Complete Utilities

What Complete Utilities does

Complete Utilities is a UK-based, privately held utility infrastructure services contractor founded in 1999 by Steve Chaplin, currently operating with approximately 320 employees and a fleet of over 150 excavators from its headquarters at Overton Farm near Gloucester. The company delivers design, build, operation, and maintenance services across four end-markets — civil engineering, water, fibre and communications, and power networks — with additional adjacent offerings in specialist plant hire, traffic management, reinstatement, and aggregate supply through its in-house wash plant.

Its core technical proposition centres on vertically integrated, in-house delivery using proprietary narrow trenching machinery (70mm cut width) combined with rapid reinstatement, which the company states delivers fibre and utility networks 30% faster and 30% cheaper than traditional methods. Capabilities span horizontal directional drilling, trenchless installation (moleploughs, slip-lining, pipe-bursting), civils construction, fibre splicing, testing and commissioning, and 24-hour fault response. The wash plant, the only one in Gloucestershire and surrounding counties, recycles 100% of excavated material into Type 1 aggregate under the WRAP Quality Protocol with zero waste to landfill, and provides an environmental compliance differentiator.

Complete Utilities generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts — open book, design and build, and full turnkey — sold directly to enterprise utility clients (Severn Trent Water, Western Power Distribution, Bristol Water, Gigaclear, the Environment Agency, Amey) and via framework agreements, partnerships, and alliances. Services are typically delivered under multi-year contracts, with the £90m Gigaclear FTTH contract (2017) representing the most significant disclosed engagement. The company is accredited to ISO 9001, 14001, 18001, and 27001 and is pre-qualified under Achilles, NJUG, and Safe Contractor schemes. Geographic reach centres on the East and West Midlands and South West England, with the fibre division extending nationally on Broadband UK rollouts.

Name

Complete Utilities

Legal name

Complete Utilities Ltd

Website

https://completeutilities.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Complete Utilities is a UK-based utility infrastructure services contractor installing, upgrading, and maintaining fibre, water, power, and civils networks for enterprise clients including Gigaclear, Severn Trent Water, and Western Power Distribution, using in-house narrow trenching technology across the Midlands and South West.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Utility Infrastructure Services: Design, build, operations and maintenance services across utility sectors including Telecoms, Water, Power Networks, Civil Engineering, Specialist Plant Hire, and Support Services. Operates under various contract forms including open book, design and build, and full turnkey contracts. Also works in frameworks, partnerships and alliances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Complete Utilities provides design, build, operations and maintenance services for critical UK infrastructure across Telecoms, Water, Power Networks, Civil Engineering, Specialist Plant Hire, and Support Services sectors. The company owns all delivery capabilities in-house — directional drilling, trenching and trenchless excavation, fibre splicing and commissioning, reinstatement, plant hire, aggregate supply and recycling, and traffic management — without relying on subcontractors. Services are delivered under open book, design and build, and full turnkey contracts.

