John Reilly Civil Engineering

What John Reilly Civil Engineering does

John Reilly Civil Engineering Limited is a UK-based civil engineering and groundworks contractor established in 1986 by three brothers, headquartered in Southampton (Hampshire) with a second regional office in Chorley (Lancashire) opened in 1992. The company delivers a broad portfolio of infrastructure services — roads and sewers for housing developments, full groundworks, shell and core construction, harbours and sea defences, demolition, land remediation, sewage treatment plants, bridges, major highway construction, commercial buildings, and reinforced concrete substructures and superstructures — predominantly for residential developers, with additional public sector and private developer work. It maintains UKAS-accredited ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications at both offices (achieved in 2002 and 2013 respectively), alongside SMAS, CHAS Elite, CQMS, and British Safety Council accreditations, and has accumulated multiple NHBC Pride in the Job awards (including a 2016 Supreme Award) and Health & Safety Sub-Contractor of the Year recognitions.

The business operates on a project-based contract model, preferring to engage at the early design stage to pursue value engineering and 'smarter ways of working', with a stated 'Culture of Partnership' approach to client relationships. Its customer base historically includes most major UK housebuilders (Bellway, Barratt David Wilson, Persimmon, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey, Miller Homes, Countryside Properties, and Barratt Southern Counties are named), complemented by engineering consultants and development managers. The company is 80% owned by employees under an Independent Employee Ownership Trust, with the founding Reilly family retaining 20%, and its management team — drawn largely from long-tenured staff with formal construction qualifications — is structured around regional Managing Directors for the North and South operations.

Name

John Reilly Civil Engineering

Legal name

John Reilly Civil Engineering Limited

Website

https://johnreilly.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

John Reilly Civil Engineering is a UK-based civil engineering and groundworks contractor, founded in 1986, delivering roads, sewers, groundworks, and infrastructure services predominantly to major residential developers across England and Wales via offices in Southampton and Chorley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110), Utility System Construction (2371)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Bridge & Viaduct Construction (IMAFAEAB)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Groundworks contractor
• Roads and sewers construction
• Land remediation services
• Reinforced concrete structures

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Civil Engineering Contract Services: The company generates revenue through civil engineering contracts for private housing developments including construction of roads and sewers, groundworks, shell and core construction, harbours and sea defences, demolition, land remediation, sewage treatment plants, bridges, and waste management solutions. Contracts are project-based with engagement from early design stage through to project completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

John Reilly Civil Engineering is a UK civil engineering and groundworks contractor delivering complex major projects including roads and sewers for private housing developments, groundworks, shell and core construction, harbours and sea defences, demolition, land remediation, sewage treatment plants, bridges, major highway construction, commercial buildings, and reinforced concrete substructures and superstructures. The company predominantly serves housing developers (with most major UK housebuilders historically in its client base) and public sector clients, preferring early design-stage involvement to enable value engineering. It operates from offices in Hampshire (South) and Lancashire (North West) covering the vast majority of the UK.

Product overview

John Reilly Civil Engineering is a civil engineering and construction services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure services. The company operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform with separate modules. Core services include roads and sewers construction for housing developments, groundworks, shell and core construction, harbours and sea defences, demolition, land remediation, sewage treatment plants, bridges, waste management solutions, major highway construction, commercial buildings, and reinforced concrete substructures and superstructures. The company predominantly serves developers in both public and private sectors, working on complex major projects across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roads and Sewers Construction

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Hampshire & District Construction Health & Safety GroupcoreOthersJohn Reilly Civil Engineering is a founder and active supporter of the Hampshire & District Construction Health & Safety Group, demonstrating commitment to improving health and safety standards within the construction industry at the regional level.
• Merseyside & Cheshire Construction Safety GroupcoreOthersJohn Reilly Civil Engineering is a founder and active supporter of the Merseyside & Cheshire Construction Safety Group, contributing to health and safety improvement initiatives in the North West region.
• North West Safety InitiativecoreOthersJohn Reilly Civil Engineering actively supports the North West Safety Initiative, working to improve safety standards within the construction industry in the North West of England.
• Strategic Forum for Construction, Plant Safety GroupcoreOthersJohn Reilly Civil Engineering actively supports this group chaired by the Construction Plant Association, working on plant safety initiatives at the strategic level within the UK construction industry.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bowmer + Kirkland: Privately held UK contractor delivering construction and civil engineering services to residential developers and commercial clients. Comparable in size, ownership structure (private/family-owned), and reliance on housebuilder relationships.
• VolkerFitzpatrick: UK civil engineering and building contractor (part of VolkerWessels) with strong capabilities in roads, bridges, and infrastructure for residential and public-sector clients. Comparable in technical scope and customer overlap.
• Winvic Construction: UK-based construction and civil engineering contractor specialising in roads, sewers, and infrastructure for residential and industrial developers. Closest direct peer to John Reilly given overlapping customer base of major housebuilders and similar mid-market scale.
• McLaren Construction Group: Privately held UK construction and civil engineering group serving residential developers, commercial clients, and infrastructure schemes. Comparable in scale, services, and dependence on housing developer clients.
• Barhale: UK civil engineering contractor focused on infrastructure including roads, sewers, bridges, and utilities. Similar scale and service mix with comparable geographic and customer overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Skanska UK: UK arm of Swedish construction group Skanska, active in roads, bridges, utilities, and building. Comparable civil engineering capabilities and overlap with major UK housebuilder clients, but at significantly larger scale and as part of a global group.
• Kier Group: Large UK infrastructure, construction, and property services group with significant highways, utilities, and residential development exposure. Overlaps with John Reilly in roads, sewers, and groundworks but operates at materially larger scale and broader scope.
• Morgan Sindall Group: UK-listed construction and regeneration group with substantial infrastructure, affordable housing, and fit-out operations. Comparable in civil engineering capabilities and residential customer base, but operates as a much larger, diversified incumbent.
• Balfour Beatty: One of the UK's largest infrastructure groups with operations across highways, rail, utilities, and construction. Touches John Reilly's market in roads and groundworks, but operates at substantially greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Wates Group: Privately held UK construction and property services group delivering residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. Competes with John Reilly for housebuilder frameworks but operates across a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/john-reilly

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 John Reilly Civil Engineering