RCS Recognised Across Four Construction News Award Categories

Being shortlisted for one national industry award is an achievement. Being shortlisted for four, across two of the construction industry's most respected awards programmes, says something more significant.

RAAC Consulting Solutions (RCS) has been named as a finalist in four categories across the Construction News Awards and the Construction News Specialist Awards. Collectively, the shortlistings recognise specialist contracting, technical innovation, project delivery, and expertise in concrete remediation.
Rather than telling the same story four times, the four entries reflect different aspects of the business. They recognise RCS as a Specialist Contractor of the Year, its Evidence-Led RAAC Remediation Framework for Company Innovation, the remediation of Medway Council's landmark Gun Wharf headquarters for Project of the Year by a Specialist Contractor, and the company's wider technical expertise as a Concrete Specialist.

Four shortlistings. Four different strengths

Together, the awards tell the story of a business that has spent the past 18 months challenging long-held assumptions about Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). Through research, structural engineering and practical remediation, RCS has demonstrated that evidence-led decision-making can often deliver safer, more proportionate, and more sustainable outcomes than default replacement.

Innovation recognised

The Company Innovation shortlist recognises the Evidence-Led RAAC Remediation Framework developed by RCS. By combining intrusive investigation, structural engineering, destructive testing, options appraisal and practical remediation, the framework helps clients make informed decisions based on the behaviour of each structure rather than generic assumptions.
Research undertaken with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Loughborough University has generated new data on RAAC behaviour that is already helping to inform future guidance and remediation strategies.

A growing specialist contractor

The Specialist Contractor and Concrete Specialist shortlistings recognise the wider development of the business. During the reporting period, RCS expanded its multidisciplinary team, increased project values, broadened its client base into sectors including aviation, manufacturing, utilities, higher education, and central government, and continued to invest in research, staff development, and continuous improvement.
This entry recognises RCS's growing reputation as one of the UK's leading specialists in complex concrete structures. Through investment in research, collaboration with leading academics and practical experience across aviation, manufacturing, education, healthcare and public sector estates, RCS has developed a deeper understanding of RAAC behaviour that is helping reshape industry guidance and deliver better engineering outcomes for clients.

Why it matters

The recognition also reflects a broader shift in the way RAAC is being managed. Rather than assuming replacement is the only answer, building owners are increasingly looking for evidence that supports safe, proportionate and practical engineering decisions. That philosophy has become central to the way RCS approaches every project and is now being recognised by some of the UK's most respected construction awards.

Looking ahead

The winners will be announced later this year, but reaching the shortlist in four separate categories is recognition of how far the business has come. It also reflects the trust clients have placed in RCS to tackle some of the UK's most challenging RAAC projects.

Need technical advice?

If you are responsible for a building containing RAAC and would like independent technical advice on assessment, remediation, or long-term management, get in touch with the RCS team.