Engineering Services Acquisitions in 2021

Oregon-based ColeBreit Engineering has acquired and merged with California-based Axiom Engineers, with the transaction completed on December 31, 2021. The combined firm — led by Laura Breit succeeding her father Ray Cole — forms a roughly 50-person, women-owned MEP engineering and design practice with offices across Oregon and Northern California.

Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: BWMN) entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Terra Associates, Inc., a Houston- and San Antonio-based civil engineering and surveying firm, with closing scheduled for December 31, 2021. The acquisition, financed with cash, seller financing and stock, is expected to be immediately accretive and to contribute approximately $5.5 million of annualized net service billing while expanding Bowman’s Texas operations and service capabilities.

Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: BWMN) acquired 1519 Surveying, LLC, a Waco, Texas–based surveying, geomatics and civil engineering firm with offices in Waco and Fort Worth. The deal, funded with cash, seller financing and stock, adds roughly 35 professionals and is expected to be immediately accretive—initially contributing more than $5.5 million of annualized net service billing—while expanding Bowman’s Texas surveying, infrastructure and renewable energy capabilities.

NV5 Global, Inc. acquired Global Realty Services Group LLC (GRS) in an all-cash transaction to expand NV5's real estate transaction services and bolster its market position in real estate due diligence. The acquisition adds GRS's property condition, environmental assessment, and zoning capabilities and approximately 154 full-time equivalent personnel, and is expected to be immediately accretive to NV5's earnings.

Keystone Capital Management completed an investment partnership with VDA, Inc., a leading provider of technical consulting and inspection services to the elevator and vertical transportation industry. The transaction establishes VDA as a Keystone platform in the building sciences space and positions the company to pursue add-on acquisitions to accelerate growth and consolidation.

SEMIFIVE has acquired Hanatec Co. Ltd., a Samsung Foundry Design Solution Partner and provider of ASIC design and turnkey services, combining Hanatec's design capabilities with SEMIFIVE's SoC platform and ASIC expertise. The transaction creates a Samsung Foundry SAFETM DSP organization with more than 300 employees worldwide and is intended to accelerate SEMIFIVE's SoC design leadership and global expansion.

Ardurra Group, a portfolio company of RTC Partners, has acquired and merged with Giuliani & Kull, Inc., a public works engineering firm based in Oakdale, California. The acquisition expands Ardurra’s presence in Northern California and brings G&K’s public client expertise into the Ardurra platform; G&K will operate as G&K, an Ardurra Group Company.

The CSL Group has acquired a strategic minority stake in EMS-Tech Inc., a Canadian engineering firm that designs and supplies bulk material handling systems. The investment formalizes a long-standing 25+ year partnership and aims to advance integrated marine and land-based cargo handling solutions and expand EMS-Tech's market reach.

The Kleinfelder Group, a Wind Point Partners portfolio company, has acquired Century Engineering, a Hunt Valley, Maryland-based multidisciplinary engineering firm with approximately 600 professionals across 18 offices. The acquisition expands Kleinfelder's Mid-Atlantic footprint and service capabilities; Century will be integrated into Kleinfelder's East Division while retaining its existing leadership.

SAM Companies, a national provider of geospatial and inspection solutions, completed the acquisition of Ghiotto & Associates, Inc., a Jacksonville-based land surveying and mapping firm, on December 3, 2021. The add-on expands SAM’s technical capabilities and project capacity in Florida — strengthening its presence with public-sector clients such as the Florida Department of Transportation and advancing the company’s Southeast growth strategy.

DCCM, a national design and construction management firm based in Houston, has acquired Coastland Civil Engineering, a Santa Rosa-based civil engineering and construction management firm. The acquisition expands DCCM's presence on the U.S. West Coast and brings Coastland's public-agency-focused capabilities into DCCM's national platform, with Coastland CEO John Wanger remaining in place.

Convergint has acquired Universal Security Systems (USS), a London-headquartered European security systems integrator, expanding Convergint's presence and capabilities across Europe. The deal brings nearly 100 USS employees into Convergint and is intended to deepen vertical expertise across markets including financial, education, government, and data centers.

