On 31 May 2011, Spie, announced that an exclusivity agreement for the contemplated sale of Spie was granted by PAI Partners to a consortium led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice together with Axa Private Equity and Caisse de D‚p“t et Placement du Qu‚bec, for a total consideration of €2.1bn. In compliance with French law, SPIE management will now begin a consultation process with its works councils.

Spie is the European leader in electrical and mechanical engineering and HVAC services, energy and communication systems. With 28,600 employees working from nearly 400 locations in 31 countries, Spie generated operating profit on ordinary activities of €192.3mlion on turnover of €3.75 billion in 2010.

Canaccord Genuity acted as financial advisor to Spie and its management.