Egis has acquired JB Barry & Partners, a civil engineering firm with headquarters in Dublin, to form one of the largest multidisciplinary consultancy, engineering and operations firms in Ireland.

For both businesses, the move will accelerate growth in the country and enable both Egis and JB Barry & Partners to better support clients in delivering important major infrastructure projects as part of Project Ireland 2040, such as smart cities, climate change programmes and updates and improvements to critical transport, water and energy infrastructure.

The two firms have significant existing alignment including operating across the full lifecycle of major infrastructure projects from design to construction oversight and operations.

Egis has had a firm base in Ireland for 20 years, employing more than 500 staff and delivering major infrastructure projects such as the operation, maintenance and asset management of 470km of Ireland’s strategic road network including the Dublin Port and Jack Lynch Tunnels.

Laurent Germain, CEO of Egis Group, said: “This significant investment in Ireland will support our continued growth and enable us to deliver world-leading civil engineering projects at a greater scale for our clients.”

Steve Preece, managing director of Egis in Ireland, said: “There are many synergies between Egis and JB Barry & Partners, and a history of success and mutual respect in our markets. In joining Egis, we are supporting JB Barry & Partners in the next stage of its impressive journey and together we’ll unlock new capabilities and services for our clients. As part of Egis, there will be new opportunities for JB Barry & Partners to play a role in a pipeline of leading projects around the world.”

For more than 60 years, JB Barry & Partners has been delivering landmark projects spanning 25 sectors including water services, development and structures, transportation and energy. Their projects include upgrades to the iconic Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest treatment facility in the country; planning the development of the N/M20 Cork to Limerick multimodal transport corridor; and acting as contractors designer for the N22 Baile Bhuirne to Macroom Road Development, the largest construction project nationally.

Liam Prendiville, managing director of JB Barry & Partners, said: “Joining Egis is a natural next step in our organisation’s development and will give us the capacity to respond to larger domestic and international tenders and offer our existing clients new added value services, particularly in digital transformation, asset management, smart cities and sustainability. 

“We are immensely grateful to our clients and supporters over our long history and we hope you will join us in embracing the next chapter in our development. We sincerely believe that it is good news for clients and staff alike.”

The firms are partnered on several projects in the rail and light rail sectors, including the planning and detailed design of the Luas Finglas in Dublin and the Galway-Athenry Capacity Feasibility Study.

JB Barry & Partners employs over 180 people across four offices in Ireland. The current leadership team and expert staff are expected to stay in post with no anticipated changes to the delivery of their existing projects.

Full completion is subject to Competition and Consumer Protection Commission approval.