Advanced Construction Technology Services (ACTS), a leading regional testing, inspection and certification firm, has announced its acquisition of CQRA, a top construction management company and independent quality assessment agency based at Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

The news comes after ACTS revealed back in August that it was teaming up with Durocrete Engineering Services (DESPL), a leading name in the field of construction material testing, as part of a strategic partnership to expand operations in India.

Founded in 1996, ACTS was the first construction testing, inspection and certification firm to obtain ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certifications.

The firm provides a wide range of services in the construction and oil and gas sectors, including consultancy, geotechnical engineering, environmental testing, non-destructive testing, and others.

ACTS is the local sponsoring group for American Concrete Institute (ACI) training, certification and conference programmes in the Middle East and Africa, as well as the recognised representative of IHS, ASTM, BSI and IEEE.

With state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and a highly qualified team of inspectors on major projects such as Riyadh Metro, Kuwait International Airport, and the kilometre-tall Kingdom Tower project, ACTS has become a regional leader in the use of remote sensors to determine the service life of buildings and monitor the structural health of bridges.

Headquartered in Pune, CQRA is a pan India organisation with a team of 300 highly skilled and experienced professionals, and operations in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

The company focuses on closely working with real estate developers to help them enhance the quality of their construction projects, offering services such as quality management and advisory services, construction management, training (site staff), pre-delivery inspection, independent assessment audits (stage-wise), cost and materials audits and more.

Pune-based DESPL is a leading name in the field of construction material testing, with three laboratories located in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nashik.

The company provides a wide range of services in the fields of mechanical, chemical, non-destructive testing, and geotechnical investigation, in India, while also offering testing facilities for a vast range of building materials.

On the strategic deal, ACTS chairman Khaled Awad said: "Our partnership with CQRA and Durocrete reconfirms our interest and commitment to the Indian market."

"Both these companies share with ACTS the same values of integrity and innovation, and are very well positioned to achieve sustained growth in India," stated Awad, who is also the past president of the American Concrete Institute (ACI).

Ujwal Kunte, the managing director of DESPL, said: "CQRA and Durocrete will benefit from alliance with ACTS by getting the latest technology and expertise in many specialized testing services. ACTS will also help CQRA in launching some of its software enabled quality inspection services in the GCC region."

"This presents great opportunity for CQRA to spread its wings in other countries," he added.-TradeArabia News Service