What BRIGHTSKY LIMITED does

Bright Sky Contracting Ltd is a Liverpool-based, privately held contractor services provider founded in 2015 by Adam Connell. The company operates as an umbrella employer, CIS payroll intermediary, and PEO (Professional Employment Organisation) for UK contractors and recruitment agencies, primarily in North West England. Its core service model is to act as the legal employer of record for independent contractors, handling PAYE, National Insurance, and statutory payments under compliant arrangements, while also offering bundled accountancy, tax, legal, and HR services through an in-house arm added in 2016. The underlying technology is the EezeTime cloud-based member portal, which supports contractor self-service for payslips, timesheets, and documentation.

The business operates on a recurring subscription-style revenue model with revenue per contractor supplemented by add-on professional services fees. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, combining relationship-based engagement with recruitment agencies and individual contractors via phone, email, and the member portal, supplemented by content marketing around IR35, HMRC, and Criminal Finances Act compliance. The company holds FCSA and Professional Passport accreditations and APSCo Trusted Partner status, positioning compliance and transparency as the primary differentiator against non-compliant 'too good to be true' competitors. In 2024 it was ranked 14th overall and 4th in the medium size category at the Ward Hadaway North West Fastest 50 Awards.

Bright Sky is founder-led and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding or parent company. Revenue crossed the £10.2M statutory audit threshold by 2019 and has continued to scale organically through product expansion (most recently PEO in 2024) and ecosystem partnerships (APSCo, Roots Mortgages). Geographic reach remains concentrated in North West England, and headcount sits in the 11-50 range. The customer base is highly fragmented across individual contractors and SMB-focused recruitment agencies, with no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts.

Name

BRIGHTSKY LIMITED

Legal name

Bright Sky Contracting Ltd

Website

https://brightskycontracting.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bright Sky Contracting provides UK contractors and recruitment agencies with compliant umbrella PAYE, CIS, and PEO payroll services, plus bundled accountancy, tax, legal, and HR support, operating from Liverpool via the EezeTime member portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Umbrella PAYE Services: Payroll processing services for contractors employed under the umbrella model. The company acts as the employer, handling PAYE, National Insurance, and statutory payments on behalf of contractors.
2. CIS (Construction Industry Scheme): Specialized payroll and tax services for construction industry contractors under the CIS scheme.
3. PEO (Professional Employment Organisation): Joint employment services allowing agencies to outsource employment responsibilities for their contractors.
4. Accountancy Services: Accountancy, tax, legal, and HR services added in 2016 following legislative changes in the industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bright Sky Contracting provides umbrella PAYE employment, Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) payroll, Professional Employment Organisation (PEO) joint employment, and accountancy services for UK contractors and recruitment agencies. The company acts as the employer of record for contractors, handling PAYE, National Insurance, and statutory payments, and supports agencies with compliant supply chain solutions.

Product overview

Bright Sky Contracting operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio consists of three primary employment and payroll solutions: Umbrella PAYE (employing contractors under PAYE), CIS (Construction Industry Scheme for construction workers), and PEO (Professional Employment Organisation). These are supported by ancillary services including accountancy, tax, legal, and HR services. The company also offers a Member Portal for contractor self-service and a Rainbow Rewards program. All services are delivered with an emphasis on compliance, transparency, and regulatory adherence for the contractor and recruitment sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Umbrella PAYE Employment service in which Bright Sky acts as the employer of contractors, paying them through PAYE with correct tax, National Insurance, and statutory deductions; targeted at UK contractors seeking a compliant umbrella employer.
• CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) Tax scheme payroll service providing compliant CIS payroll solutions for construction industry contractors operating under the Construction Industry Scheme.
• PEO (Professional Employment Organisation) Professional Employment Organisation solution offering joint employment arrangements that allow recruitment agencies to outsource employment responsibilities for their contractors.
• Accountancy Services Accountancy, tax return preparation, tax advice, and financial record-keeping services for contractors, freelancers, and limited company directors, including self-assessment tax returns from £75 + VAT.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Roots MortgagesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2021Partnership to provide specialist mortgages for contractors, freelancers, limited company directors and independent professionals. Roots Mortgages is a Midlands-based specialist with access to over 12,000 mortgages from 90+ lenders. They understand contractor income patterns and offer free, no-obligation 360-degree financial health checks.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SJD Accountancy: Largest UK specialist contractor accountancy; competes with Bright Sky's accountancy arm and serves the same limited-company contractor segment.
• Nixon Williams: UK specialist accountancy for contractors and freelancers; overlaps Bright Sky's accountancy offering and targets the same independent-professional segment.
• Brookson Group: UK provider of umbrella, accountancy, and financial services for contractors; directly comparable in service mix and customer base.
• Giant Pay: UK umbrella payroll provider serving contractors and recruiters; comparable in services, customer segments, and regulatory positioning.
• JSA Services: UK umbrella company serving contractors and recruitment agencies with PAYE, CIS, and accountancy services; close direct competitor in the same regulatory environment.
• Orange Genie: UK contractor services provider offering umbrella, accountancy, and mortgage solutions; directly comparable across Bright Sky's bundled contractor-services portfolio.
• PayStream: Major UK umbrella company providing PAYE umbrella, PEO, and accountancy services to contractors; closely overlaps Bright Sky's product set and target customer base.
• Umbrella.co.uk: UK umbrella payroll provider focused on contractor employment and compliance; similar core product offering and agency channel.
• Parasol Group: One of the UK's largest umbrella and PEO providers, directly comparable to Bright Sky's Umbrella PAYE, CIS, and PEO offerings for contractors and recruitment agencies.

Others

• FCSA (Freelancer and Contractor Services Association): UK trade body whose accredited membership defines the compliance standard Bright Sky and its direct peers compete against; relevant as the industry gatekeeper rather than a commercial competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bscontracting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bright-sky-contracting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 BRIGHTSKY LIMITED