Octavius acquisition moves RSK into tier one contracting

RSK has acquired Octavius Infrastructure from private equity firm Sullivan Street Partners, marking a major step in the group's expansion into the transport infrastructure contracting market.

Octavius, which was formerly the rail and highways division of Geoffrey Osborne before being sold in 2021, will now operate as part of RSK. The company and its 700 employees will continue under the leadership of chief executive John Dowsett, with Matt Smith and Gavin Pritchard remaining as managing directors for rail and highways respectively.

The acquisition represents a strategic shift for RSK, long known for its consultancy origins, by extending its operations into tier one main contracting in the transport sector.

Octavius reported turnover of £322.9M for the year ending 31 March 2025, up from £276.7M the previous year, with pre-tax profit rising to £8.6M from £4.7M. Meanwhile, RSK Group posted turnover of £2.24bn for the year to 5 April 2025 – a 21% increase driven partly by 11 acquisitions – but recorded a pre-tax loss of £124.5M. The group has not made a profit since 2017, focusing instead on growth through acquisitions across a wide range of sectors, from environmental consultancy and steel fabrication to drilling services and public relations.

Leadership Comments

Octavius chief executive John Dowsett said he was “very excited” to join RSK and begin the next phase of the company’s development.“RSK feels like the natural long-term home for us to continue our ambitious growth plans,” he said. “We will retain our proud Octavius brand and maintain a strong level of autonomy, while benefiting from the extensive expertise across the RSK Group.”

RSK founder and chief executive Alan Ryder said he was “very proud” that Octavius had chosen RSK as its long-term home.“Octavius is a high-quality and trusted partner in the UK rail and highway sectors,” he said. “We see significant opportunities for collaboration across the group that will enhance the value we offer to clients.”

Sullivan Street founding partner Layton Tamberlin reflected positively on the firm’s ownership of Octavius, describing the business as “transformed into a national player of considerable scale” and expressing confidence it would “continue to thrive” within RSK.

Current Octavius Projects

Octavius is currently delivering several major projects, including:

• Refurbishment of Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight

• Waterloo Station roof works

• Construction of new stations at Okehampton and Charfield

• A46 Walsgrave junction upgrade

• A new link road in Colchester

• Completion of the newly opened A140 Long Stratton Bypass