oil & gas, nuclear, power and renewables. Comparable in technical contract placement and IR35-compliant umbrella services.
• Hays UK & Ireland: Global recruitment group with a sizable UK life sciences, engineering and manufacturing practice. Comparable on scientific and engineering contract/permanent placements, though operates as a broader incumbent.

Direct peers

• Rullion: UK recruitment firm with a strong nuclear, rail, energy and engineering practice. Direct overlap with Scantec's nuclear newbuild and decommissioning customer base and similar contract/permanent service mix.
• Carbon60: Technical recruitment and workforce solutions provider serving the energy, nuclear, defence and engineering sectors in the UK and internationally. Comparable on cleared engineering and contract staffing model.
• Orion Group: International recruitment and workforce solutions group with UK engineering, manufacturing, energy and marine practice. Comparable on contract recruitment into nuclear and defence-adjacent customers.
• Mane Contract Services: UK technical recruitment specialist with engineering, defence, nuclear and infrastructure exposure. Similar mid-sized specialist profile to Scantec with contract and permanent placement services.
• Matchtech: UK specialist technical recruiter focused on engineering, aerospace, defence, nuclear and infrastructure sectors. Most directly comparable in terms of sector mix, contract/permanent blend and reliance on cleared engineering talent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scantec_recruit
• Facebookfacebook.com/Scantec-Recruitment-329492850463778
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scantec-personnel
• Instagraminstagram.com/you_scantec

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Scantec