US consultant to buy a top 20 British QS firm as part of its European expansion plan

US consultant Hill International has said it plans to buy a top 20 British QS in the next two years as part of its expansion into the European market.


David Richter
Richter: "UK is a good market for us"

The news comes a week after fellow US firm Aecom bought Savant, a 600-strong QS.

David Richter, Hill’s president and chief operating officer, said: “We see the QS business in the UK being a good market for us – we’re looking at a major acquisition in the next two years. We’re waiting for the market to bottom out but when the economy turns around we’ll be looking for a household name.”

He added that the firm was also looking at a couple of “small” acquisitions in the project management sector in mainland Europe.

Hill’s operations in the UK are focused on dispute resolution. Last year it bought a London QS called Shreeves, which has a turnover of 2.4m.