Approaching nearly 100 years of operation, family-run building contractor Alfred Flett Ltd has developed an enduring reputation in the Orkney Islands thanks to its meticulous workmanship and focus on customer service. What’s more, its name is increasingly becoming known on a national basis too, as demonstrated by its recent nomination for a NFB Construction Award of Excellence 2025 within the ‘Contractors under £30m turnover’ category.
“To be shortlisted is a huge achievement for a company as far north as we are,” explains Colin Leask, who joined the management team as Director in 2021. “We’ve delivered many exciting and challenging projects over the years, so it’s great to be recognised for that. It’s also really nice for the site teams to know the work they are producing for the company does not go unnoticed and that we can compete at a national level.
“We were also shortlisted in 2023 for Best Scottish Contractor, so to make the final again is a wonderful achievement. We feel proud to not only represent Scotland in the category but also Orkney.”
This level of consistency hasn’t come about by accident; with the exacting standards that Alfred Flett adheres to having been ingrained into its DNA from Day One. Founded by Alfred Flett Snr in 1932, the baton was carried on by Alfred Flett Jnr, the father of current Managing Director, Martin Flett. Martin’s son Magnus is also now involved with the management of the company, continuing an impressive family heritage.
Alfred Flett now employs 35 operatives that carry out work onsite, while seven office staff provide administration, estimating and project management for all the works undertaken.
“As the company has successfully traded for so many years, we have built great relationships with many local clients from private to commercial,” adds Martin Flett. “Over the years the company has developed a fine reputation, which includes always leaving a high standard of work and maintaining relationships. We can undertake a diverse workload that often leads to us being a main contractor for projects on which we thrive and can deliver through our skilled and experienced staff.
“We pride ourselves on our reputation and the repeat business we get from our clients. Our attitude that no job is too big or too small allows us to work with a vast clientele with different needs, which we very much enjoy.”
Never one to rest on its laurels, in recent years Alfred Flett has started to tender and deliver more challenging and larger projects. “We have completed a few high-profile projects locally in buildings that hold great importance to locals, which is really exciting,” says Magnus. “Completing work for high profile local clients has also been rewarding and just shows what a thriving place Orkney is at the moment. We’ve also taken on our own architectural services manager, which will allow us to offer a complete package for clients from initial design to handing over the keys for projects that we hope to make a roaring success with clients.”
Alfred Flett undertakes commercial and domestic projects ranging from small extensions and refurbishments to large commercial projects, such as hotel extensions, brewery refurbishment and retail fit-outs. It also holds several maintenance contracts with larger main contractors and national/ international companies.
“Orkney has a mini economy that has actually not slowed down since getting back up and running after Covid,” says Colin. “We have an extremely good client base that includes ambitious companies and individuals who keep us very busy. There is also a shortage of housing in Orkney, and we do have many of our own sites to develop, so we feel there is opportunity in this area to deliver properties to the community.”
In terms of its most significant recent contracts that Alfred Flett has been involved in, the Highland Park mash house and tun room refurbishment was a multi-million-pound project that it took the lead as the main contractor, in the process managing many specialist sub-contractors.
Despite its growing portfolio of projects, its excellent reputation and its recent national award nomination, it’s not all plain-sailing for Alfred Flett, as Colin points out: “In terms of challenges, these are the same that other construction companies are having to face. These include attracting youngsters into construction. We attend local employer fairs and have spoken to schools along with meeting school leavers in a bid to attract more young blood into the industry.
“The usual inflationary increases is also an issue, in recent years decisions by government have not helped, such as increased employer NI rates and stopping the use of red diesel, which raised our operating costs significantly. Energy costs were also a big concern for a couple of years and, although still high, at least they are not increasing as fast as they were.
“We just want to keep delivering high quality finishes and projects with good collaborative working throughout. We have been fortunate over the years to work on some very exciting buildings that will be prominent in Orkney for many years to come.
“We hope to maintain the strong relationships we have and assist clients with ongoing maintenance as required. We are adding a new service to our team with the architectural services which will include drone surveys, planning/ warrant packages and coloured renders for clients so we hope to make this a roaring success over the next 12 months. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff and clients for making the company a success.”
With such a forward-thinking and customer-focused approach, Alfred Flett is sure to continue developing its reputation and adding further awards to its collection as it edges ever closer to its centenary year.
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