The CMA has found that the Wood Group’s purchase of Amec Foster Wheeler gives rise to competition concerns.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the planned merger of the 2 companies which supply engineering services to the UK’s Upstream Offshore oil and gas sector.

At the end of its initial investigation, the CMA has found that the merger could lead to competition concerns in the supply of engineering and construction (E&C) services and operation and maintenance (O&M) services on the UK continental shelf.

This is because the companies currently compete closely with each other, and are 2 of the main suppliers of these services; the merger will reduce the number of major players currently active in these markets from 4 to 3; there are concerns that competition from other suppliers may not be sufficient to mitigate competition worries; and other suppliers seeking to enter the market or expand their UK presence may face significant barriers to doing so.

The Wood Group announced at the start of the CMA’s initial investigation that it intended to offer proposals to resolve competition concerns, should any be found. Therefore, the case team looking at the merger has (without prejudice to the outcome of the investigation) worked constructively with the 2 companies involved to shape proposed remedies and provide guidance on whether these would be suitable to address possible competition issues.

The Wood Group has until 9 August 2017 to formalise its final remedies proposal. If it does not formally submit a remedies proposal, or if the remedies offered do not sufficiently address the competition concerns that the CMA has identified, the merger will be referred for an in-depth ‘phase 2’ investigation.

Kate Collyer, Deputy Chief Economic Adviser and the decision maker in this case, said:

"We have consulted widely on the implications of this merger and it is clear that Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler have a particularly strong market position in the supply of key services to the Upstream Offshore oil and gas sector in the UK. The merger would, therefore, remove the rivalry between 2 of the 4 main suppliers of these services.

"Based on our initial investigation, this could significantly reduce customers’ ability to obtain competitive bids, which could lead to increased prices and affect the competitiveness of the oil and gas industry in the UK.

"The CMA’s team will continue to work constructively with the Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler in the assessment of the remedies that they intend to formally offer to address these concerns. This merger will, however, warrant an in-depth investigation, unless the companies offer suitable proposals to address our concerns.

About Wood Group

Wood Group is an international energy services company with around US$5bn sales and operating in more than 40 countries. The Group designs, modifies, constructs and operates industrial facilities mainly for the oil & gas sector, right across the asset life cycle. We enhance this with a wide range of specialist technical solutions including our world leading subsea, automation and integrity solutions. Our real differentiator is our range of services, the quality of our delivery, the passion of our people, our culture and values. We are extending the scale and scope of our core services into adjacent industries.

About Amec Foster Wheeler

Amec Foster Wheeler designs, delivers and maintains strategic and complex assets for its customers across the global energy and related sectors.

Employing around 35,000 people in more than 55 countries and with 2016 revenues of £5.4 billion, the company operates across the oil and gas industry – from production through to refining, processing and distribution of derivative products – and in the mining, power and process, pharma, environment and infrastructure markets.

Amec Foster Wheeler offers full life-cycle services to offshore and onshore oil and gas projects (conventional and unconventional, upstream, midstream and downstream) for greenfield, brownfield and asset support projects, plus leading refining technology.

Amec Foster Wheeler shares are publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange and its American Depositary Shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Both trade under the ticker AMFW.