Shadbolt & Co has launched a non-exclusive alliance with Belfast firm C&H Jefferson in a bid to cash in on opportunities in Northern Ireland’s projects industry.

The move follows a Northern Ireland Executive consultation document committing £5.6bn to infrastructure projects in the next three years, rising to £18bn in the next 10 years, and a decreasing appetite for projects work in the UK.

“We’ve been doing work [in Northern Ireland] for some years, but mostly for construction companies,” said Edward Marston, a partner in the projects and construction team. He said the decision to ally was made more attractive by PFI and PPP in Northern Ireland, which has only recently started to materialise.

The alliance is the latest in Shadbolt’s loose international network, which includes a growing Paris office, a Tanzanian representative office in Dar es Salaam and an alliance with, and stake in, Bucharest firm Oana Irina Firca.