PHMP's major projects include Galway Main Drainage; Sillogue water tower; the Dublin Bay project; the M3 Clonee-Kells motorway; the N25 Waterford bypass; the new Quality Hotel in Limerick; the government laboratory campus in Co Kildare and the new FAS training facility in Tallaght.

PHMP's 184-strong team will now become part of the acquiring firm, with all company directors joining WYG's senior management team.

"This is our largest acquisition in Ireland to date and is an important step forward in the development of WYG Ireland because it further strengthens our engineering capabilities and resources, " says WYG's group managing director, Ray Moore. WYG now employs over 670 staff and has offices in Athlone, Belfast, Cork, Derry, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford. Among the key services it provides are civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, environmental services, town planning, quantity surveying and project management.