SITE INVESTIGATION SPECIALISTS LTD

What SITE INVESTIGATION SPECIALISTS LTD does

Site Investigation Specialists Ltd, trading as SI Ground Investigation, is a UK private limited company (company number 14436748) that delivers geotechnical and geoenvironmental ground investigation services from its base in Accrington, Lancashire. The firm serves builders, developers, structural engineers, environmental consultants, and architects on projects ranging from small residential builds to larger infrastructure works, providing the subsurface data required for foundation design, drainage planning, pavement assessment, and regulatory compliance. It holds CHAS, NRSWA, and NVQ Level 2 in Land Drilling accreditations, and operates as a founder-owned, privately funded business with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company.

The company's offering is built around eight core service lines: window sampling (percussive soil coring to 6–8 m below ground level), BRE365 soakaway testing for drainage design, CBR and plate load testing for sub-grade bearing capacity, foundation pitting for existing structures, diamond concrete coring, TRL DCP testing for pavement strength, and both hand-dug and machine-dug trial pits. Service delivery relies on owned physical assets — tracked diesel-powered window sampling rigs, diamond core drills, a 2000-litre bowser with petrol pump, and excavators — and on engineer-led on-site interpretation and reporting, with no disclosed software platform, AI/ML components, or third-party data integrations.

Commercially, the business runs on a sales-led, project-based professional services model. Pricing is quote-driven and site-specific, lead generation flows through the company website, phone, email, and WhatsApp, and there is no self-serve, subscription, or product-led motion. Distribution is purely direct, with no intermediaries, and the firm markets itself as UK-wide in reach while operating from a single depot. Revenue, headcount, and contract value are not disclosed, and the company is positioned as a small-to-mid-sized specialist contractor rather than a scaled platform.

Name

SITE INVESTIGATION SPECIALISTS LTD

Legal name

Site Investigation Specialists Ltd

Website

https://sigroundinvestigation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SI Ground Investigation (Site Investigation Specialists Ltd) is a UK private ground investigation contractor delivering geotechnical and geoenvironmental services — including window sampling, soakaway, CBR, trial pitting, and concrete coring — to builders, developers, engineers, environmental consultants, and architects from its Accrington base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Engineering Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Site Preparation Contractors (23891)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trenching & Utility Excavation (IMAFAKAD), Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK), Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Ground investigation services
• Geotechnical site testing
• Soil sampling services
• Foundation inspection
• Geotechnical engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ground Investigation Services: Project-based professional services revenue from providing ground investigation solutions including window sampling, soakaway testing, CBR/plate load testing, foundation pitting, concrete coring, TRL DCP testing, and trial pitting services. Services are quoted per project and delivered to construction, infrastructure, and environmental projects across the UK.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SI Ground Investigation delivers project-based geotechnical and geoenvironmental ground investigation and in-situ testing services across the UK, including percussive window sampling, BRE365 soakaway testing, CBR / plate load testing, foundation pitting, diamond concrete coring, TRL DCP pavement testing, and machine- and hand-dug trial pitting. Services are contracted by builders, developers, structural engineers, environmental consultants, and architects to obtain accurate ground condition data, bearing capacity, permeability, and soil/foundation information required for safe, compliant, and well-informed construction, infrastructure, and environmental development projects.

