JGA Fire Engineering acquired by Jensen Hughes

In August 2018, US safety, security, and risk-based engineering group Jensen Hughes acquired UK and Ireland fire safety consultancy Jeremy Gardner Associates (JGA) — a deal advised by mid-market M&A expert Mark Sapsford,

The acquisition was the buyer's first non-domestic acquisition since its 2015 backing by US private equity firm Gryphon Investors.

Deal at a glance

Target	Jeremy Gardner Associates Ltd (JGA Fire Engineering)
Acquirer	Jensen Hughes, Inc. — a Gryphon Investors portfolio company
Completion date	August 2018
Deal value	Undisclosed
Deal structure	Undisclosed
Sell-side M&A advisor	Mark Sapsford
Sector	Fire safety engineering / Building consultancy
Target HQ	London, United Kingdom
Office network at close	7 offices across the UK and Ireland
JGA headcount at close	70 — including 55 fire protection engineers
Notable client projects	Microsoft campus Dublin, St James Edinburgh, Wembley Park London
Strategic significance	First cross-border deal for Jensen Hughes since its 2015 Gryphon backing

Overview

Jensen Hughes — a global leader in safety, security, and risk-based engineering — acquired Jeremy Gardner Associates (JGA), a fire safety consultancy with seven offices across the UK and Ireland.

The transaction extended Jensen Hughes' European footprint following the September 2017 launch of its London office and brought one of the UK's most respected fire engineering practices into a network of more than 70 offices worldwide.

Mark Sapsford - who later co-founded CapEQ - acted as sell-side M&A advisor to JGA's founder and shareholder, Jeremy Gardner.

About JGA Fire

JGA was founded in 1993 by Jeremy Gardner with a single focus: fire safety engineering on complex construction projects. Over 24 years, the firm grew into a recognised UK and Ireland specialist with seven offices, a team of 70 — including 55 fire protection engineers — and a portfolio of more than 6,000 completed projects.

JGA's engineers contributed to the underlying fire research and code drafting that shape contemporary fire engineering analysis. The firm became the consultant of choice on many of Europe's most demanding developments, including the Microsoft campus in Dublin, the St James quarter in Edinburgh, Wembley Park in London, Sirocco Quay in Belfast, and the Cotton Quay regeneration in Salford.

About Jensen Hughes

Jensen Hughes is a Maryland-headquartered global engineering and consulting firm specialising in fire protection, life safety, security, and risk-based engineering. At the time of the JGA acquisition, the group operated more than 70 offices worldwide, with engineers and scientists serving clients across commercial, residential, infrastructure, and industrial markets.

Jensen Hughes is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, the US mid-market private equity firm that acquired the group in 2015.

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How the deal came together

The starting point: timing the sale

JGA had spent 24 years building a market-leading position in fire safety engineering. Jeremy Gardner's view — one he later shared with other founders — was clear: the right time to sell is when the business is performing well and its trajectory looks bright. That gives potential buyers confidence in continued growth, and gives the seller real negotiating leverage.

The strategic context

In September 2017, Jensen Hughes opened its first London office. The group had, over the previous three years, made a series of strategic acquisitions of safety-related consulting firms in North America. Establishing a credible UK and Ireland platform was the natural next move.

JGA was the obvious anchor: a fire-engineering specialist with 6,000+ completed projects, a presence on landmark developments, and a strong reputation among UK and Irish architects, developers, and contractors.

From conversation to acquisition offer

Mark Sapsford led the sell-side process for Jeremy Gardner and JGA's shareholders. The early work focused on getting under the bonnet of the business — building a clear picture of revenue quality, client portfolio, technical capability, and growth pipeline.

As Jeremy Gardner later reflected, that preparation became the foundation for every conversation with prospective acquirers.

Negotiation & due diligence

Mark Sapsford navigated negotiations by balancing financial outcomes with cultural and strategic alignment. While JGA sought certainty for their team, Jensen Hughes focused on technical and client continuity. This was underpinned by rigorous due diligence into JGA’s project methodologies, indemnity exposure, and talent pipeline across seven offices, alongside comprehensive tax and warranty structuring to ensure a seamless integration.

Founder feedback

"Mark Sapsford was Lead Advisor and I worked very closely with him for the whole of this period.

The process of gaining information about my company was, as I later realised, the ideal preparation for the meetings with prospective purchasers.

"I was prepared for the likely rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, exhilaration and sometimes disappointment. But Mark's advice on what was likely to happen next was uncannily accurate.

His charm and good humour through sometimes tense negotiations and periods of real frustration helped to keep the process moving along. It was also clear that he did his best to shield us from some of the stress that can go with these things.

"Long hours and a lot of work go with the territory and he seems to thrive on it. But most of all he earned my trust and respect and that meant I generally followed his advice and he was proved right.

"A highly skilled negotiator who knows when to push hard and when to compromise. I am certain he got us the best deal that was as much about strategic fit as financial objectives."

