R1 Construction

What R1 Construction does

R1 Construction Ltd is a privately held, Midlands-based main building contractor headquartered in Shrewsbury that delivers new-build and refurbishment projects up to £10 million across the UK, primarily into the education, residential and social housing, commercial, healthcare, defence, and leisure sectors. Its technical core combines Modern Methods of Construction — Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) and timber-frame systems for fast, energy-efficient delivery — with traditional masonry and refurbishment capability, complemented by in-house Mechanical & Electrical, BM Trada Q-Mark fire safety, demolition, and groundworks services that allow it to act as turnkey main contractor.

The firm generates revenue almost exclusively through one-time, project-based construction contracts awarded via competitive tendering, public-sector framework agreements, CIF funding bids, tier-1 subcontractor relationships (e.g. Galliford Try), and repeat direct appointments from clients such as Housing Plus Group, Wigston Academies Trust, PSG/Shropshire Council, and the NHS. Customers are predominantly public sector and regulated buyers — housing associations, local authorities, colleges, academy trusts, and healthcare providers — with a smaller commercial and care-home tail; GTM is enterprise field sales through tender bid processes rather than volume-led or digital distribution.

Operationally, R1 relies on a stack of procurement pre-qualifications (Constructionline GOLD, BM Trada Q-Mark, SafeContractor, CHAS, SSIP, Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver) and an in-house H&S team with SMSTS-certified site managers as its competitive backbone. The company was founded around 2014–2015, employs between 11 and 50 staff, and is led by Managing Director Ben Tomkinson alongside Andrew Evans (Construction Director), Josh Coleman (Commercial Director, appointed 2025), and Stephen Corbett (Development Director), with no disclosed external investors, M&A activity, or recurring SaaS or licensing revenue.

Name

R1 Construction

Legal name

R1 Construction Ltd

Website

https://r1-construction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

R1 Construction Ltd is a Shrewsbury-based UK main building contractor delivering new-build, refurbishment, fire safety, M&E, and groundworks projects up to £10 million, serving housing associations, colleges, local authorities, NHS trusts, and commercial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Residential Building Construction (23611), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

New School Construction (Greenfield Builds) (EDAEABAA), Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA)

Keywords

• Main building contractor
• Construction services
• Modern methods construction
• SIPS timber frame
• Building refurbishment

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Construction Contracts - New Build: Main building contractor delivering new build projects for education, commercial, residential, healthcare, leisure, and defence sectors using MMC and traditional methods. Projects range from £2.26M to £10M.
2. Refurbishment & Alterations: Comprehensive refurbishment services including internal works, retrofit projects, and building upgrades. Turnkey service covering design, surveys, programming, and delivery.
3. Specialist Services: Mechanical & Electrical, Fire Safety, Demolition & Removal, and Groundworks services offered as standalone offerings or as part of integrated construction contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

R1 Construction is a main building contractor delivering new build and refurbishment construction projects up to £10 million across the UK. The company specialises in both Modern Methods of Construction (SIPS and Timber Frame) and traditional building approaches, serving the Education, Commercial, Clinical & Care, Defence, Leisure, and Residential sectors with turnkey delivery from design through to handover.

Product overview

R1 Construction is a main building contractor delivering construction projects up to £10 million across the UK. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their core services encompass New Build (using both MMC/SIPS/Timber Frame and traditional methods), Refurbishment & Alterations, Mechanical & Electrical, Fire Safety, Demolition & Removal Works, and Groundworks. They specialize in sectors including Education, Commercial, Clinical & Care, Defence, Leisure, and Residential. The company also offers Retrofit services for energy efficiency upgrades. All services are delivered through their Shropshire-based operations with in-house expertise across all trade areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Build Construction Construction of new residential, commercial, education, healthcare, leisure, and defence buildings using both Modern Methods of Construction (SIPS/Timber Frame) and traditional building methods. Delivered as main contractor on projects up to £10 million.
• Refurbishment & Alterations Internal refurbishment, remodeling, and alteration works delivered as a turnkey service covering design, surveys, programming, and delivery. Used for office modernisations, internal works, and building upgrades across education, commercial, and healthcare sectors.
• Mechanical & Electrical Services Comprehensive mechanical and electrical services including electrical rewiring, lighting upgrades, distribution board upgrades, data networks, alarm systems, fire and intruder alarm installation, door access control, CCTV, and ANPR cameras. Delivered by DBS-cleared operatives.
• Fire Safety Services Fire safety surveys, installations, and compliance services including emergency lighting, fire compartmentation, fire alarms, and fire door surveys and replacements. BM Trada Q-Mark certified for fire safety quality assurance.
• Demolition & Removal Works Complete demolition and removal services including strip-outs, asbestos removal, partial or full structural demolition, and site preparation with Section 80 demolition notices managed in-house.
• Groundworks

