Knapp Hicks

What Knapp Hicks does

Knapp Hicks and Partners Ltd. is a UK-based, partner-owned consulting engineering firm established in 1966, operating from four regional offices (London/Brentford HQ, Ashford in the South East, Tamworth in the Midlands, and Ossett in the North). The firm delivers structural, civil, and geotechnical engineering services to public and private clients across six market verticals: commercial and industrial, education, healthcare, historic buildings, residential, and retail. Its service portfolio spans the full project lifecycle from feasibility studies and site investigations through detailed design to construction supervision, supplemented by BIM implementation (Autodesk Revit), CDM 2015 Principal Designer services, and drone-based surveying for geotechnical and contamination work. The firm states it has delivered more than 30,000 projects to date and employs 50+ staff, with all senior personnel holding at least twenty years' specialist experience. It holds ISO 9001 quality management accreditation and SMAS Worksafe membership, and operates two adjacent entities: wholly-owned subsidiary KH Asbestos Investigations Ltd (asbestos consultancy and training) and jointly-controlled joint venture Ellipta (technical solutions for the insurance industry). Revenue is project-based, quote-driven professional services income; pricing is not publicly disclosed and no financial figures are available.

Name

Knapp Hicks

Legal name

Knapp Hicks and Partners Ltd.

Website

https://knapphicks.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knapp Hicks is a UK partner-owned consulting engineering firm, established 1966, delivering structural, civil, and geotechnical engineering across commercial, education, healthcare, heritage, residential, and retail sectors from four regional offices with 50+ staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consultancy Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Structural engineering consultancy
• Civil engineering services
• Geotechnical engineering
• Building information modeling
• Construction design consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Project-based consulting fees for structural engineering, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, and other specialist engineering services. Revenue generated through professional service engagements from initial feasibility through to construction supervision.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Knapp Hicks is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm delivering Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, BIM, Principal Designer (CDM 2015) and Asbestos Consultancy services to clients across commercial, industrial, education, healthcare, historic buildings, residential, and retail sectors in the UK. Engagements span feasibility, design, and construction supervision, with an asbestos-investigations subsidiary and an insurance-sector joint venture (Ellipta) extending the offering.

Product overview

Knapp Hicks is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm established in 1966, offering a unified portfolio of engineering consultancy services. The core offering comprises Structural Engineering (the primary business), Civil Engineering, and Geotechnical Engineering services. These are supplemented by specialist services including BIM (Building Information Modeling), Principal Designer (CDM 2015 compliance), and Asbestos Consultants & Training delivered through subsidiary KH Asbestos Investigations Ltd. A separate joint venture company, Ellipta, provides technical solutions specifically for the insurance industry. The firm operates across six market sectors: Commercial & Industrial, Education, Healthcare, Historic Buildings, Residential, and Retail. Over 50 staff serve clients throughout the UK, having delivered over 30,000 projects to date.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Engineering Services Core structural design services covering multi-million pound new builds, refurbishments, domestic extensions and alterations across major structures, residential, commercial, health & education, industrial development, and structural surveys.
• Civil Engineering Services Complete civil engineering consultancy for new and existing developments, including design of major infrastructure and highway schemes, residential/commercial/industrial development schemes, SUDS schemes, and full CCTV drainage reports and surveys.
• Geotechnical Engineering Services Geotechnical and geo-environmental solutions including desk studies, site investigations, soakage tests to BRE 365, site appraisals, remediation strategies, foundation inspections, basement impact assessments, and contamination remediation.
• KH Asbestos Investigations (Asbestos Consultants & Training) Subsidiary company providing independent asbestos consultancy: management surveys, refurbishment/demolition surveys, asbestos sampling, evaluation of contaminated land, management plans, audits, and Category A asbestos awareness training.
• BIM (Building Information Modeling) Building Information Modeling services using Autodesk Revit for collaborative design, planning, and documentation, supporting improved stakeholder collaboration and providing building models for future asset management.
• Principal Designer Services CDM 2015 Principal Designer role providing pre-construction phase management, risk identification, and project safety coordination with technical knowledge of the construction industry.
• Ellipta (Insurance Industry Solutions) Joint venture company providing technical solutions to the insurance industry, including insurance-funded property reinstatement services and building surveying.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ projects successfully delivered to clients throughout the UK
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ElliptacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture company providing technical solutions to the insurance industry. Ellipta complements Knapp Hicks' consulting engineering services by offering specialized services to the insurance sector.
• KH Asbestos Investigations LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company providing independent, cost effective solutions for all asbestos issues including management surveys, refurbishment/demolition surveys, asbestos sampling, evaluation of contaminated land, and asbestos awareness training.
• Kent County CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecently approved section 278 consultants for Kent County Council, able to carry out all associated highway work including design and technical approval.
• Chartway Group LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for geotechnical projects employing Cone Penetration Testing to confirm geotechnical properties of deep fills for house foundation design in North Kent.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Curtins: UK-based multi-disciplinary structural and civil engineering consultancy of comparable size, operating across commercial, education, residential, and heritage sectors with a similar regional office model.
• Price & Myers: London-headquartered consulting structural and civil engineers serving residential, commercial, education, and heritage sectors with a similar boutique-to-mid-sized firm profile.
• Cundall: Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy offering structural, civil, geotechnical and BIM services with multiple UK offices and a comparable mid-sized professional-services delivery model.
• Walsh Associates: UK structural and civil engineering consultancy serving education, residential, healthcare, and commercial clients, with similar multi-office regional delivery.
• Waterman Group: UK structural, civil, and infrastructure engineering consultancy providing design services across property and development sectors with comparable multi-office regional coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering, design, and consulting firm operating across structural, civil, geotechnical, and advisory services; competes for the same UK building and infrastructure projects at the larger end of the market.
• Buro Happold: Large international engineering consultancy delivering structural, civil, geotechnical, and sustainability services with a much broader portfolio and global reach than Knapp Hicks.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy covering structural, civil, and geotechnical services; a typical prime consultant on UK public-sector frameworks.
• RPS Group: UK-listed professional services firm providing engineering, environmental, and geotechnical consulting across property and infrastructure markets, overlapping with Knapp Hicks' service lines at larger scale.

Others

• Ellipta: Joint-venture company between Knapp Hicks and a partner providing technical building-surveying and insurance-funded reinstatement services; an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/knapp_hicks
• Facebookfacebook.com/KnappHicks

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Knapp Hicks