Sinclair Knight Merz


Sinclair Knight Merz was a private Australian company operating across Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company had global capability in strategic consulting, engineering and project delivery.
Jacobs Engineering Group announced its acquisition of SKM late in 2013 for AUS$1.3 billion

Overview

The firm had approximately 7,500 staff working in 47 offices around the world. This workforce represents a range of disciplines including engineers, planners, architects, economists, scientists, project managers, technicians and administrative staff. The business was wholly owned by approximately 500 staff members in a partnership arrangement.
In the fiscal year 2011-12 the firm’s financial revenue was AUS$1.43 billion.
SKM’s operations are divided into four broad “Business Units”:
Various technical disciplines sit within these broad categories. For example, specialist rail and tunneling staff are based in the Infrastructure Business Unit.
An umbrella “Group” division contains teams responsible for specific project delivery skills, such as risk management, safety and economic planning.

History

The Sinclair & Knight practice was established in Sydney Australia in 1964 by Bruce Sinclair and Jack Knight. The firm grew rapidly over the next 30 years, and in 1996 it merged with Merz Australia to form Sinclair Knight Merz. A series of mergers over the following ten years saw the firm’s continued expansion in size, geography and services.

Controversies

The Guardian Australia has uncovered shocking evidence of SKM misconduct. SKM faced criminal charges between 2006 and 2011 for suspected bribing of officials in Vietnam, and between 2000 and mid-2005 in the Philippines. The AFP launched its SKM complaint in July 2013 but the company was not put to trial until June 2018

Major projects