Byland Engineering Limited

What Byland Engineering Limited does

Byland Engineering Limited is an independent, engineer-led geotechnical consultancy founded in 2001 by John Gannon and incorporated in May 2004. Headquartered at 3 Concept Court, Kettlestring Lane, Clifton Moor, York, the firm operates UK-wide and into Ireland, serving main contractors, specialist piling and geotechnical contractors, engineering consultants, government departments, major infrastructure owners, building developers, and local councils. Its core services span the full geotechnical lifecycle — investigation and interpretation of ground conditions, laboratory testing, engineering assessments, geotechnical and structural design, temporary works design, independent design checking and certification, and expert witness and dispute resolution. Sectors served include road, rail, harbour, coastal, water and sewerage, power, utilities, health, nuclear, education, housing, and heritage.

The firm's technical differentiator is integrated geotechnical and structural design for geotechnical structures delivered as a single service point from desk study through to certification, with particular specialisation in the design and optimisation of piling and ground engineering schemes. Byland deploys an extensive specialist software suite — the Oasys Geo Suite (FREW, ALP, PILE, PDISP, XDISP, SLOPE, ADSEC), TEDDS, WALLAP, PIGLET, REPUTE, SNAILZ, gINT, TALREN, GRLWEAP, CLiq, AutoCAD, and PLAXIS 2D for finite element simulation of geotechnical structures. All designs are produced to Eurocodes 2, 3, and 7 and to established British Standards. Quantified outcomes include a value-engineered sea-side slope excavation support redesign, the GE Awards 2010 Technical Excellence award for the Cannon Place Redevelopment, and approximately 4,000 soil nails across 10 sections on the A1CH2MC Improvement scheme.

The business model is project-based professional services: bespoke consultancy on a per-engagement basis, priced through direct negotiation, tender, or framework agreement. The company markets primarily through director-led relationships, repeat client engagements, technical publications, and a project portfolio website. Current leadership comprises Directors James Binns (Chartered Civil Engineer, joined 2005, director since 2014) and Will Frampton (Chartered Geologist, UK Registered Ground Engineering Professional), supported by graduate engineers and an administration assistant. Founding directors John Gannon (retired March 2021) and Jim Martin (retired March 2022) have exited. Notable clients include Van Elle, BAM Nuttall, Shepherd Construction, Expanded Piling, Santander, Leeds City Council, Cementation Skanska, Keller, Arup, and Mott MacDonald.

Name

Byland Engineering Limited

Legal name

Byland Engineering Limited

Website

https://bylandengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Byland Engineering is an independent, York-based geotechnical consultancy founded in 2001, providing integrated ground investigation, piling and retaining wall design, temporary works, and expert witness services to main contractors, specialist piling firms, engineering consultants, and UK infrastructure owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB), Earth Retention & Excavation Support (Sheet/Soldier Piles, Diaphragm Walls, Bracing) (IMAFAOAD), Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG), Tunneling & Underground Geotechnics (Ground Treatment, Support, NATM/SEM Interfaces) (IMAFAOAJ)

Keywords

• Geotechnical engineering design
• Ground investigation services
• Piling design consultancy
• Retaining wall design
• Soil nail stabilization

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Engineering Consultancy Services: Professional consultancy services for geotechnical investigation, design, and construction. Provides a single service point from initial feasibility or desk study through to intrusive ground investigation and laboratory testing, engineering assessments, engineering design, temporary works design, and independent design checking and certification. Produces calculation reports, design drawings, schedules and specifications. Also provides expert witness and dispute resolution services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Byland Engineering is an independent, engineer-led geotechnical and ground engineering consultancy providing site investigation, geotechnical analysis, and structural design for piling, retaining walls, basements, tunnels, earthworks, slopes and foundations. Services span the full project lifecycle from initial feasibility and desk study through intrusive ground investigation, laboratory testing, engineering assessment, design, temporary works design, and independent design checking and certification. The firm operates as a single service point and delivers value engineering and alternative cost-effective solutions, plus expert witness and dispute resolution services for construction litigation.

