Specialist cost consultancy ALA acquired by ambitious forensic engineers
A construction and energy cost consultancy that worked on cross country gas pipelines as well as a new pier on Lake Windermere has been acquired.
A Lamb Associates (ALA) and subsidiary Morham & Brotchie Partnership, which traces its origins back to 1876, have been bought by employee owned Hawkins & Associates, a specialist consultancy business headquartered in Cambridge.
ALA, based at Clawthorpe Hall, near Burton-in-Kendal, but with offices in Birchwood, London and Edinburgh, manages oil, gas and water pipeline projects, and was formed in 1996.
On the Windermere Pier project for constructor Thomas Armstrong, ALA deployed a commercial team onsite including a senior consultant, quantity surveyor and a planner.
While ALA are known for their considerable experience and expertise with listed historic buildings and complex projects, other recent ALA projects include cross country pipelines in Denmark, Germany and Oman, and the Blackburn Meadows Renewable Energy Plant located in Sheffield, built on behalf of E-ON by Imtech Group.
Hawkins specialises in forensic root cause analysis, expert witness services and engineering consultancy to the insurance, legal, risk management and commercial sectors and has ten offices around the UK, as well as in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
In the financial year to the end of March 2024, Hawkins made pre-tax profits of £205,000 on turnover of £27.5m, but those figures include a £1.6m impairment related to their technology system. It made £4.5m in 2022. The amount it has paid for ALA hasn’t been disclosed.
Andrew Prickett, managing director of Hawkins, commented: “This is a significant strategic milestone for our business. Hawkins & Associates and ALA have worked closely for several years, sharing the same values and ambitions.
“Joining forces with ALA will bolster our existing service offerings, benefiting both our existing and new clients while aligning seamlessly with our commitment of delivering exceptional value and service.”
Tom Lamb, ALA managing director, said the deal will create a business that complements each other’s service offerings with additional resources and capabilities.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with the new team and further enhancing the breadth of services that we can offer to our respective clients,” he said.
The advisers on the deal included Napthens corporate partner Richard Robinson supported by senior associate solicitor Charlotte Walsh and including head of real estate Jamie Allison, a seven-strong team at Napthens provided support and guidance before, during and after the completion to the shareholders of ALA.
