WS Atkins plc completes acquisition of PBSJ

WS Atkins plc completes the acquisition of The PBSJ Corporation

WS Atkins plc ("Atkins") is pleased to announce that on 1 October 2010 it completed its acquisition of The PBSJ Corporation ("PBSJ"). This follows the announcement made on 1 October 2010 that, at a special meeting of the stockholders of PBSJ, the resolution required for the acquisition of PBSJ by Atkins was duly passed by the holders of over 97% of PBSJ's capital stock eligible to vote, with approximately 99% of votes cast in favour of the resolution.

Keith Clarke, chief executive, commented: "This is an important acquisition for Atkins, which forms part of our plan to grow our business through a multi-skill, multi-local strategy. The completion of this acquisition means that we now have an experienced management team and a US business which has a strong, long-standing reputation for technical excellence and quality, underpinned by deep client relationships. This gives Atkins a strong platform for growth in the US which will enable us to drive significant value for our shareholders."

Atkins has acquired the entire issued share capital of PBSJ for a cash consideration of US$280 million (approximately £178 million).

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1. Atkins

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) plans, designs and enables the delivery of complex infrastructure and buildings for clients in the public and private sectors across the world. Atkins is the largest engineering consultancy in the UK and the world's eleventh largest international design firm (sources: New Civil Engineer Consultants File, 2010; Engineering News-Record, 2010).

Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

2. PBSJ

PBSJ is based in Florida and was founded in 1960 and is one of America's leading providers of engineering, planning, architecture, construction, environmental and programme management services. The company has grown by developing deep technical skills and has differentiated itself in a highly competitive marketplace by expanding its resources in emerging technologies and combining those capabilities with a solid understanding of its clients' businesses. The firm is ranked by Engineering News-Record as 28th among the top design firms in the United States. PBSJ has approximately 3,100 employees and more than 80 offices in the United States.