What Connect Archaeology does

Connect Archaeology LLP is a Scottish-registered joint venture formed by three heritage businesses — AOC, IAC and CFA — to design and deliver heritage services for large, complex infrastructure programmes across Britain and Ireland. The firm offers an end-to-end service portfolio covering consultancy (desk-based assessments, EIAs, public inquiries), field archaeology (watching briefs, evaluations, excavations), built heritage survey and geomatics (including Conservation Management Plans and millimetre-resolution laser scanning), in-house geophysics (magnetometry, resistivity, ground penetrating radar), comprehensive post-excavation analysis (sedimentology, soil micromorphology, dendrochronology, palaeobotany, palynology, faunal analysis, osteoarchaeology, lithics), and conservation laboratory services (artefact conservation, freeze-drying of waterlogged woods, x-radiography).

The firm is structured to bid directly for government and infrastructure prime contracts; it was established with HS2 as the anchor opportunity and counts Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Birse Civils among its disclosed clients. It has completed over 100 transport projects, investigated over 600 km of road networks, excavated more than two million square metres of test trenches, and mobilised teams of up to 380 archaeologists on individual projects.

Commercially, Connect Archaeology operates as a project-based professional services firm, generating revenue through contracts with government agencies, local authorities and construction contractors. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; quotes are scoped per project based on length, team size and services required. The company is headquartered at 1 Old Engine House, Eskmills Park, Musselburgh (company registration SO306033), with a Birmingham office address noted, and maintains an active community archaeology programme (over 50 community projects in five years) alongside its core infrastructure work.

Name

Connect Archaeology

Legal name

Connect Archaeology LLP

Website

https://connectarchaeology.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Connect Archaeology LLP is a joint venture of AOC, IAC and CFA delivering end-to-end heritage archaeology services — consultancy, field excavation, geophysics, built heritage survey, post-excavation analysis and conservation — for large UK and Irish infrastructure programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Archaeology Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Heritage archaeology services
• Field archaeology services
• Built heritage survey
• Geophysical survey services
• Post-excavation analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heritage Services Contracts: Project-based professional services for heritage archaeology on large infrastructure projects. Services include consultancy, field archaeology, geophysics, built heritage survey, post-excavation analysis, and conservation. Revenue is generated through contracts with government agencies and construction companies on projects such as roads, rail, and utilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Connect Archaeology is a joint venture partnership of AOC, IAC and CFA that provides end-to-end heritage archaeology services for large, complex infrastructure programmes. Its offering covers consultancy (desk-based assessments, EIAs, public inquiries), field archaeology (watching briefs, evaluations, excavations), geophysical survey (magnetometry, resistivity, GPR), built heritage and geomatics (Conservation Management Plans, laser scanning), post-excavation analysis (sedimentology, dendrochronology, faunal analysis, artefact conservation) and laboratory conservation (freeze drying, x-radiography).

Product overview

Connect Archaeology is a heritage services partnership formed by AOC, IAC and CFA, offering a unified suite of archaeological and heritage services for large, complex infrastructure projects. The company operates as a services-based business rather than a software product company. Its core portfolio consists of six integrated service lines: Consultancy (desk-based assessments, EIAs, public inquiries), Field Archaeology (watching briefs, evaluations, excavations), Built Heritage, Survey & Geomatics (recording, Conservation Management Plans, laser scanning), Geophysics (magnetometry, resistivity, GPR), Post-excavation (sedimentology, bio-materials analysis, reporting), and Conservation (laboratories, artefact care, freeze drying). These services are delivered together as an end-to-end heritage package to infrastructure clients such as HS2.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 transport projects completed across multiple countries
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AOC (Archaeology Occasions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three heritage businesses that joined together to form Connect Archaeology LLP. AOC brings heritage expertise to the joint venture for bidding on large infrastructure projects such as HS2.
• IAC (Irish Archaeological Consultancy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three heritage businesses that joined together to form Connect Archaeology LLP. IAC contributes to the combined expertise for heritage services across Britain and Ireland.
• CFA (CFA Archaeology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three heritage businesses that joined together to form Connect Archaeology LLP. CFA completes the joint venture partnership for heritage archaeology services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global engineering and design consultancy with a heritage, environment and cultural resources practice that competes for infrastructure heritage packages. Overlaps with Connect Archaeology on large infrastructure tenders but operates at much broader scale and as part of a multi-discipline portfolio.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with heritage, environment and planning capabilities supporting major UK and European infrastructure programmes. Competes with Connect Archaeology on large, multidisciplinary infrastructure bids but as part of a wider design and engineering portfolio.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with heritage and archaeology capabilities embedded in its environment and infrastructure practices. Comparable as a competitor for large infrastructure heritage contracts but with a much broader service portfolio than Connect Archaeology.
• RPS Group: UK-listed consulting firm with an established environment and heritage practice supporting infrastructure, planning and development clients. Comparable to Connect Archaeology on heritage inputs to UK infrastructure projects, though delivered as part of a broader environmental and planning portfolio.

Direct peers

• Wessex Archaeology: One of the largest UK heritage consultancies, offering consultancy, field archaeology, post-excavation and built heritage services to infrastructure and development clients. Directly comparable to Connect Archaeology in service mix, customer segments and project scale across UK transport and utilities programmes.
• Oxford Archaeology: Long-established UK heritage organisation providing consultancy, fieldwork, post-excavation and publication services across infrastructure, planning and research clients. Closely comparable to Connect Archaeology on full-lifecycle heritage services and academic/scientific depth.
• Cotswold Archaeology: Major UK heritage consultancy delivering field archaeology, post-excavation analysis and heritage advice to infrastructure, housing and development projects. Directly comparable to Connect Archaeology on service breadth, public-sector client base and large-project delivery capability.
• Archaeology Wales: Welsh heritage consultancy delivering fieldwork, post-excavation and heritage services across infrastructure and development schemes. Comparable to Connect Archaeology as a UK regional heritage practice competing for infrastructure tenders, though smaller in scale.
• Headland Archaeology: UK and Ireland heritage consultancy providing field archaeology, post-excavation and heritage advice to infrastructure, energy and development clients. Comparable to Connect Archaeology on UK/Ireland geographic focus and infrastructure-led service mix.
• MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology): Major UK archaeology and heritage practice working on large infrastructure and development projects in London and beyond. Directly comparable to Connect Archaeology on infrastructure-led project scale, post-excavation science and built heritage services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connect-archaeology

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 Connect Archaeology