We are pleased to announce that we have supported Contollo Group Ltd (Contollo) with the acquisition of Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health (MEP) engineering services company, Engineering Services Partnership (ESP).
The deal represents the fourth acquisition for Contollo, following our initial investment in February 2024.
Contollo is a built environment consultancy group that supports clients across a range of sectors to achieve their regulatory and sustainability targets in the built environment. Our investment enables the business to execute its buy and build strategy, acquiring businesses in the North West, Midlands and South East as part of its mission to build a national business of scale.
ESP is a multi-discipline mechanical and electrical building services design and consulting company. It provides specialist engineering expertise across a wide range of sectors, including banking, critical facilities, data centres, retail, industrial and logistics; and operates out of four main offices in Croydon, Peterborough, Edinburgh and Manchester. Alongside the previous acquisitions of Abacus, TACE and MBA, this addition brings the Group’s headcount up to 160.
Ruth Percival, CEO of Contollo, said: “This partnership will allow us to combine the extensive strengths and sector experience of ESP with the expertise and existing MEP capabilities of the Contollo team. ESP is a forward-thinking, innovative company with an exceptional blue chip client portfolio. We are looking forward to working with the team and welcoming them to the growing Contollo Group.
“2024 has been a fantastic start for everyone involved in Contollo. We are looking to evolve the group with further acquisitions in 2025, continuing to partner with excellent businesses which share our vision to become a leading consultancy in the built environment, bringing together smart people to deliver smart buildings.”
Liam May, Director at NorthEdge, said: “We’re delighted to have supported Contollo to complete its fourth acquisition in the first twelve months of our partnership. These acquisitions provide scale and enable the Group to meet the rapidly increasing demand for tech-enabled smart buildings. We look forward to continuing this momentum alongside Ruth and the team, with further M&A planned through 2025.”
Alongside backing from NorthEdge, funding to support the acquisitions was provided by ThinCats, a leading alternative finance provider.
Langtons provided finance advisory, Chiara Pettinicchio provided client-side deal support, Alvarez & Marsal Manchester provided corporate finance advisory and project management, Cowgills provided finance and tax due diligence; Mills & Reeve provided legal support and Fellwood Advisory provided debt advice.
James Cowper Kreston (JCK) and Blandy & Blandy acted for ESP.