Delivering infrastructure enabling communities to thrive

Quality first time – every time

Gas
Keeping the South’s energy moving

Quality first time – every time

Water
Surveying, building & maintaining

Quality first time – every time

Telecoms
Full turnkey solutions

Quality first time – every time

Infrastructure
Relationships creating success

Quality first time – every time

Aggregates
The South’s no. 1 supplier

Quality first time – every time

Recycling
Reduce, reuse & recycle

Quality first time – every time

Traffic Management
Utilising latest technologies

Quality first time – every time

Careers
Come & work with us

Quality first time – every time

1,000,000+

75,000

70,000

648,000+

Who we are

Ferns is one of the largest independent utility infrastructure services providers in the south of the UK. We are proud to provide the services that keeps infrastructure working for our communities.

Ferns was incorporated in 1996, growing to combine Ferns Surfacing Ltd and then onto its acquisition of Forefront Utilities to the formation of Ferns Traffic Management then brought together into the Ferns Group of companies we see today.

Working today to leave an indelible mark
on the landscape of tomorrow.

Our strategic priorities are centered around:

  1. Being More Competitive
    Enacting Superior Cost Leadership & Differentiation Advantage (Distinctive Brand & Operational Prowess).
  2. Serving Customers Better
    Listen to our customers to make improvements across the business. Continually improving and expanding our offering.
  3. Simplifying and Speeding Up
    Continue to simplify and speed up, building a culture based on high performance & teamwork. We are cost conscious, always finding ways to be a more efficient business.
  4. Creating and Scaling for Profitable Growth
    Organising ourselves with People, Structure and Processes in readiness to scale profitably.

Strategy & excellence

We differentiate ourselves through our client focus, innovation and our superior operational prowess. Our strategy encourages us to create a culture where we seek to improve every day to deliver successful outcomes.

Service Excellence is our blueprint for success, brought to life by the pride and passion of the people in our business.

Capabilities

Our service capability spans the full asset lifecycle – from aggregate extraction, survey and engineering, capital works, operations, maintenance and asset management – complemented by technology enabled solutions and deep technical expertise.


Operational

We have operational coverage in London and the South of the UK. Our agility and flexibility allows us to to mobilise for new contracts within a very short time period.

Systems & Data

Ferns Group operates its own works management software and has has worked in close collaboration with major SaaS providers to optimise working practices and allows us to monitor all aspects of the job in real time with physical evidence of works and customer interactions.

Customer Service

Our Customers are informed of what is happening at every stage of the job and can contact us 24/7 365. 

Fleet

Our owned and operated fleet is constantly growing & updated. We renew our fleet regularly and embrace the newest technologies from in vehicle technology, driver behaviour and safety critical systems from the most reputable sources – being best in class.

Health & Safety

We believe in the principle; Be Safe and Be Sure and have a strong reputation for Safety, Quality, Service Excellence and Customer Care.

Our clients

Ferns is recognised as being a first class highly effective Contractor that works within a winning network of clients and suppliers together creating mutual enduring value to each other and to the community in which we operate.

Core clients

Other clients

We are pleased to be able to work in collaborative relationships with a growing and wide diversity of clients.

Case studies

Work we’ve done for the Water, Gas and Electricity industries and here are a few words from some of them.

Thames Water

April 2015 – Present

Ferns currently operate a full reinstatement service to our client Thames Water. Our current geographical area covers the Central London and inside the M25 corridor.

Ferns currently undertake the following work streams and all reinstatement activities are undertaken in house including:

  • Repair & Maintenance works (Central London)
  • Repair & Maintenance works (East London)
  • Large Consequential Works across both areas
  • We have depot facilities in Wembley & Hackney (East London)
  • Backfill & Muck Away
  • Surface Reinstatement
  • 24 Hour Call Out
  • Specialist Surfaces (York stone, Mastic, Chinese Setts)
  • Heavy Lifting Operations
  • Clearance of SLG
  • Jet Wash
  • Repair of Ducts & Drains
  • Road Sweeping Activities
  • Road Planning

We currently undertake on the contract in excess of 25,000 small – hole excavations per annum. We also undertake large reinstatement works as a result of repair works.

Openreach

November 2022 – Present

Ferns currently operate a full turnkey service to our client BT Openreach. Our current geographical area covers 50% of the UK, from operation and maintenance contracts in Bristol, Wiltshire and Dorset and in the Chilterns region to Full Fibre Build projects UK wide.

Ferns currently undertake the following work stream:

  • Openreach Network Services – Civils, Poling & Flex/Fibre
  • Complex Manholes for 50% of the UK
  • FTTP Provisioning Works
  • Fibre Build delivering turnkey services from survey and design to testing and commissioning

We have depot facilities in Maidenhead, Wrotham, Chippenham, Brentwood and London.

We currently operate a direct labour model for all our works, enabling us to continuously optimise the assets we build, maintain, and operate.

Kent County Council

July 2023 – Present

Ferns delivers critical drainage and infrastructure services to Kent County Council for new surface water drainage systems, including drains, pipe work, culverts, pumping stations, and/or new SUDS retro fit features, manholes/catchpits, soakaways, gullies, major resurfacing works and works to ponds and lagoons.

Ferns currently undertake the following work streams:

  • Routine maintenance, such as ironworks, ditching and siding, etc.
  • Replace or repair damaged assets which may include broken pipes, deep bore of existing soakaways, broken covers, manholes, gullies, brickwork including headwalls, damaged culverts, etc.
  • General Reinstatement works including carriageway repairs.
  • Traffic management operations associated with the Employer’s instruction including permitting/noticing.
  • Design of temporary works

Accreditations

Our excellence in health and safety, environmental awareness, quality and service ensures our accreditations endorse our reputation.