COWI acquires PUNCH Consulting Engineers to expand Irish construction platform

Danish international engineering group COWI has acquired PUNCH Consulting Engineers, one of Ireland's largest Irish-owned multidisciplinary engineering consultancies, in a move that significantly expands its footprint in the Irish construction and infrastructure market. As reported by Scottish Construction Now, the acquisition brings together COWI's international scale with PUNCH's established position across buildings, civil, structural and environmental engineering in Ireland and the UK.

The deal builds on COWI's growing presence in Ireland following the opening of its Dublin office in 2025 and its involvement in major infrastructure projects supporting Ireland's green transition, including district heating and offshore wind. PUNCH, founded in Limerick in 1973, brings more than 50 years of experience delivering civil, structural, environmental, sustainability, conservation, BIM, energy engineering, assigned certifier, and health and safety services across the built and managed environment.

PUNCH currently operates offices in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway, as well as Glasgow and Macclesfield. Following the acquisition, the firm will be known as PUNCH Consulting Engineers, a COWI company, and will become part of COWI's UK and Ireland business.

Andy Sloan, executive vice president, UK and International at COWI, said: "PUNCH has built an outstanding reputation, delivering high-quality engineering solutions across the built environment. By combining its trusted local expertise with COWI's international experience, we are creating a stronger platform to support clients and deliver sustainable, future-ready buildings and infrastructure across Ireland."

Tim Murnane, managing director at PUNCH Consulting Engineers, said: "We have built our business around strong client relationships, technical excellence and a commitment to delivering sustainable engineering solutions across buildings, infrastructure and the wider built environment. COWI shares those values and this move gives us the opportunity to build on our legacy while opening new pathways for our teams and clients with our people benefiting from access to wider international expertise, larger and more complex projects and new career development opportunities across the COWI Group."

The acquisition supports COWI's ambition to grow its Irish business to more than 300 employees. The combined entity will be positioned to pursue major buildings, infrastructure and energy projects across Ireland, the UK and internationally.

Ireland's construction sector continues to face significant demand for engineering consultancy capacity, driven by the government's National Development Plan, which commits €165 billion in public capital investment through to 2040 across transport, housing, energy and water infrastructure.

Get the full story on the acquisition and what it means for engineering consultancy in Ireland.