Built from resilience. Designed for impact.
Sky Based Specialists Ltd is the specialist commercial delivery arm of the wider SBS mission. We exist to prove that high-performance technical services and measurable social impact can be delivered through the same operating model, without compromise to either.
A mission
shaped by
three forces.
Sky Based Specialists sits inside a wider mission shaped by aviation, technology and inclusive employment. The thesis is simple: the fastest-growing technical service sectors, aerial data, geospatial, reality capture, immersive media, are exactly the sectors where the workforce pipeline is least mature and most exclusionary.
Fix the workforce pipeline correctly and you also produce the supplier base the commercial market needs. The wrong way to do this is as charity, with the work invented to occupy people. The right way is to build a specialist supplier whose commercial work happens to also run a high-quality training and pathway environment, which is exactly what the SBS Foundation (CIO) does alongside the commercial company.
That's what Sky Based Specialists Ltd is. We are a commercial drone, geospatial and reality-capture company, deliberately engineered so that buying from us also produces evidenced workforce outcomes you can report on.
Our values, BASE
Our foundation is built on BASE, four guiding principles that shape everything we do, from drone operations in challenging environments to opening up an exclusionary sector through emerging technology.
B · Bravery
Courage to innovate, operate in challenging environments, and tackle systemic barriers.
We are fearless in our pursuit of progress. Whether navigating technical frontiers, working in remote conditions, or addressing social inequalities, we push forward with confidence and conviction.
A · Authenticity
Transparent, honest, and true to our mission.
We build trust by being genuine in our actions and communications. Our relationships with partners, communities and clients are rooted in integrity, what we promise is what we deliver.
S · Service
Dedicated to creating positive change for people, communities and the planet.
We exist to serve, by sharing knowledge, enabling access to technology and delivering real-world impact. Every project is an opportunity to uplift others, strengthen communities and leave lasting value.
E · Endurance
Resilience to adapt, persist and succeed in evolving landscapes.
We thrive under pressure and remain committed through challenges. Adaptability is in our DNA, allowing us to pivot, persevere and achieve our mission no matter the circumstances.
Six commitments
we operate to.
Not aspirations, these are the working rules we hold each engagement to. We notice when we drop one.
Technical first
If the capture data isn't survey-grade, defensible and fit for downstream workflows, nothing else matters. Excellence is the floor.
Defensible by default
Every output ships with the methodology, control data and operator credentials needed to defend it. Always.
Pathway is product
The workforce pathway isn't an outreach activity. It's part of the supplier model and part of how we produce the work.
Auditable impact
Every social-value figure traces to a record. If we can't show you the audit trail, we shouldn't have quoted the number.
No charity framing
Our colleagues are operators, technicians and analysts. The language we use about the work reflects that.
Safety, plainly
CAA-aligned, insured, briefed and rehearsed. Quiet, methodical, and unambiguous about who has authority when something changes.
What we
hold.
Procurement-grade credentials, surfaced, not buried.
Regulatory
CAA Operational Authorisation · GVC & A2 CofC pilots · SORA-current · PDRA-01 · BVLOS planning where required.
Insurance
Commercial public liability per project (to £5m/£10m); professional indemnity on survey and consultancy outputs.
Methodology
RICS-aligned; RAMS for every flight; QA check points and signed methodology statements.
Supplier qualification
Achilles, FSQS, Constructionline supported; SSIP / H&S accreditation as frameworks require.
Cross-trained,
cleared,
disciplined.
One cross-trained team delivers across all seven service lines, which keeps quality consistent and mobilisation efficient. Ex-military discipline and security clearances (BPSS/SC supported) anchor our high-consequence and defence work, and our graduates come through the SBS Foundation (CIO) pathway. We are building out our advisory bench as the business scales.
What we're
building toward.
A four-stage view of where we are and where we go next. Commercial-grade by default; ambitious where we can credibly back it up.
Specialist supplier today.
Operating commercially across construction, infrastructure, property, public sector and creative. Seven service lines, CAA-aligned operations, UK nationwide coverage.
Framework presence next.
Pursuing presence on public-sector frameworks where the procurement-grade social-value model has the most weight and the clearest evidentiary requirements.
Programmes & deployments.
Building toward sustained programme engagements, multi-month deployed teams, where the workforce pathway compounds against the commercial baseline.
Advanced aviation & data.
BVLOS planning, Operational Safety Cases and a developing data and AI layer, bringing the same workforce model into the most demanding parts of the sector.