Colliers snaps up engineers Pritchard Francis

Property group Colliers will beef up its engineering division after purchasing WA-headquartered Pritchard Francis for an undisclosed sum. Pritchard Francis — founded by Bob Pritchard and Lionel Francis — has grown over its near-50 year history with 125 staff now spread across offices in Subiaco and Albany, along with a presence in Darwin and Brisbane. It provides civil and structural engineering, design and related consulting services to the transportation, property, land development, industrial, mining and resources and public infrastructure sectors. Projects it has worked on include the Rottnest Island renewable energy feasibility assessment, Hancock Prospecting’s Roy Hill, multiple WA housing developments, the Karrinyup Shopping Centre redevelopment, Scarborough Beach Pool and Fremantle’s King’s Square. Colliers engineering and design managing director Brent Thomas said the acquisition would form new WA and NT divisions and expand its overall team to more than 370. “The addition of this group enhances our scale, strengthens our capabilities and expands our geographic reach, allowing us to enhance our service levels to our regional and national clients,” Mr Thomas said. “It also complements Colliers’ global strategy to grow our engineering and design business worldwide.” Pritchard Francis’ senior leadership team will continue to lead the business in WA. The deal, which is expected to settle later this year, builds on Colliers’ purchase of Canada’s Englobe, a multi-discipline engineering company with more than 5500 staff globally.