RSK Group has today significantly strengthened its presence in the UK transport infrastructure sector with the acquisition of Octavius Infrastructure from Sullivan Street Partners.

UK civil engineering and electrification transport infrastructure businesses Octavius, employs more than 700 employees working across rail and highways. The deal means RSK now employs more than 17,000 people across the group globally. The company said no jobs are impacted by the acquisition.

Octavius has long-standing relationships with key customers in the sector such as Network Rail, National Highways and Transport for London, and is working on more than 30 frameworks.

These include a presence in every Network Rail region in England and Wales, including the Southern Renewals Enterprise for Electrification and Plant as well as frameworks with National Highways, the M25 Lifecycle and Call-off Framework Agreement (COFA) for Connect Plus and places on local and regional authority transport frameworks nationwide. 

Current projects include the refurbishment of Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight and Waterloo Station Roof, the construction of new railway stations at Okehampton and Charfield, the A46 Walsgrave Junction Upgrade, the construction of a new link road in Colchester and the completion of the newly opened A140 Long Stratton Bypass.

Octavius will continue to operate under the leadership of chief executive officer John Dowsett, who will remain supported by his executive team, which includes Matt Smith and Gavin Pritchard, managing directors for the rail and highways sectors respectively.

The addition of Octavius marks a pivotal step for RSK in the transport infrastructure sector, building on its existing capabilities in a market benefitting from ongoing investment.

In its most recent annual report, RSK highlighted that infrastructure represented 14% of its total revenue in the year and was its fastest growing segment, with 36% growth compared to the prior year. The addition of Octavius transforms this position, propelling RSK into a highly strategic and scaled position with Tier 1 capabilities in rail and highways.

Octavius CEO John Dowsett said: “I am very excited about joining the RSK Group and embarking on the next stage of the Octavius journey. Having thrived under the ownership of Sullivan Street Partners, expanding our capabilities, reputation, revenue and profitability, RSK feels like the natural long-term home for us to continue our ambitious growth plans.

“We will retain our proud Octavius brand and maintain a strong level of autonomy, while enjoying a wealth of support from the considerable expertise within the RSK Group. We have a strong cultural fit with RSK, with complementary strengths, and share a vision for ambitious but sustainable growth, delivered with an unwavering commitment to the safety, health and wellbeing of our people and our environment. I am looking forward to working closely with the RSK leadership team and our partner businesses to deliver the Octavius vision of being the most respected transport infrastructure provider.”

RSK founder and CEO Alan Ryder added: “I am very proud to see Octavius, a high quality and trusted partner in the UK rail and highway sectors, choose RSK as its long-term home. John and his team have built a remarkable business, and I look forward to working with them as they continue to lead Octavius through many more successes.”

“Infrastructure is one of RSK’s core strategic growth markets and, in Octavius, we have found a large, well-established business with a proven track record in safety-critical infrastructure delivery. With many complementary businesses already in the group, we see significant opportunity for collaboration, further improving the value we can bring to our shared client base.”

Layton Tamberlin,  founding partner of Sullivan Street, said: “Our journey with Octavius has been a fantastic one. From carving out the business, to executing the organic growth plan and adding additional capabilities through add-ons, the business has been transformed into a national player of considerable scale. It has been a pleasure working with this excellent management team throughout our ownership, and we have every confidence that Octavius will continue to thrive as part of RSK Group.”