What OHL ZS does

OHLA ŽS, a.s. is a privately held Czech civil engineering and construction company headquartered in Brno, founded in 1952 and operating as a subsidiary of the multinational OHLA Group. The company delivers comprehensive infrastructure and building construction services through six specialized production divisions covering West Czechia, East Czechia, Slovakia, Roads, Technology, and Railways. Its service portfolio spans engineering structures (bridges, viaducts), underground construction, building construction (civil, healthcare, public, institutional), road and highway construction, water management works, and rail electrification/technological installations. Notable technical work includes bridge engineering featured in the Czech National Report on Structural Concrete 2022-2025 and the first design-executed photovoltaic facade in the Czech Republic, delivered at the FNOL P4 oncology pavilion in 2025.

The business model is project-based revenue derived primarily from Czech public procurement tenders, with the largest disclosed contract being the I/42 Brno VMO Tomkovo náměstí and Rokytova urban ring road section valued at 2.812 billion CZK, executed via a consortium with FIRESTA-Fišer and Metrostav DIZ. Customers are predominantly government bodies including Ředitelství silnic a dálnic ČR, Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc, and municipal clients, with private-sector work as a secondary segment. Go-to-market is event-driven through public tenders and direct client engagement on negotiated projects, supplemented by consortium arrangements on the largest works.

OHLA ŽS operates two geographic markets (Czech Republic and Slovakia) and has been confirmed in second place in the authorized RABF quality rating for 2021-2025 and second in the cumulative 15-year RABF ranking, providing a recognized quality signal in Czech public procurement. The firm maintains active corporate communications through trade press, a corporate magazine, conference participation (including the 2026 fib World Congress in Lisbon), and a partnership with VUT Brno for civil engineering talent pipeline.

Name

OHL ZS

Legal name

OHLA ŽS, a.s.

Website

https://ohla-zs.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

OHLA ŽS is a Brno-based Czech civil engineering contractor and OHLA Group subsidiary delivering roads, railways, bridges, buildings, water management, and technology installations through six specialized divisions, primarily serving public-sector clients in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Construction

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

O&M, Upgrades & Refurbishment of T&D Assets (Reconductoring, Rebuilds) (IMAFAHAM)

Keywords

• Civil engineering construction
• Transport infrastructure construction
• Road and railway construction
• Building construction services
• Water management structures

Headquarters

HQ city

Brno

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: OHLA ŽS generates revenue through the comprehensive delivery of construction projects including transport infrastructure (roads, railways, bridges), building construction (civil, healthcare, public), underground construction, and water management facilities. Revenue is project-based, derived from public procurement contracts and direct client commissions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OHLA ŽS is a multidisciplinary Czech construction company delivering comprehensive construction, modernization, maintenance, and reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure. It operates six specialized production divisions (West, East, Slovakia, Roads, Technology, Railways) covering engineering structures, underground works, building construction, road construction, technological/energy installations, water management structures, and railway construction.

Product overview

OHL ZS is a multi-disciplinary Czech construction company offering a comprehensive portfolio of construction services through six specialized divisions: West Division, East Division, Slovakia Division, Roads Division, Technology Division, and Railway Division. The company specializes in engineering structures, underground construction, building construction, road construction, water management structures, and railway construction. Projects include major infrastructure works such as the Brno city ring road, railway station reconstructions, bridge construction, and healthcare facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Structures (Inženýrské stavby) Complex engineering construction services including bridges, tunnels, and specialized structural works for government, municipal, and institutional clients.
• Underground Construction (Podzemní stavitelství) Underground construction services including tunnel excavation and subterranean infrastructure development for transport and utility projects.
• Building Construction (Pozemní stavitelství) Building construction services including residential, commercial, healthcare (e.g., FNOL oncology pavilion), public administration buildings, and community facilities such as the Dolany sokolovna.
• Road Construction (Silniční stavitelství) Road and highway construction services including modern urban roads, highway sections (e.g., Brno I/42 VMO ring road, 2.812 billion CZK), and secondary road projects (e.g., II/487 Hovězí–Huslenky).
• Technology and Energy Construction (Technologie) Technology and energy construction services including traction power supply stations (e.g., TNS Říkovice), technological installations for buildings, and innovative elements such as the first design photovoltaic facade in the Czech Republic at FNOL.
• Water Management Structures (Vodohospodářské stavby) Water management construction including flood protection measures and hydraulic engineering works, such as nature-based flood protection measures on the Desná river.
• Railway Construction (Železniční stavitelství)

