Compass Building & Construction Services

What Compass Building & Construction Services does

Compass Building and Construction Services Ltd is a Scottish general contractor headquartered in Inverness, founded in March 2009 by Thom Macleod and others. The company delivers construction projects across the Highlands and Islands, operating in seven key sectors: commercial, education, leisure and lifestyle, community, affordable housing, private housing, and produce and hospitality. As of FY2022/23 it generated turnover of £39,943,809 with PBT of £2,654,451 (6.6% margin, up from 4.2% the prior year), directly employing 171 staff. Compass has delivered more than 1,000 affordable homes across 32 communities since 2012 and is the first builder in a generation to bring volume private house building to Wester Ross, Lochalsh and Skye.

The firm's operational model is built on directly employed multi-trade labour, covering bricklayers, joiners, plasterers, tilers, roughcasters and ground workers. Specialist plumbing, heating, electrical and renewable technology services are delivered through sister company Orbis Services Ltd (£5.2M FY2022/23 turnover), enabling integrated delivery. Technical differentiation includes fabric-first construction, air source heat pumps, photovoltaic generation, and energy-efficient housing design. Notable projects include the £4.5m Haven Centre for the Elsie Normington Foundation, the £5.5m Dundreggan Rewilding Centre for Trees for Life, the Merchant House restoration, multi-phase Whyte and Mackay maturation warehouses circa £10m, and a £12.5m 43-unit Cromlet Park affordable housing contract.

Compass operates an employee-owned, project-based business model. Revenue is generated through competitive tendering and framework agreement contracts, with positions held on Scottish Procurement Alliance frameworks (RM3 Refurbishment and Modernisation up to £100m, H2 Housing Construction, PB3 Public Buildings). Customers span local authorities (notably The Highland Council as primary client), Registered Social Landlords, private housing buyers, distillers, hospitality operators, and third-sector organisations. The firm holds ISO 9001/14001/45001, Constructionline Gold, CHAS, SafeContractor, SSIP and Living Wage Employer accreditations, supporting public sector pre-qualification and repeat tender eligibility.

Name

Compass Building & Construction Services

Legal name

Compass Building and Construction Services Ltd

Website

https://compassbuild.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inverness-headquartered general contractor founded in 2009 delivering affordable housing, private housing, commercial, education, community, and industrial construction across the Scottish Highlands and Islands, with £39.9m FY2022/23 turnover and integrated multi-trade delivery via sister company Orbis Services Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Construction Contract Revenue: Compass Building generates revenue through construction contracts with public sector clients (Highland Council, housing associations), private developers, and individual clients. FY2022/23 turnover was £39,943,809. Sister company Orbis Services Ltd generated £5,248,988 in turnover. Revenue comes from both new build construction and refurbishment/modernisation works across sectors including housing, education, community facilities, and hospitality.
2. Private Housing Sales: The company develops and sells private housing units directly to consumers through their private housing division. Examples include developments at Borlum Meadows (Drumnadrochit) with 37 units, Glenfield Park (Ullapool) with 15 units, and Swordale Grove (Evanton) with 8 units.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Compass Building and Construction Services Ltd is a Scottish general contractor delivering new-build, refurbishment, and modernisation projects through two divisions: a Building Services division covering affordable housing, private housing, commercial, education, community, leisure/lifestyle, and produce/hospitality sectors; and a Specialist Works division handling minor works, insurance works, reactive/planned maintenance, and one-off bespoke builds. The company operates an in-house multi-trade workforce and integrates plumbing, heating, electrical, and renewable technology services through sister company Orbis Services Ltd.

