In a bumper year, pre-tax profit climbed a third to £28m as the firm benefited from a strong pipeline of work from HS2, water and energy projects.

The improvement saw group operating margins nudge up from 5.3% to 6.3%.

The debt-free family contractor now in its 67th year finished the year to March 2025 with a 37% cash boost to £47m, giving it headroom for reinvestment, while staff numbers edged up to 2,233.

The forward order book has now swelled to £2.8bn with fresh wins across energy, water and civils, including AMP8 delivery for Southern Water, a major SGN gas mains replacement programme, and expanded HS2 roles with EKFB and SCS.

Clancy also secured a design and build role on the Old Abbey substation for Sizewell C.

Chief executive Matt Cannon said the group’s financial strength “ensures we can continue to act as smart investors, adapting quickly, maintaining stability, and staying ahead of market shifts”.

He added: “The past year has seen us mobilise rapidly to support major investment across our infrastructure markets – accelerating new programmes in energy and water tied to the regulatory cycle, as well as securing new wins in rail, gas and nuclear.

“We have expanded our geographical footprint with the support of new offices in London, Exeter and Basingstoke, helping to solidify our position across the UK.”

The group invested £15.8m in new plant last year, alongside 86,000 training hours through its in-house academy and 170 internal promotions – including new directors for sustainability and health & safety.

Chair Kevin Clancy said investment in training and careers meant “over a quarter of our workforce has now been with us for more than a decade”.