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy-efficient homes with SIPs construction reducing energy consumption for residents
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Trent & DoveminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Partnership with Trent & Dove for affordable housing development in Uttoxeter (Lightfoot Road project), delivering bungalows for local families.
• Housing Plus GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Housing Plus Group (formed from merger of Wrekin Housing Group and HPG) is R1's primary housing sector partner. Collaborative delivery of multiple regeneration projects including The Ley (£2.5m, 16 bungalows), Dawley High Street apartments, and Ironbridge developments. R1 acts as developer/contractor on these social housing schemes.
• Academy Estate ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 April 2025Partnered with Academy Estate Consultants on Barking & Dagenham College projects (Science Lab and EV Workshop), providing forward-thinking educational facilities.
• Telford CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Educational partnership providing structured industry placement programmes for construction students. 18 students participated in 2-day placements on live construction sites (Webb Crescent development), bridging the gap between education and industry. Supports next generation of construction professionals.
• Baily GarnerminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 September 2024Baily Garner LLP served as employer's agent on Djanogly SEN Facility (£1.179M). Collaboration delivered specialist education provision for Nottingham City Council.
• Life of Riley CharityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2024R1 Construction team (including Managing Director Ben Tomkinson) climbed Mount Kilimanjaro raising over £21,000 for newly founded Life of Riley charity in memory of Riley Evans.
• YMD BooncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024YMD Boon serves as lead designers, principal designers, contract administrators, and project managers on multiple education projects including Wigston College (£2.26M), Wigston Science Centre, Oakthorpe Primary School, and Castle Donington Gym. Long-standing partnership delivering education sector projects across Leicestershire.
• Galliford TryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Tier-1 contractor engaged R1 Construction as main contractor on AXO Gymnasium project in Coventry. R1 delivered complete refurbishment and remodelling works under JCT design and build contract.
• Property Services Group (PSG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024PSG is Shropshire Council's property services arm and repeat client. Major projects include Ptarmigan House refurbishment and SYA Youth Centre. PSG also acts as employer's agent on various projects.
• Spring CareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Spring Care appointed R1 to deliver River Meadows Care Home extension (36 weeks, 14 bedrooms) in Shawbury, Shropshire.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stepnell: Rugby-based main contractor with similar Midlands focus across education, affordable housing, healthcare and leisure, with comparable contract size and turnkey delivery model.
• McPhillips (Wellington): Shropshire-based contractor with overlapping geography to R1, delivering public sector construction, civils and groundworks in education, healthcare and housing.
• Conlon Construction: Midlands-based main contractor with similar headcount scale, education and commercial focus, and comparable framework-based public sector bidding model.
• Seddon Construction: Northwest and Midlands regional contractor with similar project size envelope (£1M-£10M), education, affordable housing and healthcare focus, and a comparable in-house M&E and fit-out capability.
• Speller Metcalfe: Malvern-based main contractor operating across the Midlands in education, healthcare, leisure, and residential with comparable contract values and a similar turnkey MMC plus traditional construction offering.
• Pave Aways: Shropshire-based contractor delivering education, commercial and residential projects in similar value bands, with overlapping client base in Midlands local authorities and academies.
• GF Tomlinson: Midlands main contractor of comparable size delivering education, commercial, healthcare and residential projects via frameworks and competitive tendering, directly comparable in scale and sector mix.

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Sindall Construction: National tier-1 contractor active across education, public sector, affordable housing and commercial; competes for many of the same framework agreements as R1 but at a far larger contract scale.
• Wates Construction: Major UK contractor with significant education and public sector framework presence, providing a useful benchmark for the scale ceiling R1 aspires to as it grows beyond the £10M contract threshold.
• Galliford Try: Large UK tier-1 contractor where R1 already acts as a subcontractor (AXO Gymnasium project). Comparable in sector coverage (education, commercial, defence) but operates at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/R1Construction_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r1-construction
• Instagraminstagram.com/r1_construction_uk

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 R1 Construction