- This acquisition presents synergistic growth opportunities for both businesses.
- It provides RSK with new services to add to its fast-growing environmental, engineering and technical support services business.
- Acies’ principals have more than 30 years’ experience in commercial property across all sectors.
London, 9 May 2017 – RSK has today announced that it has acquired the business, operating assets and employees engaged in the business of Acies Civil and Structural Ltd (Acies), a property and construction consultancy working throughout the UK and worldwide.
The acquisition sees the Acies business, including about 20 employees located at three sites across the UK in London, Edinburgh and Runcorn, transferring to RSK, where it will continue to operate under the leadership of Mike Rudd, Neil Clarkson and Lyndsay Waymont. Acies will become a key part of RSK’s geotechnical and engineering division, which is run by George Tuckwell. The Acies brand will be retained and the business will continue to operate as Acies Civil and Structural Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of RSK.
The Business Growth Fund (BGF) has backed RSK in making the acquisition. Its provision of £10 million to RSK last year first facilitated the acquisition in December of ADAS, a research and consultancy services firm specialising in agriculture, food and crop production, and environmental services in the UK.
This latest acquisition expands RSK’s footprint as one of the biggest environmental consultancies in the UK. It also provides a great opportunity to add new services to RSK’s portfolio, including expertise in commercial and property construction management. These services will add a new layer of skills to the organisation to the benefit of its clients.
Acies has a track record of innovation in civil and structural engineering and many years’ experience of new build, conversion and refurbishment projects spanning the commercial, sport and leisure, retail, education, industrial and residential sectors. An accredited ISO 9001: 2008 company, Acies operates across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
Its team of skilled engineers has been involved with prestigious office developments in London, including 23 King Street for Standard Life and the extension and refurbishment of office buildings in Waterloo Place, Moorgate and Artillery Lane. The company is currently working on retail park developments across Scotland for AEW Europe and shopping centre extensions and refurbishment for Standard Life and Vale Real Estate. Acies also offers acquisition advice and expert witness services, and temporary works design services for main contractors.
Today’s announcement marks a significant and extremely positive step in the development of the RSK and Acies businesses that offers potential long-term benefits for clients and staff. The clients of RSK and Acies are complementary: both businesses are extremely strong and highly respected in their core markets and provide high-quality scientific consultancy and technical engineering advice to a wide range of clients in the private and public sectors.
According to the 2016 UK industry Market Trends report, RSK ranked as the eighth overall environmental consultancy, the first for contaminated land/remediation and the fourth for environmental management and compliance. This latest acquisition will likely see RSK’s profile grow in the industry’s important rankings. RSK has acquired 12 environmental and analysis firms across Europe and the Middle East in the past decade and has seen impressive growth during that time that has helped to create a £100-million-turnover business.
RSK’s advisers on the acquisition were Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services LLP (due diligence), Dow Schofield Watts Corporate Finance Ltd (corporate finance) and Memery Crystal LLP (legal).
Quote from Dr Alan Ryder, Chief Executive Officer, RSK Group: “I am delighted to join forces with Acies. The company has extremely experienced and skilled professionals who share our common values. RSK and Acies see the provision of top-quality buildings to enhance our environments and economies, while at the same time delivering the best solutions for our customers, as an absolute priority. So, it is a really good fit, commercially and culturally.”
Quote from Mike Rudd, Acies Director: “Joining forces with RSK cements our successful long-term relationship and offers Acies the opportunity to provide our existing clients with new services and to expand our expertise and offerings across the RSK portfolio.”
Quote from Neil Inskip, BGF investor: “BGF exists to help ambitious businesses move forward with their growth plans. RSK Group is a business of significant scale built on a collection of niche expertise and with clear ambitions for the future of the company. The funding also demonstrates BGF’s appetite to continue supporting local companies with global operations.”