What AA Projects does

Drees & Sommer UK Limited, operating commercially as Drees & Sommer UK (formerly Johnston Houston) and historically referenced as AA Projects, is the UK subsidiary of Drees & Sommer, a European market leader in strategic advice and service activation for the built environment. The firm operates from a registered office in Sale, Manchester, with 12 named UK locations across Manchester, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Ashford, Belfast, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Oxford, sitting within a wider group of 59 offices and 5,100 people worldwide. Its offering is a 12-line integrated services portfolio covering building surveying, cost management, mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) engineering, project management, strategic management, facilities management, sustainability, net zero carbon, green building solutions, circular economy, health and safety, and heat networks.

The firm is structured around a partner-managed delivery model, is regulated by RICS, holds Cyber Essentials and Investor In People accreditations, and is recognised as a Building Magazine Top 50 Employer. In 2025 the UK entity completed the acquisition of RSP Consulting Engineers LLP to extend engineering capacity, rebranded from Johnston Houston to Drees & Sommer UK, and was appointed to the Crown Commercial Service RM6343 Estate Management Services 2 framework (Lots 4, 8a, 8b) and approved as a supplier on the NHS Shared Business Services framework, materially expanding its UK public-sector reach. Named reference engagements include the UK Parliament MEPFS Programme, the pRED Research Center in Basel, and the Russells Hall Hospital resuscitation facilities project.

The business operates a professional services revenue model, monetising through project-based engagements, framework agreements, and advisory mandates across 16 verticals that include Healthcare, Central and Local Government, Higher Education, Affordable Housing, Property Companies, Industrial and Logistics, Office, Automotive, Care, Culture and Sport, Data Centres, Further Education, Hospitality, Private Residential, Retail, and Schools and Academies. GTM is enterprise field sales via the partner-managed UK regional office network, with distribution augmented by public-sector framework access and thought-leadership marketing through industry events, community programmes such as Regeneration Brainery, and an active social presence on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Name

AA Projects

Legal name

Drees & Sommer UK Limited

Website

https://aaprojects.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Drees & Sommer UK (formerly AA Projects / Johnston Houston) is the UK arm of European built-environment consultancy Drees & Sommer, delivering integrated building surveying, cost management, MEP engineering, project management, and sustainability advisory across 16 sectors via a partner-managed 12-office UK network and public-sector frameworks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction and Built Environment Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Permitting Compliance During Construction (Erosion Control, Wildlife Mitigation, Monitoring) (EUAMAFAM)

Keywords

• Building surveying services
• Cost management consulting
• Project management consulting
• MEP engineering consulting
• Sustainability advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Sale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Revenue generated through providing strategic advisory, project management, building surveying, cost management, MEP engineering, sustainability consulting, and other professional services to clients across multiple sectors of the built environment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AA Projects operates as a management and property consultancy delivering professional services for the built environment. The firm provides twelve service lines spanning building surveying, cost management, project management, MEP engineering, facilities management, sustainability, and net zero carbon advisory. It serves clients across healthcare, government, higher education, and property sectors via seven regional UK offices.

Product overview

Drees & Sommer (referenced in context of AA Projects) operates as a professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of consultancy services for the built environment. The core offering consists of twelve integrated service lines spanning building surveying, mechanical/electrical engineering, sustainability, project management, and strategic advisory. These services are delivered across multiple sectors including healthcare, education, government, commercial real estate, and industrial/logistics. The company provides end-to-end support from strategic planning through project delivery and facilities management, positioning itself as a partner-managed team of 5,100 people across 59 offices worldwide with seven UK regional offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Surveying Professional building surveying services covering condition surveys, dilapidations, and technical due diligence for property owners and occupiers.

Named customers3 records

Segments16 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crown Commercial Service (CCS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAppointed to Crown Commercial Service (CCS) RM6343 Estate Management Services 2 framework, securing places on Lot 4 Surveying and Strategic Advice, Lot 8a PFI Technical and Strategic Advice Services and Lot 8b PFI Surveying Services.
• NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved supplier through NHS SBS framework agreement for estate management and related services.
• RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)minorOthersRICS HQ hosts Regeneration Brainery events; professional standards and accreditation alignment.
• Regeneration BraineryminorOthersCommunity initiative supporting young people entering the built environment profession, delivered at RICS HQ and UK Parliament.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with significant UK presence across project management, cost consulting, and sustainability — a broader incumbent offering overlapping services to AA Projects' built environment clients.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy with a strong UK built environment practice across cost management, project management, and sustainability advisory — overlapping with AA Projects' service portfolio but operating at a much larger scale across multiple geographies.
• WSP: Global engineering and professional services firm with significant UK built environment consulting practice across property, infrastructure, and sustainability — broader incumbent with comparable advisory and engineering services.
• Mott MacDonald: Major UK-headquartered engineering and project management consultancy with deep public sector and built environment credentials, directly comparable to AA Projects on project management, cost consultancy, and infrastructure advisory — though broader in sector and scale.

Direct peers

• Turner & Townsend: Global cost management, project management, and program advisory firm, with a strong UK public sector practice including NHS and central government framework positions — directly comparable to AA Projects' cost management, project management, and surveying services and shared client base.
• Pick Everard: UK-based consultancy offering cost management, project management, building surveying, and MEP engineering to public sector clients including NHS, education, and government — closely comparable in service mix and UK public sector focus to AA Projects.
• Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB): International cost management and construction consultancy with established UK operations — directly comparable on cost management, project management, and building surveying service lines serving UK real estate and public sector clients.
• Currie & Brown: UK-headquartered cost management and project management consultancy with strong public sector exposure — closely comparable in service mix (cost management, project management, building surveying) and UK-centric client base.
• Faithful+Gould (Gleeds subsidiary): UK-based project management and cost consultancy within Gleeds, with strong public sector and NHS exposure — directly comparable on cost management, PM, and surveying services to public sector clients.

Emerging players

• Buro Happold: UK-origin international engineering consultancy with strong building services (MEP) credentials — overlapping with AA Projects' MEP engineering, sustainability, and building surveying service lines, particularly in healthcare and higher education projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AAProjectsLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aa-projects

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 AA Projects