PBA buys engineer Hannah-Reed

Infrastructure and development consultant Peter Brett Associates has acquired civil and structural engineer Hannah, Reed and Associates.

The acquisition of Hannah-Reed, which employs 85 staff and was ranked at number 45 in Building’s top 100 engineers last year, turns Peter Brett Associates (PBA) into a £40m-turnover multi-disciplinary consultant, employing almost 500 people.

The acquisition is the third such move in two years for PBA, which in 2011 merged with both Roger Tym & Partners and Baker Associates, adding town planning and economics to its list of services.

The firm now operates from 19 locations and covers most parts of the UK, providing a wide range of services to support the planning, design and delivery of infrastructure and buildings.

Hannah-Reed, project and contract administrator on the 2012 Stirling Prize-winning Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge (pictured), is understood to have been an acquisition target for other firms prior to the deal being struck.

PBA chairman Keith Mitchell said the firm had plans for further growth, but said it would not go above 1,000 staff.

He said: “We have been working on some great projects in the eastern part of the UK over the last several years, and wanted to establish offices closer to our clients.”

Hannah-Reed director Henry Martin - who has now become a PBA partner – said the business would now be able to compete for £20m to £30m projects on the eastern side of the country.

In accounts for the last financial year, PBA made a pre-tax profit of £2.3m on a turnover of £35m while Hannah-Reed achieved a pre-tax profit of £325,000 on a revenue of £4.9m.

Hannah-Reed will continue to trade until it is integrated into PBA early next year.