News analysis

The UK’s social value model for public sector procurement, strengthened by new legislation, will underpin investment programmes whichever party wins the election. Its influence is spreading across the world, as a way of levering social and environmental sustainability gains into government spending.

Insight: The next five-year asset management programme (AMP8) could see £96bn spent on improving Anglo-Welsh water infrastructure. As consultants prepare for unprecedented levels of demand, we ask: how have we got here, and how could the next five years change the course of the water sector?

Could National Highways’ largest ever engineering project fall foul of budget pressures and environmental concerns?

Latest recruits welcome prospect of green hydrogen made from nuclear power in the UK’s first net zero carbon industrial cluster.

Six months after the publication of Environment Analyst’s acclaimed ‘Consultancies in the race to net zero’ report – and in celebration of UK Net Zero Week – we explore how the top players are looking to advance their leadership role in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

What is ESG’s role in delivering an equitable transition, given apparently conflicting pressures from the war in Ukraine and rising cost of living? Nick Cottam’s opinion piece features insights shared at the recent Environment Analyst UK Business Summit.

Consultancy giant seeks staff from infrastructure, science, aerospace, transportation, water, IT and manufacturing backgrounds

Global consultancy Jacobs has developed a web-based check-in tool, designed to offer users an in-depth view of their mental health and to refer them to relevant help services

Innovative virtual water, environment and energy recruitment fair created to attract next generation of talent

The year ahead for development consent orders (DCO): what is likely and what needs to happen to accelerate Project Speed

Nine consultants secure environmental roles under £1.7bn, four-year agreement from the Crown Commercial Service

Heralded by government as the biggest ever investment in Britain’s rail network, the revised plan has met with fierce criticism

The US-headquartered global consulting giant has created an ‘office of global climate response and ESG,’ which it says is designed to provide strategic emphasis on the delivery of the company's climate and sustainability commitments.

Jacobs submits its first fully digital environmental impact assessment scoping report to the UK Planning Inspectorate

Scheme will attract consultants, architects and engineers at a time with candidates from diverse backgrounds

Jacobs awarded a £32.5m contract extension to support the phase out of the UK’s advanced gas-cooled reactors

The largest changes to waste and recycling services in a generation are being introduced across the UK. Dr Adam Read, director of external affairs at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and president of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), unpicks the implications for the environmental industry

Inclusive design moves up the agenda as the world aims to build back better. Nick Cottam reports on Jacobs' latest expert talk hosted by Environment Analyst's Sustainability Delivery Group

Renewed focus aims to expedite market opportunities and attract and retain top talent

Global engineering, technology and environmental consulting major Jacobs is offering a climate change course to its entire c55,000-strong workforce as part of efforts to embed green skills for responding to the climate crisis

55,000-strong US professional services firm reports on "strong" first half of fiscal year and looks forward to robust FY22 driven by infrastructure modernisation and digital and sustainability-driven disruption

Dallas-headquartered consulting and technology group to manage Highways England’s 3,000 legacy rail assets

Sector hits all-time high of £1.9bn in 2019 before pandemic forces decline last year; Jacobs confirmed new market leader, then RSK, WSP, AECOM and RPS; demand for climate change & energy services surges as net zero and climate resilience efforts ramp up

In the final major contracts to be awarded, tenders worth £1.9bn have been announced for the Lower Thames Crossing’s approach roads

HS2 – with support from Jacobs and LDA Design – plans to use excavated chalk and soil to to create new habitats next to HS2’s Colne Valley viaduct and Chilterns tunnels

US-based Jacobs acquired 50% of the UK social value consultancy Simetrica in 2019. Eighteen months on and social value is becoming a crucial enabler in helping clients deliver a sustainable and inclusive recovery to CV-19

Objections to the UK’s National Policy Statements on climate change grounds are unlikely to succeed, argues a legal expert. Objectors are now turning to the NSIP regime and DCOs as the 'theatre of war'

The chancellor has announced a National Infrastructure Bank, the speeding up of infrastructure planning and a radical reform of environmental assessment

With two sizable strategic investments announced in the last seven days - including a majority stake the UK’s PA Consulting - Jacobs is ramping up its tech-enabled solutions. FY20 financials point to resilient performance as CEO introduces ‘Focus 2023’ initiative

The prime minister has given us a picture of a low-carbon economy. It favours manufacturing, the north and the evolution of legacy industries