Product overview

Complete Utilities is a specialist utilities infrastructure services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated services. The company operates across four main sectors: Civil Engineering, Water, Fibre & Communications, and Power. Its service offerings include Directional Drilling, Fibre Optic (jointing/splicing), Trenching & Trenchless Services, Reinstatement, Aggregate & Washplant, Plant Hire, and Traffic Management. The company owns over 150 excavators and employs 320 people. Services are delivered as a one-stop shop model with full ownership and no reliance on subcontractors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Directional Drilling Horizontal directional drilling and trenchless technology service using cutting edge machinery to deliver utility installation projects on time and on budget, specialising in tight spaces and difficult ground conditions for utility network operators.
• Fibre Optic Splicing & Commissioning Complete fibre splicing, jointing, testing and commissioning services delivered alongside network partners for future-proof fibre network build, including planning, mapping, design, sub-ducting and cable installation for FTTH/FTTP programmes.
• Trenching & Trenchless Services Trenching and trenchless excavation services using advanced trenchers, moleploughs and directional drills for utilities and construction industries, including in-house designed trenching attachments and narrow trenching machines (70mm width) for 30% faster and 30% cheaper delivery.
• Reinstatement Services Reinstatement works delivered across the UK including bitmacadam, asphalt surfacing, block paving, kerb laying, concreting, lining, and anti-skid treatments for commercial, local authority and domestic customers, positioned as one of the biggest reinstatement companies in the South West.
• Aggregate & Washplant Recycling Environmentally-focused aggregate recycling service featuring the only wash plant in Gloucestershire and surrounding counties, producing high quality type 1 aggregate with 100% waste recycled under the WRAP Quality Protocol and zero waste to landfill.
• Plant Hire Large fleet of plant items available for hire, including over 150 excavators and specialist equipment (trenchers, moleploughs, directional drills), provided to construction and utility sector clients across the UK.
• Traffic Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% faster and 30% cheaper network delivery through dual technology (narrow trenching + rapid reinstatement)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• GigaclearflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Complete Utilities has a strategic partnership with Gigaclear for fibre-to-home network delivery. Awarded major £90m fibre-to-home project in 2017. Previously completed BDUK project phase. Currently delivering approximately 60km of fibre infrastructure per month. Partnership extended to strengthen Fastershire broadband rollout in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, with Complete Utilities providing innovative construction methods for efficient delivery with minimal community disruption.
• Environment AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on flood alleviation projects including comprehensive scheme at Moreton in Marsh completed in Summer 2017. Worked alongside Councils and Environment Agency to provide flood protection, environmental protection, safety and value for money for community protection.
• Severn Trent WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for water network delivery including mains rehabilitation, upgrades, connections and maintenance. Water team received recognition with Electro Fusion Welder of the Month awards for 100% compliance rates. Projects include Cookhill clean water mains renewal and Crabbs Cross installation works.
• Western Power DistributioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong history of partnership delivering power infrastructure projects across South West and Midlands regions. Services include new connections, 24hr fault cover, street lighting, substation work, and large HV undergrounding schemes. Also supports renewable energy sector including solar and wind farm connections.
• Bristol WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for water network delivery across South West and Midlands. Complete Utilities delivers large diameter schemes for Bristol Water network including installation, repair and maintenance using trenchless technology methods.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• McNicholas Construction: McNicholas is a UK utility infrastructure contractor delivering water, gas, and electricity network construction, renewal, and maintenance — a closely comparable niche peer in multi-utility contracting for network operators.
• J. Murphy & Sons: Murphy Group delivers utility infrastructure (water, power, gas, telecoms) and civil engineering across the UK, with a multi-vertical contracting model and in-house plant fleet closely mirroring Complete Utilities' integrated service approach.
• Clancy Docwra: Clancy Docwra is a UK utility infrastructure contractor providing trenching, directional drilling, and network installation services to water, gas, electric, and telecom clients — directly comparable in service offering and customer profile to Complete Utilities.
• Morrison Utility Services: Morrison Utility Services is one of the UK's largest utility infrastructure contractors, delivering water, gas, electricity, and telecoms network construction and maintenance directly to network operators — a closely matching business model to Complete Utilities across the same end-customer base.
• Ipsum Group: Ipsum Group (formerly incorporating May Gurney) provides utility infrastructure services across water, gas, and electricity networks in the UK, with trenchless installation and civils capabilities directly comparable to Complete Utilities' offering.
• Network Plus: Network Plus provides multi-utility infrastructure services (water, gas, electricity, telecoms) to network operators across the UK, with comparable trenchless technology capabilities and a similar regional/national contracting model.

Broad incumbents

• Balfour Beatty: Balfour Beatty is a major UK infrastructure group operating across rail, road, utilities, and energy — its utility infrastructure division competes for the same water, power, and telecoms framework contracts that anchor Complete Utilities' revenue.
• Kier Group: Kier Group operates infrastructure services across utilities, highways, and construction in the UK, with utility networks (water, power, gas) as a core segment competing for the same framework agreements as Complete Utilities.
• Skanska UK: Skanska UK is a major infrastructure contractor delivering utility, road, and rail projects in the UK — its utilities operations compete for water and power contracts with the same network-operator clients served by Complete Utilities.
• Costain Group: Costain is a leading UK infrastructure solutions provider with a significant water, energy, and transport portfolio — overlapping directly with Complete Utilities' water and power network delivery segments.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/computilities
• Facebookfacebook.com/completeutilitiesUK

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Complete Utilities