QuestGates has acquired Richard Hartley Partnership, a specialist claims provider focused on complex losses in the power and construction sectors. The deal is the group's third acquisition of 2026, and the sequencing of all three tells a clearer story than any one of them does alone.
Established in 1999 and headquartered in Harrogate, RHP delivers specialist adjusting services across the UK and internationally, with particular depth in power, energy, nuclear, construction, engineering and renewables. The firm will continue operating under its existing brand as part of the QuestGates group.
Rick Hartley, executive chairman of RHP, said that almost 30 years after its formation, the firm remains dedicated to delivering tailored, agile solutions to complex claims through a team of technically expert, forward-thinking professionals, and that joining QuestGates opens new opportunities for RHP's people while strengthening the services available to clients.
The RHP deal follows QuestGates' acquisition of Manchester-based liability specialist Howell Wild in July, and the acquisition of City law firm Miles Fanning Legal through its QGLaw arm in February. Each fills a distinct technical capability gap.
QGLaw added legal services. Howell Wild added specialist liability adjusting. RHP adds power and construction technical expertise. Together, the three acquisitions describe a group building out the full claims service spectrum for complex and specialist losses - loss adjusting, legal support, and engineering-adjacent technical assessment - as a single integrated proposition rather than pursuing general adjusting volume through headcount.
That sequencing looks deliberate under chief executive Greg Laker, who joined QuestGates to lead its evolution into a broader claims solutions provider spanning loss adjusting, legal services, forensic accounting and specialist surveying. The pattern is architectural rather than opportunistic.
Power and construction losses are technically demanding in ways that generalist claims handling cannot adequately serve. A major loss in a power generation or construction environment typically involves engineering condition assessment, business interruption calculation across complex operational dependencies, multi-party liability questions spanning contractors, subcontractors and project owners, and insurance coverage analysis that requires familiarity with the specific policy structures common in those sectors.
That combination of disciplines is difficult to recruit for in a tight talent market for experienced loss adjusters. Acquiring RHP - a firm with 27 years of specialist history and established insurer relationships in those lines - gives QuestGates the depth immediately rather than attempting to build it from within.
Glen Donaldson, chief commercial officer of QuestGates, said RHP's specialist capabilities have long been recognised within the group, and that its expertise and client base will significantly enhance the range of claims solutions on offer.
For brokers and insurers routing power, construction, engineering or energy losses, the practical effect of QuestGates' 2026 acquisition programme is a single group that can now co-ordinate loss adjusting, legal support and specialist sector technical expertise without the broker having to manage multiple service provider relationships across a single complex claim. Whether that integrated proposition delivers more efficiently than separate specialist providers depends on how QuestGates manages the integration - but the intent is clear and the capability is now assembled.
Three acquisitions in eight months is a fast pace even by the standards of a sector that has consolidated steadily in recent years.
