Contracting Awards 2025: winners list

Sponsored by ContractorUK, the Contracting Awards 2025 were last night attended by 500 of the great and good from the UK's contractor industry.

At a glitzy awards ceremony inside London's Hilton, stand-up comedian Simon Broadkin revealed the winners in 25 different categories of contracting award.

But Andy Hallett, boss of Recspand, and one of this year's awards nine judges — representing the most scrutiny of nominations ever — was first to the stage.

'2026 will be challenging'

In his keynote address to the ceremony, Hallett noted contracting's dynamism and resilience, which continued in 2025 despite fiscal, hiring, and taxation pressures.

"And 2026 will be challenging…[too]," Hallett, a former director of SThree said after finishing his speech. "But", he boomed, "we've got this!"

Adam Jordan, boss of SupplyIN2, who is "honoured and humbled" to be a judge at the awards for the first time, also sounded upbeat about the future.

'Let's make 2026 and beyond…even bigger and better together'

"Congratulations to all the winners. It was great to see and speak with so many people. Let's now [work to] make 2026 and beyond…even bigger and better together."

Such cautious optimism, plus a stiff upper lip, is probably the minimum required with both an autumn budget and Joint and Several Liability looming.

Contracting Awards veteran judge Seb Maley, CEO of Qdos, sounds alive to the risks.

'Complexity, questions, scrutiny'

"The compliance landscape has changed so much in recent years," Mr Maley said after the ceremony.

"More complexity, more questions from all parties within the supply chain and, ultimately, more scrutiny from HMRC."

'Positive vibe'

But not even the taxman could dampen spirits at the seven-hour awards bash (it started just before 1830 and carriages weren't called until gone one o'clock in the morning).

Anthony Sherick, head judge at the Contracting Awards 2025, says: "It was so great to see such a positive vibe in the room and such an amazing turnout.

"So many people commented that it was great to all get together for a night of celebration and relationship-building.  The contracting industry really is so sincerely unique, supportive and collaborative."

"Congratulations to all the amazing winners who thoroughly deserved their accolades and everyone who made it onto the shortlist."

'Outstanding'

Published in August 2025, the shortlist of finalists  was remarkable due to the sheer amount of high calibre individuals and firms, according to two-time Contracting Awards judge Shelley Ankers-Wainwright.

"It's been such a privilege to be part of the judging…[and] the standard of [final stage] entries was genuinely outstanding," Ankers-Wainwright, the boss of Umbrella Ready, said in a post.

"It's amazing to see just how much innovation — and care — there is across our industry."

However, the stellar entrants and all their individual, detailed submissions mean the role of distinguishing the good from the great is no mean feat.

'Hard work being a judge'

"It's hard work being a judge," says Rebecca Seeley Harris, now in her fourth year at the awards scrutinising submissions from jostling contractor service providers.  

"We put in many hours of our own time to review the entries individually, and against each other, and then on the judging day as well.

"So the best moment is when the winners are genuinely overjoyed that they have won and they show it!  It's wonderful to see that your efforts in choosing the winner mean something."

The PHA Group's Anthony Sherick echoed: "Thanks to the judges who give up their valuable time. We're already looking forward to next year!"

All 25 winners revealed

The full list of winners from the seventh annual Contracting Awards, which were bestowed in 2025 in 25 categories, is: