Dive Brief:
- Engineering and design giant WSP Global has completed its acquisition of the environment and infrastructure business of John Wood Group through a sale and purchase agreement for $1.8 billion ($2.40 billion Canadian), the Montreal-based infrastructure firm announced Wednesday. It’s part of a slate of purchases in that niche.
- The business provides engineering, remediation consulting, environmental permitting, inspection, monitoring, and environmental management services to a variety of clients, WSP said in the release, and will expand its geographic range as well as expertise in these areas.
- WSP CEO Alexandre L’Heureux said the purchase is part of the company’s strategic focus on environmental and infrastructure builds. WSP is growing its climate-related work as part of its 2022-2024 strategic plan, and the company is on an acquisition spree to meet strong demand for environmental services.
Dive Insight:
WSP had previously announced its intent to acquire the business in an August earnings call. The enterprise is based in about 100 offices in 10 countries, mainly in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., with a secondary presence in Latin America and Europe, according to the release.
The business unit’s 6,000 employees will move under WSP, which will help the firm further seize opportunities in the fast-growing environmental and water sectors, L’Heureux said in the release.
The news follows the purchase of RPS Group, a U.K.-based environmental consulting firm, earlier this summer.
Also part of WSP’s acquisition plans are Australian hazardous materials and risk management firm Greencap Holdings, Spain-based architecture and engineering firm BOD Arquitectura e Ingeniería as well as two U.K.-based Capita businesses focused on real estate, infrastructure and environment.
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