What happened NG Bailey has taken top spot in the Top 30 UK M&E Contractors rankings, published by the Building Engineering Services Association and reported by Construction Enquirer this week, after turnover rose 18% to £707m. That knocks last year's leader TClarke down to third, on turnover of £655m, just behind EDF-owned Dalkia in second place on £656m, up 8% on the year.

Wates-owned SES completed a top-four "breakaway pack" after revenue jumped 27% to £590m. This year's biggest mover sits just outside that group: Dornan Engineering saw turnover leap 77%, from £222m to £392m, climbing from 11th place to 5th. Combined turnover across the ranked 30 firms rose to £6.8bn, up from £6.2bn the year before.

Why it matters M&E is growing faster than much of the wider construction market, and the BESA report points to data centres, defence, life sciences and pharma work, alongside continuing Building Safety Act-driven refurbishment, as the sectors pulling that growth. The gap that has opened up between the top four firms and the rest of the table, nearly £200m back to fifth-placed Dornan, shows how concentrated the biggest specialist workload has become. At the same time, Dornan's own jump demonstrates that a mid-tier contractor landing the right specialist contracts can still scale turnover dramatically in a single year.

What it means for careers and hiring Data centre and mission-critical projects experience is fast becoming one of the most sought-after skill sets in UK building services. Mechanical and electrical project managers, commissioning engineers and estimators with hyperscale, critical power or cleanroom experience are best placed to benefit, and salaries at firms chasing this workload, NG Bailey, Dalkia and SES among them, tend to move with the order book.

Dornan's climb from 11th to 5th is worth noting if you are weighing a move away from a stable but slow-growing employer. Mid-tier M&E contractors that land the right specialist contracts can offer faster progression and broader project exposure than a larger, more settled competitor. For anyone building a career in building services rather than main contracting, this year's table is a reasonable guide to where the specialist workload, and the hiring, is actually going.