Meet the Supplier: Get to Know Keegans

In our latest ‘Meet the Supplier’ feature, we caught up with Jonathan Abbott, Director of Keegans, supplier on the Hyde Building and Fire Safety and GFP Decarbonisation Delivery frameworks. Jon talks about the company’s proven track record of delivering at scale, building close links with local charities, schools and VCSEs via its social value programme, and scaling up retrofit delivery.

 

What is your company’s mission statement/aims/objectives?

Keegans is a multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy that prioritises sustainability in built environment services. Our core values can be summarised as delivering solutions that develop sustainable, low-energy, low-environmental-impact buildings, while providing high-quality consultancy services across building surveying, project and cost management, fire safety engineering, retrofit and more.

Can you give us a brief history of your company?  

Keegans was founded in 1984 and has built a reputation as a comprehensive consultancy in the built environment.

Over time, we have evolved into a full-scope consultancy offering services including project management, cost consultancy, building surveying, retrofit, fire safety engineering, Clerk of Works , CDM Principal Designer/Building Regulations Principal Designer services and architecture (in partnership with sister company, ECD).

In recent years, as the industry focus shifted heavily towards sustainability and retrofit for energy efficiency, Keegans has significantly invested in building up a dedicated retrofit team, especially to meet standards under PAS 2035 (the UK’s retrofit standard).

More recently, as part of the N‑Able Group, we have been acquired by RSK Group a global leader in the delivery of sustainable solutions.

What are the benefits of being a supplier on these frameworks?  

Being appointed to the Pretium Greener Futures Partnership Decarbonisation Delivery and Hyde Building and Fire Safety frameworks offers Keegans a number of strategic and operational advantages that strengthen our ability to deliver high-quality retrofit, fire safety and building safety consultancy services:

• Opportunity to support some of the UK’s largest social landlords
  Being part of these frameworks gives Keegans direct access to organisations with significant retrofit, fire safety and building safety obligations, alongside long-term investment programmes. This enables us to contribute meaningfully to large-scale decarbonisation, fire remediation and Building Safety Act compliance across diverse housing portfolios.
• A platform to demonstrate leadership in PAS 2035 retrofit and building safety compliance
  The frameworks align closely with Keegans’ core strengths: whole-house PAS 2035 retrofit delivery, fire risk management, FRAEW and EWS1 expertise, and multidisciplinary consultancy. They allow us to demonstrate best practice in integrating energy efficiency improvements with life-safety and regulatory compliance across a national portfolio.
• Greater visibility and credibility within the sector
  Framework appointment positions Keegans as a trusted, pre-approved consultant for both retrofit and fire safety services, strengthening our profile with housing associations, local authorities and public sector bodies seeking competent, accredited and regulator-ready partners.
• Strengthened pipeline and stability of workflow
  The long-term nature of the Greener Futures Partnership and Building and Fire Safety frameworks provides a sustained and balanced pipeline of retrofit, fire safety and compliance projects. This supports workforce stability, enables structured growth across both disciplines, and underpins continued investment in training, accreditation, systems and innovation.
• Opportunities for collaboration and innovation
  The frameworks encourage close collaboration between consultants, contractors and housing providers. For Keegans, this supports the development of integrated solutions that align retrofit delivery with fire safety remediation, Building Safety Case requirements and Golden Thread principles, while sharing learning and improving outcomes at scale.
• Enhanced ability to deliver social value at scale
  Operating through collaborative frameworks allows Keegans to deliver meaningful social value linked to both retrofit and fire safety projects, including resident engagement, safety awareness, education programmes, local employment pathways and skills development, across a wider geographical footprint.
• Contribution to national net-zero and building safety objectives
  Being part of these frameworks supports Keegans’ purpose-driven mission to improve the safety, sustainability and performance of existing homes. By combining decarbonisation with robust fire safety and building compliance, we help clients meet net-zero targets, reduce risk and improve residents’ quality of life across the UK.

What specific products or services does your company deliver through these frameworks? 

Through its framework appointments, Keegans delivers a comprehensive suite of retrofit services including Retrofit Assessor, Retrofit Coordinator, Retrofit Designer, Retrofit Evaluator roles under PAS 2035 compliance. We can also help contractors to become PAS2030 accredited and we offer training for contractors to help them understand the PAS2030 process and how to produce documentation for Trustmark lodgement. We have also helped housing providers with grant funding applications.