— Jeremy Gardner, Founder & MD, JGA Fire Engineering

Results

24years: From Jeremy Gardner Associates' founding to founder exit

7: Offices across the UK and Ireland at close

6000+: Fire safety projects completed by JGA pre-acquisition

Founder reflections: Don't leave it too late

In a series of follow-up conversations after the deal closed, Jeremy Gardner shared advice for other founders considering a sale:

Sell on your terms, not under pressure. Don't wait until you're forced to sell. The best valuations come when the business is performing well and the future looks bright — that's when buyers compete for it.
The process itself is preparation. Good advisors will ask hard questions about your business months before you meet a buyer. That work is not paperwork; it's the rehearsal for every meeting that follows.
Trust matters more than charm. Choose an advisor who tells you what's likely to happen next — and is right often enough that you'll follow their advice when it counts.
Strategic fit pays. The right buyer values what you've built and pays for it. The wrong buyer pays less and integrates worse. Both show up in the final number.

UK fire engineering M&A intel

UK Fire engineering M&A market intel | CapEQ

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Frequently asked questions

The JGA / Jensen Hughes deal

Who acquired JGA Fire Engineering?

Jeremy Gardner Associates (JGA) was acquired by Jensen Hughes, a Maryland-headquartered global safety, security, and risk-based engineering consultancy, and a portfolio company of US private equity firm Gryphon Investors.

When was JGA acquired by Jensen Hughes?

The acquisition completed in August 2018.

How much did Jensen Hughes pay for JGA?

The value and terms of the transaction were not publicly disclosed.

Who advised JGA on the sale?

JGA's founder Jeremy Gardner was advised on the business sale by Mark Sapsford, who led the sell-side engagement.

What does JGA do?

JGA is a specialist fire engineering consultancy. It advises on fire safety, life safety, and code compliance for complex construction projects, with a design-led approach that supports the architect's vision rather than constraining it.

Where is JGA based?

JGA is headquartered in London, with seven offices across the UK and Ireland at the time of sale.

Why did JGA sell to Jensen Hughes?

The transaction offered a route to scale JGA's expertise within a global engineering platform of more than 70 offices, while delivering value to founder Jeremy Gardner and his shareholders. Jensen Hughes had opened a London office in September 2017 and identified JGA as the natural anchor for its UK and Ireland presence.

Who led the deal on the sell-side?

Mark Sapsford led the sell-side advisory engagement on behalf of Jeremy Gardner and JGA's shareholders.

What acquirers value in the UK fire engineering and building consultancy sector

What do acquirers value in a UK fire engineering consultancy?

Acquirers consistently prioritise a few things: a deep specialist team with chartered fire engineers, a portfolio of completed projects on landmark or technically demanding developments, recurring relationships with major property clients, and clean compliance and intellectual property positions. Ownership of in-house technical methodologies and contributions to fire engineering codes can command a meaningful premium on valuation.

Why are international buyers active in the UK and Ireland building consultancy sector?

The UK and Ireland market is appealing to overseas acquirers for several reasons: a mature English-language regulatory and professional services framework, demanding planning and fire safety standards that breed deep technical capability, and a steady pipeline of complex commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects. Buying an established firm is often faster and lower risk than building a UK presence from scratch — especially in regulated sectors.

How do private equity-backed acquirers evaluate fire safety consultancy firms?

Private equity-backed buyers — like Gryphon-backed Jensen Hughes — typically focus on revenue quality, repeat client relationships, technical defensibility, leadership depth below the founder, and scope to bolt the business onto a wider platform. They will also test exposure to regulatory tailwinds, particularly around UK building safety reform, and look closely at how dependent the firm is on its founder for client wins and delivery.

What deal structures are common in UK construction and engineering consultancy M&A?

Most mid-market deals combine an upfront cash payment with some element of deferred consideration — typically tied to revenue, EBITDA, or specific client retention targets over a one- to three-year period. Earnouts are common where the acquirer wants the founder engaged through integration. Roll-over equity into the buyer's group is also seen, particularly with private equity-backed acquirers looking to align the founder with future value creation.

Medium and longer-term founder challenges in UK and Ireland fire engineering

What are the long-term challenges of running a UK fire engineering consultancy?

Founders in this sector face a recurring set of pressures: recruiting and retaining chartered fire engineers in a tight talent market, keeping pace with evolving Building Safety Act requirements and approved document changes, scaling beyond a founder-led delivery model, managing professional indemnity exposure on increasingly complex projects, and balancing growth ambition against the partnership culture many practices were built on.

How has UK fire safety regulation evolved since Grenfell, and what does that mean for founders?

The Building Safety Act 2022 and the surrounding regulatory regime have significantly raised the technical and accountability bar for fire safety work in the UK, particularly on higher-risk buildings. For founders, that means stronger demand for genuine expertise and rising barriers to entry — but also higher liability tail, longer engagements, and more rigorous client and insurer scrutiny. Many founders use this moment to either invest aggressively in capability or consider an exit to a larger platform.

What succession planning options do founders of engineering consultancies have?

Most founder-led engineering and building consultancy firms eventually choose between four broad routes: a management buyout funded by debt or external capital, a sale to a strategic trade buyer, a sale to a private equity-backed consolidator, or an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). Each route carries different implications for valuation, founder transition timeline, cultural continuity, and tax. Working through these options early — typically two to three years ahead — gives founders the best chance of crystallising value on their terms rather than under pressure.

What talent and growth pressures face founders in UK and Ireland fire safety engineering?

Demand consistently outstrips supply for experienced fire protection engineers across the UK and Ireland. Founders typically wrestle with three connected issues: paying market-leading salaries while protecting margins, building a development pathway that retains junior engineers through chartership, and creating a leadership layer below the founder that allows the business to scale beyond personal capacity. Geographic concentration in London and Dublin adds further wage pressure.

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