AEC firms keeping busy with acquisitions

The fall is proving to be another busy season of acquisitions for the AEC community:  
• URS Corporation acquired Scott Wilson Group PLC, an engineering and construction company based in London. The deal adds 80 offices worldwide and increases URS’s staff by 5,500 employees. The addition of Scott Wilson allows URS to participate in new international markets, notably China and India, and new fields, including airports and other transportation projects.
• Stantec Inc. announced plans to acquire Pittsburgh-based Burt Hill, an engineering and architecture firm specializing in school and healthcare facility design. Burt Hill, with over 600 employees and 13 offices, is Stantec’s ninth acquisition in 2010. The eight previous acquisitions added approximately 740 employees to Stantec’s staff of 10,000. Analysts estimate Stantec’s purchase price at $38 million.
• AECOM Technology Corporation acquired RSW Inc., an international engineering firm based in Montreal, Que. RSW will strengthen AECOM’s global energy services, bringing expertise in hydropower, transmission, and distribution. With 550 employees, RSW last year reported about $45 million gross revenue.