Through the Building and Fire Safety framework, Keegans delivers a comprehensive range of fire safety engineering, compliance and building safety consultancy services to public sector and social housing clients. These include Fire Risk Assessments (Types 1–4, and  in accordance with PAS 79), FRAEW surveys and EWS1 to the PAS 9980 standard, intrusive compartmentation surveys, retrospective and new-build fire strategies, and technical fire engineering advice which includes QDR reviews under BS7974 and technical notes. We also support clients in meeting their duties under the Building Safety Act 2022, including Higher-Risk Building, Building Safety Case preparation, gap analysis, and Golden Thread information in relation to gateway 3 applications. Services are delivered by our in-house, BAFE SP205-accredited fire safety team, ensuring consistency, independence and full regulatory compliance. We are affiliate members of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and The Institution of Fire Engineers.

Can you share some key achievements or successful projects completed through the frameworks? 

We competed in a mini-competition under the GFP Decarbonisation Deliovery framework for Abri’s project 6 Energy Efficiency Measures consultancy services (Wave 2) which consisted of the retrofit of 80 dwellings in Froxfield and Bordon in Petersfield, Hampshire in 2023. This project is now complete and we have subsequently been directly appointed for Wave three in the South East England for three years and retrofit services for Wave 2.2 programme of retrofit to 200 homes for Abri. Abri described Keegans as “a great consultant to work with”, and said they were “highly satisfied” with our services.

What sets your business apart from its competitors? 

We have a genuine passion to ensure our work is carried out to the highest standards. Our relationships with clients and residents is extremely important to us and we will do everything possible to ensure the projects are successful and client and residents are happy with the results.

Our full multidisciplinary in-house capability sets us apart. Keegans covers surveying, architecture (via sister company ECD), cost consultancy, retrofit, project management and fire safety, giving clients a one-stop solution rather than needing to coordinate multiple consultants/sub-contractors.

We have a proven track record of delivering at scale. Our team has retrofitted over 10,000 homes and we have more than 25 years’ experience in large-scale public sector projects, and multiple framework appointments, demonstrating capacity, reliability and experience at scale. In 2024 Keegans was awarded Building Magazines Construction Consultant/Surveyor of the Year Award at the Building Awards.

Our deep retrofit expertise with regulatory compliance built in. Our 20 plus retrofit team are Elmhurst-qualified and TrustMark-registered, delivering PAS 2035-compliant whole-house retrofit services.

Keegans has a sustainability-first ethos. From day one, sustainability has been central to our business model, designing low-energy, low-impact buildings and prioritising retrofit to improve energy efficiency and resident comfort.

Our commitment to social value and community impact: Through engagement in social value programmes, working with charities, offering work experience programmes to support young people into construction, volunteering, pro-bono work, etc

How does your company contribute positively to the communities it operates in? 

Via our social value programmes with each client, we build close links with local charities, schools and VCSEs to support youth work experience, volunteering, fundraising, community engagement and encouraging careers in construction.

By delivering energy-efficient retrofit projects for public sector housing, we help to reduce fuel poverty, improve thermal comfort, cut energy bills and carbon emissions contributing to healthier, more sustainable homes and communities. Through these projects we also work to educate residents on heating their homes to reduce energy bills.

What will be the key areas of focus for your business over the next 12 months?

Our business focus areas include:

• Scaling up retrofit delivery — continuing to deliver on framework projects, supporting local authorities and housing associations, especially given increased demand for retrofit due to energy efficiency and net-zero targets.
• Supporting funding bids for public sector & social housing — helping clients secure grants and funding (e.g. via SHDF, ECO, other retrofit funding streams) and guiding them through the associated compliance and delivery process.
• Expanding sustainable consultancy services across sectors — not just residential, but also education, commercial, community, health & leisure sectors
• Delivering social value and community engagement programmes —expanding our work experience, youth engagement, volunteering, and social value contributions in areas where they operate.
• Maintaining high standards/compliance and thought leadership — keeping up with latest regulations (e.g. PAS 2035 updates), contributing to industry bodies (e.g. as founding member of ARC) to shape best practice across the retrofit sector.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector? 

We believe that when it comes to retrofitting homes the biggest challenges the housing sector face is:

• Meeting energy-efficiency and retrofit demand at scale — many homes (especially social housing or older buildings) will need retrofit to meet climate/energy targets, but delivering those at scale while maintaining quality, compliance, resident wellbeing and value for money is challenging.
• Securing funding — retrofit, deep refurbishment and sustainable upgrades often rely on grants or public funding (e.g. SHDF, ECO). As public budgets tighten or funding criteria evolve, achieving and managing that funding becomes harder.
• Regulatory and compliance complexity — ensuring compliance with evolving standards (e.g. PAS 2035), building safety/fire safety regulations, energy efficiency standards (e.g. MEES, Part L), while balancing building condition, heritage, resident needs.
• Supply chain and skills shortages — achieving high-quality retrofit works requires skilled professionals (assessors, coordinators, contractors, trades), and shortages or fragmented skills can pose risks.
• Balancing resident disruption and retrofit delivery — carrying out retrofit in occupied homes or social housing means minimising disruption, ensuring resident comfort, and managing communications — which can be difficult in large-scale schemes.

