Last update 23rd September 2022
McLaughlin & Harvey
McLaughlin & Harvey is a family-run building and civil engineering company working across the UK and Ireland providing a full service which includes design and build and facilities management.
The company operates a wide range of sectors covering healthcare, education, industrial, retail, sports venues, transport infrastructure, environmental, marine, commercial, residential and leisure.
The company works through a range of approaches involving construction, civil engineering, workspace, Rocklyn and frameworks. It has a turnover of around £275 million, has offices in Belfast, Glasgow, London, Bristol, Liverpool and Birmingham and employs over 700 staff.
Founded in Belfast in 1853, the company has worked on numerous landmark projects across the UK including the De Lorean motor plant in Belfast in 1980, Royal Victoria Hospital Critical Care Unit, Belfast, the redevelopment of the G1 George Square in Glasgow and the Tollcross Aquatic Centre for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. More recently, the company worked widely on the Alexander Stadium for the 2022, Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It has a longstanding working relationship with Marks & Spencer.
As well as design & build, the group’s construction arm works through negotiation, PPP/PFI, 2-stage tendering, and framework agreements. Its civil engineering arm also provides design and construct services across sectors including port and harbour, river and coastal engineering, road and rail infrastructure, environmental urban drainage and energy and renewables.
Elsewhere, the group’s fit-out business works on projects ranging from complex, high-end showrooms to office fit-out schemes and fast-track retail build. Meanwhile, its Rocklyn division is a leading supplier of air domes; structures supported by internal air pressure using industrial fans.
The group’s shareholder, the Cheevers family, take a very active role in the management of the business; Philip Cheevers is group chief executive. Meanwhile, the group has been an active recruiter recently and runs its own trainee, undergraduate placement and graduate schemes.
The group’s long term aim is to build sustained profits in an ethical manner. In the group’s latest annual report published in July 2021, it said the outlook was more optimistic as construction companies have proven they can work safely with Covid 19.
Financials
For the financials for McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd. go to Companies House and see Company number NI027864
McLaughlin & Harvey put in a solid performance in the year to December 2020 against a background of disruption from Covid. Turnover was slightly ahead at £272.3 million up from £268.8 million previously although pre-tax profit slumped to £2.8 million from £7.1 million. Operating profit fell to £2.4 million from £7.13 million. Cash at bank and in hand slipped to £29.97 million from £53.4 million. Meanwhile, a Companies House note in August 2022 stated that the group’s previous accounting period had been extended from end-December 2021 to end-June 2022.
Operations
In August 2022, McL&H started work on the expansion of Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) and the launch of UKAEA’s new apprenticeship programmes at Culham. The three-year-old facility will be extended by 2,355 sqm and ready to receive its first students from September 2023.
Over summer 2022, McLaughlin & Harvey also won a contract for the design and construction of a new hangar at Farnborough Airport which marks the largest infrastructure project at the airport this century,and where McL&H will draw on its earlier experience working on ‘live airports’.
McL&H also built a recently-opened new automated steel pressing facility at BMW’s Swindon plant to produce panels for the MINI plant in Oxford. Elsewere in the industrial sector, McL&H recently worked on the expansion of Etex’s Siniat plasterboard plant near the Port of Bristol.
In the regeneration sector, earlier in spring 2022, McL&H, started work on one of south Bristol’s largest new developments, The Old Brewery in Southville which will include 107 affordable homes and seven new commercial units in a scheme being developed by housing provider Abri.
In the civils sector, McLaughlin & Harvey was named in early summer 2022 as a Framework Supplier for 3 lots of Pagabo’s new £1.56bn national civils and infrastructure framework. The group also has a place on the SCAPE National Construction Framework for projects in Scotland from £7.5m and over.
Earlier in 2022, Stornoway Port Authority awarded a contract for the construction of a new multi-purpose deep water terminal to McLaughlin & Harvey. The transformational project at the Outer Hebrides’ main port will provide new facilities for the transport and energy sectors.
Glenigan data
Glenigan data shows McLaughlin & Harvey ranks as the 25th largest UK contractor with 24 significant projects over the year to June 2022 split worth a total of £499 million and split between civils £168.5 million and building £330.5 million.
Glenigan data also points to a good mix of projects underway at McLaughlin & Harvey. The group is the main contractor on a £30 million office building at Culham Science Centre in Abingdon for the UK Atomic Energy Authority where work started in late spring 2022 and is set to run for 16 months (Project ID: 21083920). Earlier in the spring, McL&H also started work on a £35 million design and build project for Radisson Blue Hotel in Sheffield where work is set to run until September 2023 (Project ID: 18347618).
Conclusion
McL & H has long been one of the leading lights in the design and build sector. Today, it appears to be benefitting from the post-Covid rebound in confidence with some significant recent additions to its order book from blue chip public and private sector clients. As well as a wide geographic spread across both the UK and Ireland, the group’s long established civil engineering business should help to sustain its workload if interest rate-senstive sectors come off the boil in the months ahead. Meanwhile, the group’s workspace business should benefit as commercial office landlords adapt their space to meet the changing needs of employers in the wake of Covid and the trend for working from home.
How to win work with McLaughlin & Harvey
For its supply chain management, McL&H uses SCOPE, a portal bespoke to the company which is linked to Constructionline. The company advises agencies to contact hr.recruitment@mclh.co.uk with requests become part of its Preferred Suppliers List.
Key Contacts
Chris Collins, Pre-construction Director (oversees the procurement and pre-construction aspects of all projects)
Telephone: 0203 542 8308
Martin Smith, Pre-construction Director (leads a team of submission managers, estimators and planners).
Telephone: 0203 542 8308