Product overview

Byland Engineering Limited is an independent geotechnical engineering consultancy providing a comprehensive suite of services from initial feasibility through to construction. The company operates as a single-service-point model offering ground investigation, geotechnical analysis, structural design, and independent certification. Their core portfolio includes piled foundation design, retaining wall systems (secant piles, contiguous piles, sheet piles, soil nails), ground anchors, basement design, tunnel and shaft design, earthworks and slope stabilisation, and temporary works. The company services civil engineering construction and building development across road, rail, harbour, coastal, water, power, utilities, and other sectors UK-wide and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geotechnical Investigation Services Ground investigation, interpretation and analysis services including intrusive ground investigation and laboratory testing to establish geotechnical parameters for engineering design. Used by main contractors, specialist piling contractors, consultants and public infrastructure clients at project feasibility and design stages.
• Piled Foundation Design Design and optimisation of piled foundations including bearing piles, secant pile walls, contiguous pile walls, micropiles, minipiles, CFA piles, and rotary bored piles. Used by main contractors and specialist piling contractors on building and infrastructure projects.
• Retaining Wall Design Design of retaining walls including secant pile walls, diaphragm walls, sheet pile walls, contiguous pile walls, king post walls, and soil nail walls. Used by contractors, consultants and developers for earth retention on building, infrastructure, marine and slope projects.
• Ground Anchor Design Design of ground anchors including permanent and temporary anchors, self-drilled anchors, and anti-flotation tension micropiles (ATMs) for deep basement restraint. Used by contractors and developers on basements, retaining walls and water-retaining structures.
• Soil Nail Design Design of soil nail slope stabilisation including soft-faced and hard-faced soil nail walls with flexible facing or shotcrete finishes. Used by contractors, infrastructure owners and councils for highway widening, embankment stabilisation and slope retention.
• Basement Design Integrated geotechnical and structural design for deep basement constructions including multi-level basement walls with secant pile embedded retaining walls. Used by building developers, main contractors and specialist contractors on commercial, residential and data centre projects.
• Tunnel and Shaft Design Design of tunnels and shafts including cut and cover tunnels, piled circular shafts, and reticulated minipile retaining walls. Used by contractors and infrastructure owners for rail, water and mining infrastructure schemes.
• Earthworks and Slope Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Value engineered a sea-side slope excavation support solution from an expensive anchored double row large diameter bored pile wall to a practical and cost-effective 600mm hollow stem SFA pile wall with self-drill tie backs, enabling construction on a tight site.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alan Auld EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerByland Engineering worked in partnership with Alan Auld Engineering on the design of temporary works for improvements to Lower Coldwell Reservoir embankment dam. Alan Auld Engineering served as the lead engineering partner with Byland providing geotechnical analysis of support systems, temporary stability analysis, working platform design, and feasibility designs for soil nailed slopes and tied back steel sheet pile walls.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services consultancy with a sizeable UK ground engineering and tunnels team. Competes on similar infrastructure, building, and transportation projects but at much larger scale.
• AtkinsRéalis: Large engineering services firm with a UK geotechnical and ground engineering practice serving rail, highways, and energy clients. Comparable technically but significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Arup: Global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy with substantial geotechnical capability. Comparable technically on piling, basements, and ground engineering, but offers the full engineering lifecycle and competes for — and engages Byland as a sub-consultant on — larger tenders.
• Coffey Geotechnics (Tetra Tech): Geotechnical division of Tetra Tech providing site investigation, geotechnical design, and ground engineering across the UK and globally. Comparable service set, but operating at greater scale and with broader international reach than Byland.
• Peter Brett Associates (Stantec): UK engineering consultancy (now part of Stantec) with geotechnical, structural, and infrastructure capabilities. Comparable on piling, retaining structures, and earthworks design, but with broader multidisciplinary delivery.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering consultancy with a strong ground engineering practice. Overlaps on piling, retaining structures, and tunnel design, and appears as a Byland client, illustrating the broader-incumbent versus specialist dynamic.
• Ramboll: International engineering, architecture, and consultancy firm with a UK ground engineering team. Comparable on basement, port, and infrastructure design but with deeper resources and global delivery capacity.

Direct peers

• Ian Farmer Associates (RSK Group): UK geotechnical and geoenvironmental consultancy now part of RSK, offering ground investigation and geotechnical design. Comparable service mix and UK focus, though sitting within a larger group.
• Structural Soils: UK geotechnical and geoenvironmental consultancy providing ground investigation, laboratory testing, and geotechnical design. Comparable in headcount range and core site-investigation-to-design service line.
• Geotechnical Consulting Group (GCG): UK specialist geotechnical consultancy offering site investigation, ground engineering design, and expert witness services. Closest comparable in scale and specialism to Byland, serving similar contractors and consultancies on piling, retaining walls, and slope stability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/byland-engineering-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Byland Engineering Limited