Fasten your earmuffs … speed demons, classic saloons, green racers, nimble runarounds and hardy 4×4s are all on the starting grid for this year’s Top 250 consultants survey. Martin Hewes compiles the results and Katie Puckett does the commentary

There’s no doubt about it – consultants are firing on all cylinders. ɫTV’s annual review of the sector shows an industry fuelled by massive government investment, reviving commercial markets, Olympics-inspired confidence from investors and developers racing to get their projects out of the way before the 2012 building boom begins in earnest.

There is steady growth across the board. The industry now employs 91,000 people, 8.5% more than last year, and 40,000 of them are chartered, 9% more than last year. The 220 firms who responded to our survey earned a total of £5.6bn in fees, an increase of 11%.

Atkins is still undoubtedly king of the road, with nearly 6,000 chartered staff. Mott MacDonald, in second place, has only a meagre 1,700. Mouchel Parkman appears in our top 10 for the first time, in fifth place just behind Capita Symonds; both these firms are reaping the benefits of public sector investment. Halcrow Group on the other hand has decided to pull out. The firm that was second in last year’s table has only put forward figures that relate to its subsidiary, Halcrow Yolles, which appears at 60.

For the first time, we are including a table of the 50 fastest growing companies. Stewart McColl’s highly acquisitive SMC Group tops this list, accelerating at the extraordinary rate of 169% on last year. It is a new entry in the main table at 32.

There was a fair bit of corporate upheaval this year. Notable examples were Capita Symonds, which is sticking to the acquisition trail, joined by WSP Group which spent £3.5m on new businesses, and White Young Green, which absorbed four firms including Tweeds. Many firms have set up new offices, both here and abroad, and there were several international manoeuvres – Cyril Sweett completed the acquisition of an Irish subsidiary, while Turner & Townsendracked up a number of mergers, one in Ireland, others in Australia and the Middle East.

Margins appear to be up, continuing a small but significant trend over the last four years. For the first time, the proportion of firms reporting level margins is below half, with 43% reporting higher margins, up from 38% last year. Now more than four-fifths of firms make a profit margin of better than a 4%. Regeneration is definitely moving up the political and investment agenda – 17% of fee income came from this kind of project.

Clients also seem to be paying up more quickly, although 60 days remains the overwhelming preference.

Winning work and buying up companies is all very well, but in this league table firms are placed according to how many people they employ. With a desperate shortage of talent to go round, the strain is clearly showing. Two-thirds of firms admitted that recruitment difficulties were holding back their growth, even more than said the same thing last year.

Although staff numbers have risen by nearly a tenth across the industry, that is not enough. Almost every firm – 94% – said they were looking to recruit over the next six months, and salary rises are more likely to beat inflation than they were five years ago.

Worryingly, the average age of staff has gone up. Three years ago it was 35, now it’s 38, reflecting the dearth of new people coming up the ranks. And those hard-pressed consultants are working much harder by the look of things. Despite companies’ emphasis on family-friendly, flexible working policies, the proportion of staff who use them has dropped. At two-thirds of companies, fewer than 10% of staff take advantage.

What kind of car is your company?

Gleeds

Richard Steer, senior partner
“I see the Maserati as the most appropriate car for Gleeds: dynamic, sleek, international and exclusive.”

What kind of car is your company?

Bucknall Austin

Simon Birchall, managing director
“We’re a Mustang – because it was iconic and a much sought after motor which got subsumed by the Ford bean counters, but escaped from their clutches, got back to basics and re-emerged as an aspirational brand, offering extremely good value and muscle with bags of charisma and balls. It outshines many supercars and attracted more stares than any Ferrari at Le Mans.”

What kind of car is your company?

Whitbybird

Mark Whitby, design director
“We’re an A-class Mercedes, because it’s neat, economic and practical. It would be black because it’s an anonymous colour. There’s no point in shouting out – it’s quiet.”

What kind of car is your company?

BPTW

Mark Bottomley, partner
“We’ve done a straw poll, and were split between those who suggested Porsches, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins, and those who suggested things like people carriers. We’ve got some young and aspirational people here in the office, but then there are also those of us who know there’s another side; it’s not all about being flashy and successful. So a hybrid of a sports car and a mobile home would be ideal. If you’re going to force me to say one, I’d say a VW camper van, because its accommodating, flexible, sustainable, popular. It will do anything and go anywhere.”

What kind of car is your company?

Cyril Sweett

Francis Ives, chairman
“Cyril Sweett would be a Lexus GS 450H, a hybrid car that takes petrol and also has an electric motor. It’s quick, stylish and comes with all the options. It’s economic and sustainable. It starts with petrol, and then when you have started along the road, it switches to an electric motor, which costs almost nothing to run.”

What kind of car is your company?

HOK Sport

Rod Sheard, senior principal
“It would be the Land Rover Defender basically because it’s the best four-wheel drive vehicle in the world. It’s British and has been around for a long time. It does the job better than anyone else. The British army uses Defenders. They’re not expensive, not flashy, not showy; they simply do the job better. They can move around the world physically, across the desert and up mountains. Their form, although not flashy, is classic. It’s been around for 50 years, yet it is modifiable.”

What kind of car is your company?

Scott Wilson

Geoff French, chairman
“I’d say we were a Saab. Saabs have a reputation for being reliable and dependable, but with a bit of flare, and that’s what we believe we are.”

What kind of car is your company?

McBains Cooper

Michael Thirkettle, chief executive
“McBains Cooper is more like a motorbike, specifically a Honda Fireblade. Riders have to calculate risks. They have to consider the environment around them. They also have to be aware of what others on the road are doing, in the same way we have to look out for our competitors and clients. Honda are market leaders and the Fireblade can perform in all situations.”

What kind of car is your company?

Make Architects

Ken Shuttleworth, founder
“We aim to be the Nuna 3, the solar panel car which goes the fastest and for the longest distance with no carbon emissions. But we aren’t there yet! I think we’re more like the dual fuel Honda Civic Hybrid, which outperforms the Toyota Prius, as we are yet to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions as a studio – without offsets – or on our projects.”

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