Product overview

Compass Building & Construction Services Ltd is a construction company formed in March 2009, structured into two distinct divisions: Specialist Works Department and Building Services. The Building Services division operates across 7 key areas: Commercial, Leisure and Lifestyle, Community, Affordable Housing, Private Housing, and Produce and Hospitality. The company delivers projects ranging from minor maintenance to major new build construction, often working in partnership with sister company Orbis Services Ltd for specialist plumbing, heating, electrical, and renewable installations. Projects span affordable housing for The Highland Council and housing associations, private housing developments, community facilities, educational establishments, commercial/industrial facilities, and hospitality venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Services (mainstream construction) Compass's main construction division delivering new-build, refurbishment, and modernisation projects across commercial, education, leisure, community, affordable housing, private housing, and produce/hospitality sectors for public bodies, housing associations, RSLs, commercial clients, and private buyers; employs bricklayers, joiners, plasterers, tilers, roughcasters, ground workers and general operatives.
• Specialist Works Department Specialist works division delivering minor works, insurance works, reactive and planned maintenance, refurbishment/modernisation/extensions, and one-off bespoke builds for public and private sector clients, with particular focus on education establishments and framework clients.
• Affordable Housing Construction Delivery of affordable housing throughout the Highlands and Islands for Registered Social Landlords, community companies, and The Highland Council, including social rent and mixed-tenure schemes, supporting the Highland Housing Challenge.
• Private Housing Development New-build private housing developments marketed directly to consumers through compassbuild.co.uk with dedicated sales team handling Available Now and Coming Soon listings; developments include Borlum Meadows (Drumnadrochit, 37 units), Glenfield Park (Ullapool, 15 units), Swordale Grove (Evanton, 8 units), and Kinellan (Strathpeffer).
• Community Construction Construction of community hubs, village halls, rewilding centres, and inclusive facilities for community companies, charitable trusts, and third-sector organisations across the Highlands and Islands.
• Education Sector Construction Modernisation, refurbishment, and new-build construction for primary and other schools for education establishments and councils, delivering updated facilities that meet the specified needs of pupils, teachers, and support staff.
• Commercial Construction Commercial construction services from corporate headquarters to industrial units in new build, modernisation, or repurposing forms for businesses and industrial operators.
• Produce and Hospitality Construction Construction services for natural resource, produce, and tourism businesses including whisky maturation warehouses (e.g. Whyte and Mackay Invergordon, ~£10.0M Phase 1A) and hotel refurbishments (Plockton Inn, Royal Marine Hotel Brora).
• Orbis Services Multi-Trade Delivery (plumbing, heating, electrical, renewables) Plumbing, heating, electrical, and renewable technology installations delivered through sister company Orbis Services Ltd as part of Compass's multi-trade directly employed service offering, providing single-point accountability for clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 1,000th affordable home in August 2025, approximately 12 years after first affordable home delivered in 2012
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Barnardo'sminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Compass has a long-standing association with Barnardo's. They welcomed Barnardo's Access to Trades Group to their St Valery Avenue site, providing young people with opportunities to learn about the build process, trades teamwork, and hear from former Compass apprentices about their journey. Both organizations share values around building confidence, resilience and self-esteem in young people.
• Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2024SPA is Scotland's largest free-to-join procurement organization. Compass has secured positions on multiple SPA frameworks: RM3 Refurbishment and Modernisation (up to £100m combined value), Housing Construction Framework (H2), and Public Buildings Construction and Infrastructure Framework (PB3). These frameworks enable councils, social landlords, NHS and organizations to efficiently maintain and upgrade buildings.
• Orbis Services LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrbis Services Ltd is Compass Building's sister company providing plumbing, heating, electrical and renewable technology installations. The partnership enables Compass to offer multi-trade directly employed services, guaranteeing consistency of quality, resource and approach for clients. Many clients favour this multi-trade offering which combines building and specialist services under coordinated delivery.
• Highland Coast HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass has completed multiple projects for Highland Coast Hotels including refurbishment of Plockton Inn (£700k) and Royal Marine Hotel in Brora. This repeat business relationship demonstrates Compass's pan-Highland capability supporting client's geographic expansion across the North East coast to West coast.
• ForYou TrainingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass supported ForYou Training in Tain with the transformation of their sensory dome. The team donated joinery expertise and time, delivering raised planting beds, seating areas, and accessible potting benches for the training facility that delivers practical courses and apprenticeships to build skills and improve employability for young people.
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIOB Chief Executive Officer Caroline Gumble (Dr.) and President Sandi Rhys Jones visited Compass Building facilities. Discussions focused on projects with renewable and carbon offset technologies, and the need for continuing apprentice recruitment to bridge skills gaps in construction.
• DM EliteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDM Elite organized a workplace wellbeing gym session in collaboration with Compass Group to support Bridge to Bridge charity event. The event raised funds for local charities while promoting benefits of regular exercise for employee physical and mental wellbeing.
• Elsie Normington FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass constructed The Haven Centre (£4.5m) for The Elsie Normington Foundation - Scotland's first multi-purpose centre for children and young people with severe, profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex needs. Also supported their charity Golf Day raising £600.
• HALO (Highland Action for Little Ones)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHALO is a local charity supported by Compass. The company provided resources to assist in furthering HALO's work and supported Emma Bone's London Marathon effort raising £6,500 for the charity.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Robertson Group: One of Scotland's largest family-owned construction, infrastructure and support services groups operating across building, civil engineering, and facilities management. Most directly comparable peer given shared Scottish base, multi-trade delivery model, and broad sector exposure including housing, education, commercial and public sector.
• Morrison Construction: Scottish construction arm of Galliford Try delivering affordable housing, education, commercial, healthcare and infrastructure projects across Scotland. Highly comparable in focus on public sector frameworks, affordable housing delivery, and multi-trade building services.
• CCG (Scotland) Ltd: Scottish construction group delivering affordable housing, private housing, commercial, and care sector projects with a directly-employed multi-trade model. Closely comparable in operating model and Scottish affordable housing focus.
• W H Malcolm: Scottish building contractor providing construction, fit-out and maintenance services with operations across central Scotland. Comparable mid-sized multi-trade Scottish contractor profile.
• Bancon Group: Scottish construction and housebuilder with operations across the Highlands and north-east Scotland, delivering private housing, affordable housing and commercial construction. Similar regional positioning and housing-led focus to Compass.
• Cruden Group: Scottish housebuilder and construction group delivering private residential development, affordable housing and commercial construction across central Scotland. Comparable scale and similar housing-led, multi-sector Scottish builder profile.
• McLaughlin & Harvey: UK and Ireland building and civil engineering contractor delivering commercial, residential, education and healthcare projects. Comparable multi-trade delivery model with strong public sector framework engagement similar to Compass.

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Sindall Group: UK-listed construction and regeneration group delivering construction, infrastructure and fit-out across multiple sectors including affordable housing and public buildings. Comparable sector exposure but operates at materially larger scale as a national incumbent.
• Keepmoat Homes: One of the UK's largest partnerships and affordable housing developers, delivering large volumes of affordable and private housing nationwide. Comparable on affordable housing specialism but at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth than Compass.
• Tulloch Construction: Established Highland construction group and historical major regional contractor (Tulloch Group/Rok). Compass's founding MD Thom Macleod spent 18 years with Tulloch before founding Compass in 2009; provides relevant reference for Highland construction market dynamics and prior-generation operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/compass-building-&-construction-services

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Compass Building & Construction Services