2023 review of construction companies

The 2023 review of construction companies is here, offering a definitive snapshot of the UK’s top-performing construction companies. Find out who secured the coveted top spots and what industry trends drove their success.

Morgan Sindall topped Glenigan’s rankings of the industry’s top construction companies in 2023 after winning £2.2 billion-worth of work.

The company edged out Kier after landing 273 individual contracts, also more than any other contractor.

Morgan Sindall’s successes ranged from an £80 million concrete overlay job on junctions 5-7 of the M27 in Hampshire (Project ID: 23063400) to the £81.4 million second phase of the South Thamesmead residential development in Bexley (Project ID: 22301225).

Regional spread

Morgan Sindall’s biggest regional presence is in London, where its 2023 orders totalled £761 million and the company was ranked second in Glenigan’s regional Top 10.

This capital haul included an £88.5 million railway depot scheme at Beckton in east London (Project ID: 23036659) and a £67.6 million apartment block in Tower Hamlets for the Guinness Partnership.

Morgan Sindall was ranked first in three of Britain’s 11 economic regions, which was more than any other contractor.

In the East of England, Morgan Sindall had an order book of £353 million. Work in the region included the £65 million Margaretting bypass near Chelmsford (Project ID: 23018058).

Morgan Sindall was also top in the North West with an annual order book totalling £295 million, including a £70 million cultural centre at Accrington in Lancashire (Project ID: 23030400).

In Wales, the company amassed £108 million-worth of work in 2023, including a £30 million school in Haverfordwest (Project ID: 23176932).

Kier haul

After finishing top in 2022, Kier slipped down to second place last year but still added £2.1 billion-worth of work to the company’s order book.

Kier’s latest contracts haul includes the £161 million Oxfordshire Connect rail scheme (Project ID: 01530282) and an £86 million programme to add houseblocks to three prisons in Lancaster, Morpeth and Barnard Castle for the Ministry of Justice (Project ID: 23318964).

Kier’s biggest regional exposure was in the South East, where the group’s order book totalled £860 million. This ranged from a £24.8 million school at Gosport in Hampshire (Project ID: 21058059) to a £74.8 million army barracks scheme at Emsworth in the same county (Project ID : 22128425).

Bouygues boost

Bouygues’ 2023 order book totalled £1.9 billion and was boosted by the £1.3 billion Lower Thames Crossing scheme (Project ID: 91161081), which guaranteed third place in the top construction companies league table for the UK arm of the French giant. The firm’s joint venture partner on the scheme, Murphy, finished seventh.

 School boost

Wates ran in fourth – up one place from the end of 2022 – after increasing its annual order book by 20% to just under £1.7 billion.

Contract successes for Wates ranged from a £93 million prison scheme at HMP Hindley in Wigan to an £85.9 million scheme to build 400 homes in Cardiff for the city’s council (Project ID: 19090212).

Wates biggest regional workload was in London, where £472 million-worth of work, including a £100 million housing job at Wembley (Project ID: 19289630), ranked the group in sixth place.

The company’s highest regional position was in the East Midlands, where Wates was top with a £302 million order book including a £300 million new prison at Market Harborough in Leicestershire (Project ID: 21301670).

Big players keep busy

The industry’s big players are looking busy with nine contractors ending 2023 with order books valued at £1 billion or more.

Want to work with the top construction companies? See the league table for the top 100 construction companies in the UK, and request a free demo of Glenigan to see detailed project and decision-maker contact information to get involved.