Tilbury Douglas order book reaches £1.7bn after securing £500m of new work
Tilbury Douglas has secured more than £500m of new project awards during the first half of 2026, taking its order book to £1.7bn, as the contractor reports continued growth across education, healthcare, defence, justice and water.
The regional building, fit-out, infrastructure and engineering contractor said its order book has increased by more than 20% compared with the same period in 2025, following a series of project awards and framework appointments.
The business has also returned to a positive net asset position as of 30 June 2026 and reported an improved Dunn & Bradstreet rating of 84.
Education frameworks strengthen pipeline
Among its latest successes, Tilbury Douglas retained its position on the current Department for Education (DfE) framework and secured a place on the £15.4bn DfE Construction Framework 2025 in the High Value Band for projects worth more than £12m across both the North and South of England.
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The contractor has also received its first direct awards under the framework to deliver two sixth-form entry secondary schools.
Alongside its education pipeline, the business said it has continued investing in its defence capabilities, increasing its market share and securing additional defence-related work.
Industrial construction strategy launched
Tilbury Douglas has also introduced an Industrial Construction Strategy to support the Department for Education’s drive towards greater standardisation in public sector construction.
The strategy focuses on platform-based procurement to improve efficiency, consistency and value across project delivery.
The company has also completed the rebranding of its specialist fit-out division, with Paragon now operating as Tilbury Douglas Fit-Out.
Order book growth reflects customer confidence
Craig Tatton, Chief Executive Officer at Tilbury Douglas, said: “Following a successful 2025, our order book continues to grow and is now £1.7bn. Being awarded more than £500m of work in the first half of 2026 represents a strong start to the year and reflects the confidence our customers place in us.
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“Our return to a positive net asset position, alongside the significant improvement in our Dunn & Bradstreet score, demonstrates the continued strengthening of the business. It reinforces our financial resilience and provides employees, customers, partners and suppliers with confidence that Tilbury Douglas is a secure, long-term delivery partner.
“”Our regional building service line is making good progress in all the devolved regions, fit-out is getting increased recognition, our engineering business is growing its volume of external and end-user work and in Infrastructure we are seeing our AMP8 water pipeline develop strongly.
“Our project wins, alongside our framework appointments and our continued focus on innovation and standardisation, position us well for sustained growth as we deliver high-quality projects across the UK.
“The launch of our Industrial Construction Strategy is also driving a more collaborative approach across Tilbury Douglas, further strengthening the combination of our regional presence and national capability.”
