Alfred McAlpine has bought facilities management group Steill for £85m.
The move is part of McAlpine's strategy of using the money gained from the sale of its housebuilding business to Wimpey last year to extend the range of contracting services that it offers.

The purchase of Steill, which has a turnover of £100m and has grown an average of 28% over the past two years, will allow McAlpine to run facilities after they have been built. This is expected to strengthen its hand in the PFI marketplace.

Steill managing director Bill Allan said his company would make up about 15% of the Alfred McAlpine business. He said: "Alfred McAlpine has an excellent track record in identifying talented businesses that add value to its integrated infrastructure offer."

As well as its FM interests, Steill has three divisions dealing with business and finance, technology and infrastructure, and banking and retail.

Alfred McAlpine has an excellent track record in identifying talented businesses

Bill Allan, managing director, Steill

Allan added that there would not be any management changes or redundancies as a result of the deal. He said the transfer of ownership will open up new exciting avenues for staff.

McAlpine sold its housebuilding arm to Wimpey for £440m. The move coincided with the announcement that the firm's construction division would be reorganised and renamed "infrastructure services".