Travers Morgan sale attracts huge response

The race is on to buy consulting engineer Travers Morgan, which went into administration last month (CJ, 22 December 1994). More than 70 companies - including some contractors - have expressed an interest in the sale, according to administrator Arthur Anderson.

Names in the frame include WS Atkins, Pell Frischmann, Mott MacDonald and Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick. All four contenders bid for the company when it was first put up for sale in July last year.

At the time the sale fell foul of TM's collection of expensive leases, taken on at the height of the property boom. But administration has removed this stumbling block since the leases will now have to be renegotiated. Contractors including Tarmac, Amey and Wimpey have also expressed an interest in the 800 strong company.

'We've been overwhelmed by the response,' says a spokesman for the joint administrators.

Information memos are to be sent out to potential bidders this week in the hope of clinching a sale by mid February.

l Mott MacDonald has resigned from the Association of Consulting Engineers. The company said it was 'a private matter between ourselves and ACE. We do not wish to discuss it.' An ACE spokesman said the association had no idea why Mott Macdonald had resigned.