Element Materials Technology has acquired Norton Straw to expand the capabilities of its Element Digital Engineering business. The acquisition brings engineering simulation, modelling, data science and AI expertise into Element's digital engineering offering to support customers across medical devices, energy transition and aerospace markets.

Dillon Consulting Limited has acquired Counterpoint Engineering Inc., a Vaughan, Ontario–based civil engineering and land development consulting firm founded in 2002. The acquisition will integrate Counterpoint as a wholly owned subsidiary to expand Dillon's land development and urban renewal capabilities across the Greater Toronto Area and support planned growth of its land development business unit.

Milrose Consultants, a platform backed by Southfield Capital, announced a strategic partnership to add Special Inspection Services (SIS) Engineering, DPC — a Bohemia, New York-based inspections and construction consulting firm — to its special inspections capabilities. The transaction expands Milrose's national service offering alongside prior add-ons (Permit Advisors, Integrated Group) to better serve Class A commercial real estate clients.

Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. has acquired Loss Management Solutions (LMS) to create a new Building Consulting practice area. The acquisition adds LMS’s expertise in property restoration, remediation oversight, and building reconstruction consulting to Rimkus’s forensic engineering and technical consulting services, broadening client offerings for commercial property insurance claims and restoration projects.

Godspeed Capital Management LP has acquired Ascent Engineering Group, Inc., a Roanoke, Virginia-based MEP engineering and consulting firm. Ascent will join Godspeed's Prime ABA growth platform and continue to operate as a standalone business under existing management, which co-invested in the transaction.

Global consulting firm J.S. Held has acquired ColoneyBell Engineering, a Tallahassee-based forensic engineering firm. The add-on expands J.S. Held’s Forensic Engineering Practice and strengthens its capabilities in accident reconstruction, structural engineering, and construction-defect matters across North Florida and the broader U.S.

VSS Capital Partners has made a growth investment in The HFW Companies to fund the build-out of an AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) platform. Concurrently, HFW announced its first member firm, Miller Legg, a multi-disciplinary engineering and consulting firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; financial terms were not disclosed.

Universal Engineering Sciences (UES) has agreed to acquire Alpha Testing, a Dallas-based geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing firm with a ~400-person team. The acquisition expands UES's footprint in Texas and broadens its capabilities in geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and environmental consulting to support commercial, institutional and municipal projects across the region.

Ardurra Group, Inc. has acquired and merged with Ritoch-Powell & Associates, Inc., a multi-disciplined civil engineering firm. RPA will operate as RPA, an Ardurra Group Company, from its offices in Arizona as part of Ardurra's strategy to expand its presence in Arizona and surrounding states; Ardurra is a portfolio company of RTC Partners.

Paragon Energy Solutions has acquired Technology Resources, a specialist in nuclear reactor instrumentation & control (I&C) licensing and engineering support. Ted Quinn, President of Technology Resources, will join Paragon as Vice President of Licensing to help expand Paragon's licensing strategy and digital I&C capabilities for commercial nuclear, DOE and advanced reactor markets.

Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEK) has acquired Enterprise Automation, an Irvine-based systems integrator specializing in digital water transformation, control systems integration, advanced data analytics, SCADA/platform virtualization, and cybersecurity. The acquisition expands Tetra Tech’s high-end digital water consulting capabilities and brings Enterprise Automation into Tetra Tech’s Government Services Group; terms were not disclosed.

Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. acquired the assets of BTM Engineering, Inc., a Louisville, Kentucky-based civil and structural engineering, surveying and landscape architecture firm. The asset purchase (financed with cash, seller financing and stock) is expected to initially contribute approximately $3.0 million of annual net service billing and expands Bowman's presence into the Louisville market.