Quantifiable outcome

• Second place in RABF authorized quality rating for years 2021-2025, based on results from 40 independent expert juries and 200 jurors.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Himalájský patron (Brontosauři v Himalájích)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026OHLA ŽS is a partner in the jugaad project organized by the nonprofit Himalájský patron. The project brings together local builders and Brno (VUT) civil engineering students to construct children's playgrounds in Nepal. OHLA ŽS supports the initiative as part of its CSR and talent development strategy. Budget per playground is 80,000 CZK.
• VUT v Brně (FAST)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Faculty of Civil Engineering (FAST) at Brno University of Technology participates in the jugaad project alongside OHLA ŽS and Himalájský patron. Students collaborate with local Nepali builders on constructing playgrounds in remote Himalayan villages.
• FIRESTA - Fišer, a.s.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOHLA ŽS formed a joint venture consortium with FIRESTA - Fišer, a.s. and Metrostav DIZ, a.s. for the I/42 Brno VMO Tomkovo náměstí and Rokytova project (total value 2.812 billion CZK). Each partner contributed to different aspects of this major urban highway construction.
• Metrostav DIZ, a.s.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPart of the construction consortium for the I/42 Brno VMO project, working alongside OHLA ŽS and FIRESTA - Fišer.
• OHLA GroupcoreOthersOHLA ŽS is a member of the international OHLA Group (formerly known as Obrascón Huarte Lain), a global construction group with operations spanning multiple countries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Porr: Austrian construction major with operations across CEE including Czech Republic and Slovakia. Competes with OHLA ŽS in transport infrastructure, building construction, and civil engineering projects.
• Skanska: Swedish-based global construction and development company with Czech operations. Competes with OHLA ŽS in commercial building, transport infrastructure, and public-sector construction tenders.
• Swietelsky: Austrian construction company with significant Czech operations across rail, road, and building construction. Competes with OHLA ŽS in transport infrastructure and public-sector tenders in Czechia and Slovakia.
• Hochtief: German-based global construction company (subsidiary of Spain's ACS Group). Operates across CEE including Czech and Slovak markets, competing in transport infrastructure and large-scale public construction.
• Strabag: Austrian-based European construction services major with substantial Czech and Slovak operations. Competes directly with OHLA ŽS in transport infrastructure, building construction, and civil engineering tenders across CEE.

Direct peers

• Metrostav: Czech Republic's largest construction company, operating across transport infrastructure, building construction, and underground works. Direct competitor to OHLA ŽS in Czech public procurement and a current consortium partner on the Brno ring road project.
• Subterra: Czech construction company specialized in underground construction, tunneling, and civil engineering. Direct competitor to OHLA ŽS's Underground Construction division in Czech infrastructure projects.
• Eurovia CS: Czech subsidiary of France's VINCI Group, specialized in road construction and transport infrastructure. Direct competitor to OHLA ŽS's Roads division in Czech highway and urban road tenders.
• Colas CZ: Czech subsidiary of France's Colas Group (Bouygues), specialized in road construction and maintenance. Direct competitor to OHLA ŽS's Roads division in Czech transportation tenders.
• FIRESTA-Fišer: Czech construction company specialized in transport infrastructure, particularly roads and bridges. Direct competitor in Czech public procurement and a current JV partner with OHLA ŽS on the Brno ring road consortium.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BrontosaurivHimalajich
• Instagraminstagram.com/himalajskypatron

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 OHL ZS