RSK Group is a privately held UK-based environmental, engineering and technical services group, comprising over 175 companies employing some 10,000 people and with turnover of £796m in 2022.
History
RSK Group was established in 1989 in Aberdeen by Alan Ryder, and has grown both organically and through an accelerating programme of acquisitions. Today based in Helsby in Cheshire, it aims to become Europe's largest privately owned environmental and engineering business with a £1 billion turnover and employing 10,000 people worldwide by 2025. RSK has acquired over 70 businesses in six years from 2016.
In the year to April 2021, RSK's turnover reached £350.5m, up from £274.8m the previous year, and made a pre-tax loss of £18.9m, having made interest payments to backers of £22.8m. In the year to April 2022, RSK made a fifth consecutive pre-tax loss, of £38.1m, on a turnover of £796m inflated due to its dozens of acquisitions. It made £39.9m in interest payments.
In August 2023, RSK announced plans to raise £500m from sales of shares in the business. Supplementing around £500m from Ares Management, this would provide £1bn to fund further acquisitions. It aimed to raise headcount from the current 12,000 staff in 40 countries to 40,000 by 2030, expanding internationally in Australia, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
Acquisitions
Following a number of early acquisitions including Structural Soils (2007), Dynamic Sampling and JB Site Investigations (both 2016), RSK Group made its first large acquisition with ADAS in late 2016. ADAS was the UK's largest independent provider of agricultural and environmental consultancy services, bringing with it a then 300-strong workforce that made the RSK Group one of the largest environmental consultancies in the UK in 2016.
In May 2017, the company acquired Acies Civil and Structural, followed in June by the acquisition of KMGP Ltd. In December, RSK completed a trio of deals, acquiring C.J. Associates Geotechnical Ltd, Up and Under Group Ltd and all outstanding (80%) shares of RSKW Ltd.
2018
In 2018, after securing a £140m funding package in the form of a unitranche senior debt facility from funds managed by Ares Capital Europe (Ares) to make around 10 acquisitions, RSK acquired Manchester-based acoustics consultant Cole Jarman and Washington, UK-based 108-strong site investigation specialist Ian Farmer Associates (£10m annual turnover). Specialist ecological and grounds maintenance business, Twig Group, also joined RSK Group in 2018 along with Non-Destructive Testing Services and Copeland Wedge Associates. In October 2018, RSK acquired CAN UK Holdings. In December 2018, the business acquired J&A Pelling, Pelling and Pellings LLP.
2019
In February 2019, the business acquired Dr Tillmans & Partner GmbH. RSK completed the acquisition of tbf Contracting and BTS Group, and in March the group acquired Headland Group and Drilling Supplies. In April RSK acquired Consents Solutions, followed by Biocensus (renamed RSK Biocensus) and AA Milieu-En Adviesbureau BV in May. In June, the business acquired all share capital of Raw Technology (renamed RSK Raw), followed by Geocore Site Investigations in August and Ecologia Environmental Solutions Holdings in September. In October the business acquired ATP Architects + Solutions and Silcock Leedham Group.
2020
In February 2020, RSK acquired Salix River & Wetland Services and a month later in March, acquired consultancy Nicholas O'Dwyer, and Morrison (Falklands). In September, the business acquired WRc (formerly the public-funded Water Research Centre). In December 2020, RSK acquired Black & Veatch's 1,200-strong UK and Asia water and environment businesses, and rebranded it by resurrecting the historic Binnie brand.
2021
In early 2021, RSK acquired CAS Ltd CR Civil Engineering (200 staff), the Enviresearch group (19), and EDP Health, Safety and Environment Consultants (50), and in April, RSK Orbital, SkyVision International, The Scan Station, and Smith & Kennedy Architects. In May 2021, the business announced a quartet of acquisitions: UK planning and landscaping services provider Stephenson Halliday, UK chartered surveyor Waldrams, German geotechnical consultants Althoff & Lang GbR and New Zealand risk management company Quality Solutions International (QSI). In June, RSK acquired Ireland-based Minerex Environmental. In July, in its tenth deal of the year, it acquired UK specialist geotechnical contractor TechnikGS. In August RSK acquired CS2 chartered surveyors and Leap Environmental.