Edwards Diving Services

We’re pleased to have supported Edwards Diving Services (“EDS” or the “Group”) on its sale to Envolve Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Renew Holdings plc (“Renew”). EDS is a multi-disciplined marine civil engineering contractor, delivering capital and essential maintenance projects for critical infrastructure.

Headquartered in Treforest, Wales, EDS was founded in 1992 by Paul Edwards. The Group is a specialist in providing bespoke engineering solutions in challenging environments, predominately working for local authorities and the water sector. The Group provides all required expertise, staff, and equipment for its projects.

EDS has now been acquired by Envolve Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Renew Holdings plc. Envolve Infrastructure is a specialist civil engineering company that builds, maintains, and renews critical infrastructure in the UK, with a strong focus on the water and power sectors.

Our Corporate Finance team was appointed by the shareholders of EDS to explore a sale of the Group. We helped to prepare the Group for sale, developed bespoke marketing materials to articulate EDS’ strengths, and ran a targeted process to identify suitable acquirers. We then led negotiations and co‑ordinated the financial due diligence, managing the transaction through to completion.

The acquisition will allow EDS to benefit from Renew’s scale, resources, and expertise. In turn, the acquisition will help Renew to expand its specialist water services, providing further growth opportunities as momentum builds within the AMP8 control period.

Geraint McGrath, Partner at FRP Corporate Finance, said: “It has been a real pleasure to advise the EDS shareholders on this transaction. EDS is a leading specialist marine and water infrastructure contractor, and the deal is a clear testament to the quality of the business and its management team. We are delighted that EDS has found an excellent partner in Envolve Infrastructure, and we wish the team every success as they enter this next phase of growth.”

Paul Edwards, Founder of Edwards Diving Services, said: “Selling something so personal as a business you have built from nothing is a very emotional experience. The team from FRP were absolutely first class in steering us through the obstacle course of mergers and acquisitions; they were patient, professional and incredibly hard working.  They found us the perfect match with Envolve Infrastructure which just so happens to be a trusted customer we have worked closely with for a number of years on lots of different, challenging projects.  Geraint, Aaron, and Twm have been outstanding”.