Firm in talks to fill Gardiner & Theobald's shoes as partner of Rider Hunt and Levett & Bailey

Bucknall Austin is set to replace Gardiner & Theobald as the global partner of international practices Rider Hunt and Levett & Bailey.

QS News understands that the firms are in advanced talks in the wake of the break up of the Gardiner & Theobald alliance last year. Sources close to the talks claim the firms have been working together on projects in Asia in the last few months in preparation for a more formal tie up.

"A relationship has been struck," a source said. "They are looking to put together something formal in the near future. Bucknalls have clients that are working globally, and vice versa for Rider Hunt, so it makes sense."

The deal would be a major coup for Bucknall Austin, which was bought out of Citex by a team led by chairman David Bucknall in 2003. The firm has since brought in a new management team below Bucknall that includes managing director Simon Birchall, who joined from Faithful & Gould last November, and Lance Taylor. Taylor and Birchall have been leading the talks with Rider Hunt and Levett & Bailey, sources claim.

Bucknall has clients that are working globally... so it makes sense

Bucknall Austin posted operating profits of £652,000 on a turnover of £18.2m in the second year after the buyout. It expects to report an operating profit of £2m by 2008/2009 on an enlarged turnover of £25m. The company also plans to recruit sixty new people in the next three years, to boost its 290-strong staff.

The Bucknall Austin talks follow the severing of the alliance between Gardiner & Theobald and its two partners, which mainly operate in Australia and the Far East, last May. The falling out centred on a dispute over who would lead the charge into the emerging Chinese construction market. Rider Hunt came up with three options for extending its reach into Europe following the break-up: joining up with its namesake in the UK, also called Rider Hunt, but independent; tying up with a separate UK practice; or setting up its own operation. The firm is believed to have had preliminary discussions with Gleeds late last year but failed to reach a deal.