Russell Bolton Consulting

What Russell Bolton Consulting does

Russell Bolton Consulting is a niche professional services firm providing project management, cost consultancy (including quantity surveying), development management, and property and construction advisory services to clients across the UK built environment. Founded in 2021 in Manchester by Russell Bolton and David Litherland — both former senior leaders at Rider Levett Bucknall — the firm is structured around four integrated service lines: Development Management, Cost Management and Quantity Surveying, Project Management, and Advisory (covering Building Safety Act compliance, dispute resolution, capital allowances, and related specialisms). The company does not operate a proprietary technology platform; service delivery is human-expertise-led, relying on chartered surveyor and chartered builder credentials, with BREEAM assessment capability within the team.

The firm serves property developers, institutional real estate investors and fund managers, local authorities, educational institutions, and aviation sector clients. Active and completed mandates include the £129m Leeds Urban Village for Cole Waterhouse, £120m Stopford Park for Cityheart, £34m Trafford Gardens for Linear Living, £30m Bendix Street for Europa Capital, and airport lounge fitouts for Swissport across Newcastle, Liverpool John Lennon, and Belfast City airports. Public sector clients include Blackpool Council, Bolton Council, Cheshire College, Chester Zoo, and the University of Salford; ITV has been a decade-long trusted adviser relationship covering Media City, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale Village estates.

The revenue model is fee-based professional services engagement: services are quote-based and tailored to individual project scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing, no software product, and no recurring subscription offering. Go-to-market is relationship-driven enterprise field sales, leveraging the senior team's prior institutional client relationships from RLB, Deloitte Real Estate, EC Harris, Arcadis, and Currie & Brown. Marketing channels include LinkedIn, the firm's website news/blog, email newsletters via Campaign Monitor, and industry roundtables on topics such as the Building Safety Act and planning viability.

Name

Russell Bolton Consulting

Legal name

Russell Bolton Consulting

Website

https://russellbolton.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Russell Bolton Consulting is a Manchester-based niche professional services firm founded in 2021 providing project management, cost consultancy, development management, and advisory services to UK property developers, institutional investors, local authorities, and aviation clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Advisory & Consulting (Strategy, Portfolio & Location) (FSAEAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Strategy & Portfolio Consulting (Corporate/Institutional) (BPAJANAB), Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Project management consulting
• Cost management services
• Quantity surveying
• Development management
• Construction advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Fee-based professional consulting services for project management, cost management, quantity surveying, development management, and advisory services. Revenue generated through commissions on property and construction projects across commercial, residential, industrial, and public sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Russell Bolton Consulting is a niche project management, cost consultancy, and construction advisory firm that delivers four core service lines — Development Management, Cost Management and Quantity Surveying, Project Management, and Advisory — for property and construction schemes across the UK. Its engagements span the full project lifecycle from land acquisition and feasibility through design, procurement, construction, and handover, with sector expertise across commercial, residential, industrial, education, healthcare, aviation, and public sector projects. The firm operates as a senior-led consultancy, charging fee-based, project-tailored engagements with no proprietary technology product.

Product overview

Russell Bolton Consulting is a niche professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of project management, cost consultancy, property and construction advisory services. The core service lines are Development Management, Cost Management and Quantity Surveying, Project Management, and Advisory services. These are delivered as integrated consulting engagements rather than as a software product or platform, with the firm providing technical expertise across the full development lifecycle from land acquisition through to project completion and handover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Development Management Comprehensive oversight of development projects from land acquisition to completion, including team assembly, technical due diligence, planning management, stakeholder liaison, grant funding coordination, and exit strategies. Targeted at property developers and investors undertaking complex or landmark UK schemes.
• Cost Management and Quantity Surveying Professional cost consultancy services including feasibility studies, cost modelling, cost planning, value engineering, risk analysis, contractor evaluation, tender preparation, and pre/post contract cost control. Targeted at property developers, investors, and public sector clients requiring expert cost control across construction projects.
• Project Management First-class project management services covering the full project lifecycle including feasibility, design, procurement, construction, and handover, with services tailored to client requirements across various sectors. Targeted at property developers, investors, and public sector organisations undertaking complex or landmark schemes.
• Advisory Specialist advisory services addressing complex property and construction issues including capital taxation allowances, government soft landings, construction design management, contract advisory, fire assessment valuations, and dispute avoidance/resolution. Targeted at clients facing complex property, construction, and regulatory challenges including Building Safety Act compliance.

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DV8 DesignscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Cheshire-based architectural and interior design specialists who partnered with RBC on multiple Aspire Executive Lounge projects at Newcastle Airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and Belfast City Airport. DV8 designed and delivered the luxury lounge interiors that won the World Luxury Travel Awards.
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)coreOthersGMCA provides brownfield land grant funding to support viable development schemes. RBC has facilitated £1.67-1.69 million in GMCA grants for Trafford Gardens and Stopford Park developments, helping bridge viability gaps.
• OAK Construction ProjectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrincipal contractor delivering the Cheers & Smith building works at Stopford Park for Cityheart, with RBC providing project management and cost management services.
• Linear Design & ConstructcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPart of Linear UK Group, now principal contractor on Trafford Gardens development following Investar's collapse. RBC works alongside Linear as project manager and advisor.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gardiner & Theobald: Independent UK-headquartered cost and project management consultancy; competes directly with RBC for cost consultancy mandates across commercial, residential and public sector projects (Darren Hyde's former employer).
• Currie & Brown: Global cost consultancy and project management firm with strong UK real estate and development presence; comparable service portfolio and client base, including David Hirst's former employer.
• Cyril Sweet (now part of Currie & Brown): Former independent UK cost consultancy (now integrated into Currie & Brown); David Hirst previously held a Director role there and the firm historically competed head-to-head for similar cost and project management mandates.
• Turner & Townsend: International cost management and project management consultancy with deep UK real estate and infrastructure practices; directly competes for the same complex, high-value property and regeneration schemes that RBC targets.
• Gleeds: International property and construction consultancy offering cost management, project management and advisory; Russell Bolton previously held a Partner and Director role there, and the firm competes for the same UK developer mandates.
• Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB): Global cost consultancy and project management firm where both RBC founders previously served as senior partners; offers identical service lines (cost management, project management, advisory) and competes head-to-head for the same UK developer, institutional investor and public sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Global design, engineering and consultancy firm (parent of EC Harris / Davis Langdon); many RBC senior team members previously worked at Arcadis, and it competes broadly in the same UK cost and project management market but as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Mace Group: International consultancy and construction group with a large cost and project management consultancy practice; competes for landmark UK real estate and regeneration work but also delivers directly as a contractor.

Emerging players

• Identity Consult: UK cost consultancy and project management firm competing for similar mid-market developer and regeneration work; smaller bench but comparable niche positioning to RBC in the same geographies.

Regional players

• Quantity Surveying Services (QS) – dha partnership: Mid-sized UK cost and project management consultancy with strong Northern England presence; competes with RBC for the same regional developer and public sector cost consultancy mandates in Manchester, Leeds and Yorkshire.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/russell-bolton-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Russell Bolton Consulting