Product overview

SI Ground Investigation is a ground investigation service company offering a portfolio of eight distinct investigation and testing services. The core offerings include Window Sampling (percussive soil sampling to 6-8m depth), Machine-dug and Hand-dug Trial Pits (excavation-based ground assessment), Soakaways (BRE365 permeability testing), CBR/Plate Load Testing (bearing capacity assessment), Concrete Coring (diamond drilling for structural samples), Foundation Pitting (existing foundation inspection), and TRL DCP Testing (pavement strength measurement). These services support construction, infrastructure, and environmental projects across the UK, providing geotechnical data, soil analysis, and site condition reports for engineers, developers, and architects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Window Sampling A site investigation technique using 1m steel tubes with plastic liners driven percussively into the ground via an 80kg hammer on a tracked diesel-powered rig, achieving depths of 6-8m below ground level. Soil samples are extracted for geotechnical or chemical analysis across soft soils, clays, silts, and granular strata, supplied to engineers, developers, and environmental consultants in the UK.
• Soakaways (BRE365 Testing) Ground permeability testing service using BRE365 methodology with a 2000-litre bowser, petrol engine pump, and over 100m of hose to determine percolation rates in natural strata. The on-site engineer performs percolation calculations to support drainage system design, planning submissions, and water authority compliance across the UK.
• CBR / Plate Load Testing California Bearing Ratio and plate load testing service used to estimate bearing values and mechanical strength of highway sub-bases and sub-grades. The test uses reaction load Kentledge with readings recorded via an engineer's laptop software, supplied to engineers and contractors for pavement and sub-grade assessment.
• Foundation Pitting Excavation service to record the type, depth, and extent of existing building foundations, confirming suitability for new construction or extensions. The service includes full photographic evidence and dimensional sketches, supplied to developers, builders, and engineers assessing existing structures.
• Concrete Coring Diamond core drilling service that creates precise circular holes through reinforced concrete, block, brick, or asphalt structures to access underlying soils or to take structural samples for laboratory testing. Delivered with minimal disruption to surrounding structures.
• TRL DCP Testing Transport Research Laboratory Dynamic Cone Penetrometer testing for rapid, non-destructive in-situ strength measurement of existing flexible pavements with unbound materials. The probe provides continuous readings down to 850mm depth, supporting pavement assessment and remediation planning.
• Hand-dug Service Exposure Pits Manual excavation service used to expose existing underground services or inspect ground conditions at shallow depth in areas with restricted access. The low-impact methods are designed to eliminate damage to existing services or surrounding surfaces.
• Machine-dug Trial Pits Mechanical excavator-based ground investigation service for rapid assessment of ground conditions, exposing soil layers, foundations, or buried structures. Includes bulk soil sampling and strata logging capabilities for engineers, developers, and environmental consultants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Window sampling achieves depths of up to 6-8m bgl
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Structural Soils Ltd (part of RSK Group): Structural Soils is a UK ground investigation contractor within RSK Group, offering window sampling, rotary drilling, trial pitting, soakaway testing, and geotechnical laboratory analysis. It is the closest comparable specialist peer in scale and service mix to SI Ground Investigation.
• Raeburn Drilling & Geotechnical Ltd: Raeburn Drilling is a UK drilling and geotechnical contractor with window sampling, cable percussion, rotary, and trial pit capability. Closely comparable equipment-heavy operator serving the same engineer/developer buyer.
• Ian Farmer Associates: Ian Farmer Associates is a UK ground investigation firm providing site investigation, geotechnical sampling, and in-situ testing to engineers and developers. Similar-sized specialist with overlapping service portfolio targeting the same construction-customer base.
• Terra Tek (part of RSK Group): Terra Tek is a UK site investigation specialist within RSK Group offering geotechnical and geoenvironmental ground investigation. Direct overlap on window sampling, trial pitting, and in-situ testing for the same UK private/public client base.

Broad incumbents

• SOCOTEC UK: SOCOTEC UK is a major testing, inspection, and compliance group offering geotechnical, environmental, and ground investigation services across the UK. It is broader in scope than SI but directly overlaps on window sampling, trial pitting, CBR, and lab testing — the same customer set.
• Coffey Geotechnics (Tetra Tech): Coffey, now part of Tetra Tech, is a UK and Ireland geotechnical and geoenvironmental consultancy delivering ground investigation and interpretation. Wider portfolio than SI but directly competitive on integrated investigation-and-reporting work.
• Mott MacDonald Group: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering consultancy with UK ground engineering practice, competing on larger infrastructure ground investigation packages. Broader and larger than SI but a credible competitor on complex and tendered scopes.
• WSP UK: WSP is a global engineering consultancy with significant UK ground engineering and geoenvironmental capability. It competes with SI for outsourced ground investigation on larger infrastructure and development projects, though its core offering is broader engineering design.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61568067208295
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/simon-edwards-19a380275

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 SITE INVESTIGATION SPECIALISTS LTD