NG Bailey Leeds Acquires Water Specialist ESG

NG Bailey Leeds buys Engineering Solutions Group to access AMP8 water infrastructure market worth £104bn.

Leeds-headquartered engineering services group NG Bailey Leeds has acquired Engineering Solutions Group (ESG), a £30 million turnover specialist in water, environmental, and infrastructure engineering. The deal adds approximately 180 employees to NG Bailey’s workforce, taking the family-owned group’s total headcount past 3,600. ESG, based in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire and founded in 1989, will join NG Bailey’s Built Environment division, with its existing management team and brands retained.

What is AMP8?

The deal comes as the water sector enters AMP8, the industry’s current regulatory investment period, which doubles UK water infrastructure spending to £104 billion over five years. That represents a significant expansion of the market for companies with the right capabilities. ESG’s client base includes the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent Water, Anglian Water, and Welsh Water. Its expertise spans mechanical and electrical engineering, specialist steel and composite fabrication, civil works, and advanced water control products supplied through exclusive European partnerships.

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NG Bailey Leeds describes the deal as a natural extension to its existing services. The group already operates across engineering, facilities services, and EV infrastructure, and says the acquisition opens up new growth opportunities in water infrastructure specifically. ESG’s track record including the Colwick Sluice refurbishment for the Environment Agency and fabrication work in the nuclear sector brings project credentials and specialist workforce to the wider group.

“Bringing ESG into the NG Bailey family is a decision which makes both strategic and commercial sense as we continue to deliver our Journey to 2030 business plan. The acquisition provides a natural extension to our existing range of services and strengthens both our market positions, whilst opening up new growth opportunities for us in key areas including water infrastructure.”

— Jonathan Stockton, Chief Executive, NG Bailey

NG Bailey’s Leeds Roots

NG Bailey was founded in 1921 as a small electrical contractor and has grown into one of the UK’s largest independent engineering and infrastructure services businesses. The group is family-owned and headquartered at White Rose Park in south Leeds. Its operations span engineering design, offsite manufacturing, installation, facilities management, and EV charging infrastructure. The ESG acquisition is part of what the company calls its ‘Journey to 2030’ business plan, which is focused on building scale in infrastructure delivery. Yorkshire Water’s presence on ESG’s client list creates an immediate regional connection for the Leeds-headquartered group as AMP8 spending accelerates.

Why this matters for Leeds

NG Bailey is one of Leeds’ largest private employers, a family-owned engineering group with over a century of history and a workforce now exceeding 3,600. The ESG acquisition positions it to compete for a share of the £104 billion AMP8 water investment programme, which is the single largest infrastructure spending commitment in the UK right now. Yorkshire Water is among ESG’s existing clients, creating a direct regional link. For Leeds’ engineering and infrastructure sector, the deal signals that the city’s major employers are investing to capture the next wave of national infrastructure spending.