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Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction in the UK Industry Data and Analysis
The Dam, Harbour, and Other Water Project Construction industry has experienced a significant uptick in demand over the five years through 2025-26, following sharp declines due to the pandemic's impact. Contractors specialising in providing civil engineering services for the construction and maintenance of flood defence and coastal erosion abatement infrastructure are dependent on public spending to achieve revenue growth, as the public sector is a key downstream market. These contractors have benefitted from mounting spending, with the government's £5.2 billion spending commitment for flood defence and coastal erosion projects from 2021-27. Contractors working on behalf of water companies are subject to cyclical investment trends, which are dictated by price controls set by the water regulator Ofwat. The industry's reliance on capital investment frameworks induces a degree of volatility, with spending typically higher during the first three years of utility companies' five-yearly asset management period (AMP) cycles. With the new AMP8 starting in April 2025, water companies' orders for industry projects are set to climb. Revenue is forecast to swell at a compound annual rate of 9.6% over the five years through 2025-26, reaching just shy of £1.1 billion.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released October 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom operates under the SIC industry code F42.910. This industry comprises contractors that carry out water-based civil engineering projects. This includes dredging waterways, maintaining levees and riverbanks and constructing infrastructure such as dams, harbours, marinas and flood and coastal defence. The project management activities involved in civil engineering works are not included in this industry. Related terms covered in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom include marina, asset management plan and water companies.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom include Harbour, marina and port , Dam and reservoir and Inland and coastal waterway.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom include VolkerWessels UK Ltd, Boskalis Westminster Ltd and Balfour Beatty Group Ltd.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom in 2026?
The market size of the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom is £1.1bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom in 2025?
There are 414 businesses in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.8 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom?
The Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom?
The Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom has been growing at a CAGR of 9.6 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom?
The biggest companies operating in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom are VolkerWessels UK Ltd, Boskalis Westminster Ltd and Balfour Beatty Group Ltd
What does the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom include?
Inland and coastal waterway and Dam and reservoir are part of the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom?
The company holding the most market share in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom is VolkerWessels UK Ltd.
How competitive is the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom?
The level of competition is low and increasing in the Dam, Harbour & Other Water Project Construction industry in the United Kingdom.
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