Warburg Pincus has made a significant growth investment in TRC Companies to support the firm's continued expansion of environmentally focused, technology-enabled engineering, consulting and construction services. New Mountain Capital exited its investment as part of the transaction; proceeds will be used to scale TRC's compliance-focused engineering capabilities and further its work in decarbonization and utility-focused services.

Fort Lauderdale-based Chen Moore and Associates has acquired Jacksonville-based Fred Wilson & Associates, Inc., a 60-year-old engineering firm. The acquisition adds electrical engineering capability, brings the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) into Chen Moore's project portfolio, expands the firm's presence in northern Florida and increases its statewide team to more than 100 employees.

Bowman Consulting (Bowman) has acquired PCD Engineering, Inc., a Denver-based building services and M/E/P engineering firm led by founder Peter D'Antonio. The acquisition, financed with cash, seller financing and stock, is intended to expand Bowman's building services, sustainability and M/E/P capabilities and is expected to contribute roughly $2.5 million of annual net service billing.

Ardurra Group, Inc., a portfolio company of RTC Partners, has acquired and merged with Fulghum, MacIndoe & Associates, Inc. (FMA), a Knoxville-based water/civil engineering and construction management firm. The deal expands Ardurra's Southeast footprint by adding a Tennessee office and integrates FMA into the Ardurra platform as FMA, an Ardurra Group Company.

WSP Global Inc. acquired Englekirk Structural Engineers, a California-based structural engineering consultancy of about 90 employees. The acquisition strengthens WSP's structural engineering capabilities and West Coast footprint—adding expertise in seismic design and building-sector projects across private and public markets.

Convergint, a global systems integrator, has acquired Keyotel, a German electronic security integrator, doubling Convergint's footprint in Germany and establishing a new office in Frankfurt. The acquisition strengthens Convergint's service capabilities across Germany and expands its local presence to better serve global customers.

Accenture has completed the acquisition of umlaut, an engineering consulting and services firm headquartered in Aachen, Germany. The deal (terms not disclosed) brings more than 4,200 engineers and consultants across 17 countries into Accenture's Industry X practice to expand its engineering, digital and sustainability capabilities across automotive, aerospace & defense, telecommunications and energy markets.

BDT Capital Partners has agreed to make a significant strategic investment to become the majority shareholder of Universal Engineering Sciences (UES), joining existing shareholders including Palm Beach Capital, company founders and management. The transaction is a recapitalization that allows Palm Beach Capital to realize meaningful cash proceeds while remaining a major investor and positions UES to continue rapid organic growth and add-on acquisitions across its national footprint.

Aperture, a Trinity Hunt Partners portfolio company, announced the acquisition of American Bio Engineers (ABE), a forensic engineering firm specializing in biomechanical and accident reconstruction services. The deal brings ABE's Las Vegas-based team and satellite offices into the Aperture platform to expand its litigation-focused forensic engineering capabilities and national footprint.

JSI, a Stone-Goff Partners portfolio company, has acquired Mid-State Consultants, Inc., a Nephi, Utah–based broadband engineering firm. The add-on expands JSI's engineering capabilities and gives the company a stronger foothold in the western U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.

Jensen Hughes has acquired Australian code consulting and fire safety engineering firm BCA Logic, marking Jensen Hughes' first entry into the Australian market. All 48 BCA Logic employees will join Jensen Hughes as the business operates as a co-branded entity during integration, providing a base for future expansion in Australia.

Exponential Technology Group (XTG) at TTI, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, has acquired Paragon Innovations, an engineering design services firm based in Richardson, Texas. Paragon will continue to operate under its brand with founder Michael Wilkinson remaining as Vice President and General Manager; the deal expands TTI/XTG's product design and engineering services capabilities and complements its earlier acquisition, Connected Development.

SOCOTEC Consulting, Inc., part of the SOCOTEC Group, has completed the acquisition of Forge Engineering, a Naples, Florida-based engineering firm. The deal adds forensics, geotechnical, environmental engineering and construction materials testing capabilities to SOCOTEC's U.S. technical services platform and expands its presence in the Southeastern United States.

