The consultancy that delivers betters

As a B Corp certified consultancy, we provide fresh, objective thinking to help our clients deliver positive social, economic and environmental impact.

Our Services

We specialise in:

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
• Cost Management
• Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

By combining these perspectives, we offer innovative, commercial viable and responsible solutions - enabling our clients to do better things in better ways.

Our mission

We can make a difference

The built environment has a unique opportunity to positively influence society -
both in what we build and how we build it.

Today's challenges such as social inequality, climate change, resource depletion and profound demographic shifts, demand holistic, collaborative solutions.

This is where Akerlof can help...

We work with ambitious leaders across both public and private sectors to tackle contemporary challenges, creatively.

We provide strategic advice, R&D, operational support and training to unlock the benefits of:

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
• Cost Management and
• Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

To deliver betters... not just goods.

West Yorkshire featured project

Featured project

Akerlof devises an MMC action plan for West Yorkshire

Akerlof, commissioned by West Yorkshire Strategic Place Partnership, conducted research to identify how offsite opportunities could contribute to creating sustainable neighbourhoods, housing targets and net zero carbon goals in West Yorkshire.

Jamie Hillier

Partner
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With a penchant for tweed and jackets with leather arm patches, Jamie began his career as a quantity surveyor, before climbing the ladder to lead major projects for a Tier 1 contractor.

Eventually expanding his book collection beyond copies of SMM7, Jamie has interest in a broad range of subjects linked to delivering better outcomes for society and the environment.

His strategic insights on MMC and behavioural science have made their way into numerous government, industry and academic publications, including the Construction Playbook, Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030, the Platform Rulebook and the RIBA DfMA Overlay.

John Handscomb

Partner
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Construction is in John’s blood. Learning from his father who was a planner and project manager, John began his career by working on some iconic projects in both the public and private sector.

As a procurement expert and integrator of new ways of working, John has pioneered the integration of platform principles, DfMA processes and supply chain within over £5bn projects in the last 15 years, for some of the largest building programmes in the UK. Despite his considerable expertise, John keeps it simple, communicating complicated ideas with ease and helping to equip the industry with new knowledge and skills.

Outside of Akerlof, John enjoys his executive role with technology start-up ScanTech Digital, spending time with his family, taking trips down the football, playing a bit of golf with friends and the odd pint. 

Our name is shared with George Akerlof, a Nobel Prize-winning economist.

His seminal paper, Market for Lemons, demonstrated the devastating consequences of making decisions under the conditions of quality uncertainty and unequal information between buyers and sellers, increasing the chance of buyers ending up with a ‘lemon’.

This 50-year-old concept continues to retain parallels within the construction industry.

Through our insight and experience, we can rebalance this information asymmetry on behalf of our clients, levelling the playing field to deliver better outcomes.