From a building and fire safety perspective, the biggest challenges facing the housing sector include:

• Navigating increased regulatory complexity following the Building Safety Act 2022 — Accountable Persons and housing providers must demonstrate compliance across fire risk management, external wall safety, Building Safety Cases and Golden Thread requirements, often across large and complex housing portfolios.
• Managing legacy buildings with incomplete or poor-quality information — many existing buildings, particularly high-rise and older stock, lack comprehensive as-built records, fire strategies or maintenance histories, making compliance and safety case preparation resource-intensive.
• Delivering proportionate fire safety remediation under funding constraints — balancing urgent life-safety works (such as cladding remediation, compartmentation and fire door upgrades) against limited funding availability and competing investment priorities remains a major challenge.
• Keeping pace with evolving technical guidance and standards — ongoing changes to guidance such as PAS 9980, evolving interpretations of external wall risk, and changes to evacuation strategies require continual reassessment and expert input.
• Minimising resident disruption while delivering critical safety works — undertaking intrusive investigations, remediation and inspections in occupied buildings requires careful planning, communication and resident engagement, particularly in high-rise and mixed-use settings.
• Coordinating multiple stakeholders and statutory bodies — effective delivery relies on alignment between housing providers, fire engineers, contractors, regulators and residents, which can be complex and time-consuming.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing your company and your supply chain partners? 

The pressure of scaling retrofit services quickly while maintaining quality, compliance and PAS 2035 standards, especially given high demand.

• Resource constraints — ensuring enough qualified Retrofit Coordinators, Assessors, Designers, QSs, project managers etc., across multiple projects and frameworks, while avoiding staff burnout.
• Supply chain volatility — availability and price fluctuations of sustainable materials, insulation, retrofit-specific products, especially with rising demand.
• Complex funding and procurement processes — navigating grant funding, regulatory requirements, stakeholder sign-off, value-for-money assessments, and contract administration for public sector clients.
• Managing multiple stakeholders — residents, local authorities, funding bodies, contractors and ensuring coordination, communication, and smooth delivery across all.
• Dealing with complex remediation issues – Resulting from poor construction our fire safety engineers provide technical support and statements to support nonstandard solutions hat satisfy the regulators and give comfort to the clients that an acceptable level of life safety can be achieved by looking at the collective performance and risks to the building.

From a building and fire safety perspective, key challenges include:

• Scaling specialist, accredited fire safety expertise at pace — increasing demand for FRAEW assessors, fire engineers and Building Safety Act specialists requires rapid scaling while maintaining the independence, competence and rigour expected by regulators, insurers and residents.
• Market-wide pressure on specialist investigations and remediation — national demand for intrusive investigations, external wall assessments and fire remediation works is placing strain on specialist supply chains, affecting availability and programme certainty.
• Maintaining regulatory confidence and technical robustness — fire safety advice must remain evidence-led, proportionate and defensible, particularly where complex or non-standard solutions are required to demonstrate acceptable levels of life safety.
• Mitigating risk through in-house capability and early intervention — Keegans addresses these challenges through its established in-house fire safety team, ongoing CPD and accreditation, early-stage technical risk assessments and close collaboration with trusted specialist contractors, enabling compliant delivery without compromising safety, quality or programme certainty.

Are there any recent innovations or developments in your business that excite you?  

We have been piloting some new software with AI capacities to help our reporting and design outputs.

We have also partnered with Elmhurst and a Glasgow-based company that is creating an app capable of scanning rooms in a house and generating digital floor plans. These plans include window and overall dimensions, which can be directly uploaded for rdSAP data.

Finally, we have been helping a company develop training for retrofit coordinators and assessors

If you were Housing Minister for the day, what would you change? 

We would prioritise funding and support for large-scale retrofit of social and affordable housing, to accelerate energy-efficiency upgrades, reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions, and improve resident comfort and health, as well as streamlining the application and compliance process for retrofit funding (e.g. SHDF, ECO) to reduce delays and bureaucracy, enabling more organisations to access funding and deliver projects more quickly.

We would incentivise “whole-house retrofit” over piecemeal measures, ensuring retrofit meets standards like PAS 2035, and supports long-term sustainability rather than short-term fixes.

We would also invest in skills training and workforce development, supporting more retrofit coordinators, assessors, designers, energy-efficiency experts, to ensure supply chain and capacity grow to meet demand, as well as insisting that retrofit coordinators take the lead on retrofit projects and are independent of contractors

Can you tell us an interesting fact about your organisation? 

Keegans is a founding member of the Association of Retrofit Consultants (ARC), helping shape the future of retrofit standards and best practice across the UK and our Retrofit Director is on the steering Group for PAS2035 so has directly influenced the improvements to PAS 2035.