Woolpert has acquired Optimal GEO, an Alabama-based geospatial firm specializing in photogrammetric mapping, orthoimagery, lidar and GIS data, strengthening Woolpert's lidar, imagery and geospatial intelligence capabilities. The acquisition expands Optimal GEO's international reach and capacity while adding a data processing hub in Alabama and deepening Woolpert's federal contracting expertise.

Convergint acquired two business units from ATS Companies — ATS Alaska and ATS Facility Systems — marking Convergint’s first technology center in Alaska and expanding its Northwest footprint. More than 75 ATS colleagues will join Convergint, strengthening capabilities across Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming and Alaska.

STV Group, Inc. has agreed to acquire CP&Y, Inc., an employee-owned engineering, architectural and field services consulting firm with more than 375 professionals across Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Florida and Virginia. The acquisition—completed by STV, a portfolio company of The Pritzker Organization—bolsters STV's presence in the Texas infrastructure market and expands its water and wastewater and transportation capabilities nationwide.

Chicago-based private equity firm Wind Point Partners has acquired The Vertex Companies, a national multidisciplinary forensic engineering and construction consulting firm headquartered in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Wind Point will partner with Vertex's founding management team to support organic growth and pursue strategic acquisitions to expand the company's service capabilities and geographic footprint.

Project Control, the project management division of Raba Kistner, Inc., announced that Houston-based Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc. joined Project Control as a division effective September 2, 2021. The acquisition expands Project Control's project management presence in Houston and brings Rice & Gardner's building commissioning capabilities to Raba Kistner's broader platform.

Atwell Group has completed a merger with Florida-based Waldrop Engineering, integrating Waldrop's planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering teams into Atwell's national platform. The deal expands Atwell's presence in Florida and the Southeast, provides expanded career opportunities for Waldrop's staff (over 100 employees), and broadens Atwell's land development capabilities.

DCCM, a Houston-based design and construction management services platform, has acquired Rochester & Associates, a civil engineering and land surveying firm based in the greater Atlanta (Gainesville), Georgia area. The purchase (an add-on to the DCCM platform backed by private investor White Wolf) expands DCCM's geographic footprint and service capabilities across the Southeast U.S.

Qualus, LLC acquired Patterson Power Engineers, LLC, a Chattanooga-based power system protection engineering firm, to strengthen Qualus’s protection engineering capabilities and technical services offering for utilities. The deal brings Patterson’s specialized engineering team into Qualus’s network of field service and engineering offices, providing expanded capabilities and opportunities for employees.

Long Point Capital has acquired an interest in MNS Engineers, a Santa Barbara–based multi-service infrastructure consulting firm. The partnership provides MNS with growth capital and operational support to accelerate organic growth and pursue M&A add-ons across California and nationally.

SAM Companies completed the acquisition of Johnson Surveying and Mapping, Inc., a Jacksonville, Florida–based land surveying firm, on August 13, 2021. The deal expands SAM’s geospatial and construction services footprint in northeast Florida and increases its project capacity and market diversity, with key Johnson staff (including owner Donald M. Johnson, Jr.) joining SAM.

Genuen, a Lenexa, Kansas-based provider of end-to-end test solutions, has acquired Versatech, an Effingham, Illinois engineering firm that designs and integrates robotic and production automation equipment. Versatech will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary with existing offices and management remaining in place, expanding Genuen's ability to integrate production-line automation with test solutions.

DCCM has acquired Houston-based multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm Binkley & Barfield, partnering with industry leaders from Binkley & Barfield who will remain in their leadership roles. The transaction is supported by private investment firm White Wolf Capital and is intended to expand DCCM's geographic footprint and service capabilities across infrastructure, transportation, and utility markets.

EN Engineering, a national engineering and consulting firm based in Warrenville, Illinois, has acquired Spectrum Engineering Corporation, an Auburn, Indiana–based engineering firm. The acquisition expands EN Engineering’s geographic presence in the Midwest and strengthens its communications engineering, fiber-optic, data center, telecom and SCADA capabilities.