Browne Jacobson advise CTS Group on latest geotechnical consultancy leader acquisition

Browne Jacobson’s private equity (PE) dealmakers have advised Palatine Private Equity backed CTS Group (Construction Testing Solutions Limited) on its latest acquisition of Concept Engineering Consultants Limited, a leader in geotechnical, structural and geo-environmental services for an undisclosed amount.

The transaction will support CTS in its growing ambitions to further enhance its coring and drilling capabilities and add more specialist site investigation services to its consultancy portfolio.

Leicester based CTS which has a national UK reach, specialises in the provision of geotechnical consulting, construction materials testing and surveying and monitoring services. The business works with various sectors within the construction market, including commercial, rail, road, residential, airports, tunnelling, mining, and utilities as well as brownfield regeneration.

Concept Engineering, which is headquartered in London and operates across the UK, was founded in 1997 and employs over 100 staff at its London and Coventry locations. The business specialises in consulting for civil, structural and geotechnical projects and surveying buildings.

The deal team, which included specialist lawyers from across Browne Jacobson’s Manchester and Birmingham offices, was led by partner, Ryan Brown, with assistance from associate, Harpinder Nahl. Senior associate Rebecca Burge advised on the corporate tax element of the transaction whilst client relationship partner and PE specialist, Gareth Davies supported the team in the delivery of the transaction.

Ryan Brown added: “Having advised on all of its previous bolt-on acquisitions, we are very engrained in the strategic objectives of CTS and in tune with what they want to achieve with each deal they make.

“Through a series of key acquisitions, fantastic organic growth and a stellar reputation for providing high quality site investigation services, CTS is well on its way in becoming an industry leading provider to the construction sector and it is a great journey to watch.”

Phil Coles, Chief Executive Officer of CTS said:

“I am delighted that Concept Engineering will become part of the CTS Group and look forward to working with Milan, Anastasia, Natalie, Ivo and the management team to continue to grow the business. This latest acquisition complements the previous deals announced over the last two years as we continue to grow and develop a strong team with the skills and knowledge to deliver a quality and trusted service to our customers.

“I would also like to extend my thanks to Ryan and the rest of the Browne Jacobson team for the excellent service they delivered to get this deal successfully over the line. As usual, the team collaborated effectively with all parties to ensure we all knew our position and gave us great commercial advice which gave us confidence in the decisions we needed to make.”

Browne Jacobson’s private equity team is part of the firm’s national corporate finance and banking & finance practice. It is made up of over 50 corporate and banking & finance expert lawyers delivering complex layered transactions to a broad client base, which includes UK and international corporates of all sizes - from high growth companies to FTSE 100 companies to institutional investors, as well as advising entrepreneurs and management teams.