diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/util/BeanExtender.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/util/BeanExtender.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eabcdf4e0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/util/BeanExtender.java
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2005-2014 Alfresco Software Limited.
+ *
+ * This file is part of Alfresco
+ *
+ * Alfresco is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * Alfresco is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with Alfresco. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+package org.alfresco.util;
+
+import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.beans.MutablePropertyValues;
+import org.springframework.beans.PropertyValue;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.NoSuchBeanDefinitionException;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanFactoryPostProcessor;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory;
+
+/**
+ * Extends the definition of a bean with another.
+ * <p>
+ * Implements bean factory post processor.
+ *
+ * @author Roy Wetherall
+ * @since 5.0
+ */
+public class BeanExtender implements BeanFactoryPostProcessor
+{
+    /** name of bean to extend */
+    private String beanName;
+
+    /** extending bean name */
+    private String extendingBeanName;
+
+    /**
+     * @param beanName  bean name
+     */
+    public void setBeanName(String beanName)
+    {
+        this.beanName = beanName;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param extendingBeanName extending bean name
+     */
+    public void setExtendingBeanName(String extendingBeanName)
+    {
+        this.extendingBeanName = extendingBeanName;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @see org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanFactoryPostProcessor#postProcessBeanFactory(org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory)
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void postProcessBeanFactory(ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory)
+    {
+        ParameterCheck.mandatory("beanName", beanName);
+        ParameterCheck.mandatory("extendingBeanName", extendingBeanName);
+
+        // check for bean name
+        if (!beanFactory.containsBean(beanName))
+        {
+            throw new NoSuchBeanDefinitionException("Can't find bean '" + beanName + "' to be extended.");
+        }
+
+        // check for extending bean
+        if (!beanFactory.containsBean(extendingBeanName))
+        {
+            throw new NoSuchBeanDefinitionException("Can't find bean '" + extendingBeanName + "' that is going to extend origional bean definition.");
+        }
+
+        // get the bean definitions
+        BeanDefinition beanDefinition = beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(beanName);
+        BeanDefinition extendingBeanDefinition = beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(extendingBeanName);
+
+        // update class
+        if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(extendingBeanDefinition.getBeanClassName()) &&
+            !beanDefinition.getBeanClassName().equals(extendingBeanDefinition.getBeanClassName()))
+        {
+            beanDefinition.setBeanClassName(extendingBeanDefinition.getBeanClassName());
+        }
+
+        // update properties
+        MutablePropertyValues properties = beanDefinition.getPropertyValues();
+        MutablePropertyValues extendingProperties = extendingBeanDefinition.getPropertyValues();
+        for (PropertyValue propertyValue : extendingProperties.getPropertyValueList())
+        {
+            properties.add(propertyValue.getName(), propertyValue.getValue());
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/AllUnitTestsSuite.java b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/AllUnitTestsSuite.java
index 461b3d02d1..1fe2b27b42 100644
--- a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/AllUnitTestsSuite.java
+++ b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/AllUnitTestsSuite.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ public class AllUnitTestsSuite extends TestSuite
 {
     /**
      * Creates the test suite
-     * 
+     *
      * @return the test suite
      */
     public static Test suite()
@@ -97,5 +97,6 @@ public class AllUnitTestsSuite extends TestSuite
         suite.addTest(new JUnit4TestAdapter(org.alfresco.repo.search.impl.solr.SolrQueryHTTPClientTest.class));
         suite.addTest(new JUnit4TestAdapter(org.alfresco.repo.search.impl.solr.SolrStatsResultTest.class));
         suite.addTest(new JUnit4TestAdapter(org.alfresco.repo.search.impl.solr.facet.SolrFacetComparatorTest.class));
+        suite.addTest(new JUnit4TestAdapter(org.alfresco.util.BeanExtenderUnitTest.class));
     }
 }
diff --git a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/util/BeanExtenderUnitTest.java b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/util/BeanExtenderUnitTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..de1dbff6b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/util/BeanExtenderUnitTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,257 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2005-2014 Alfresco Software Limited.
+ *
+ * This file is part of Alfresco
+ *
+ * Alfresco is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * Alfresco is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+ * along with Alfresco. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+package org.alfresco.util;
+
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.anyString;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.doReturn;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.times;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.alfresco.util.GUID;
+import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Rule;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.rules.ExpectedException;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.mockito.InjectMocks;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.MockitoAnnotations;
+import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;
+import org.springframework.beans.MutablePropertyValues;
+import org.springframework.beans.PropertyValue;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.NoSuchBeanDefinitionException;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory;
+
+/**
+ * Bean extender unit test.
+ *
+ * @author Roy Wetherall
+ * @since 5.0
+ */
+@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
+public class BeanExtenderUnitTest
+{
+    private static final String BEAN_NAME = GUID.generate();
+    private static final String EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME = GUID.generate();
+
+    @Mock private ConfigurableListableBeanFactory mockedBeanFactory;
+    @Mock private BeanDefinition mockedBeanDefinition;
+    @Mock private BeanDefinition mockedExtendingBeanDefinition;
+    @Mock private MutablePropertyValues mockedPropertyValuesBean;
+    @Mock private MutablePropertyValues mockedPropertyValuesExtendingBean;
+
+    @InjectMocks private BeanExtender beanExtender;
+
+    /** expected exception rule */
+    @Rule
+    public ExpectedException exception = ExpectedException.none();
+
+    /**
+     * Test method setup
+     */
+    @Before
+    public void before() throws Exception
+    {
+        MockitoAnnotations.initMocks(this);
+
+        // setup common interactions
+        doReturn(mockedPropertyValuesBean).when(mockedBeanDefinition).getPropertyValues();
+        doReturn(mockedPropertyValuesExtendingBean).when(mockedExtendingBeanDefinition).getPropertyValues();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * given that the bean name is not set, ensure that an Illegal Argument
+     * exception is thrown.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void beanNameNotSet()
+    {
+        // === given ===
+
+        // set the extending bean name
+        beanExtender.setExtendingBeanName(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // expecting exception
+        exception.expect(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+
+        // === when ===
+        beanExtender.postProcessBeanFactory(mockedBeanFactory);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * given that the extending bean name is not set, ensure that an illegal
+     * argument exception is thrown.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void extendingBeanNameNotSet()
+    {
+        // === given ===
+
+        // set the extending bean name
+        beanExtender.setBeanName(BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // expecting exception
+        exception.expect(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+
+        // === when ===
+        beanExtender.postProcessBeanFactory(mockedBeanFactory);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * given that the bean does not exist ensure that an exception is thrown
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void beanDoesNotExist()
+    {
+        // === given ===
+
+        // set the bean names
+        beanExtender.setBeanName(BEAN_NAME);
+        beanExtender.setExtendingBeanName(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(false).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(true).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // expecting exception
+        exception.expect(NoSuchBeanDefinitionException.class);
+
+        // === when ===
+        beanExtender.postProcessBeanFactory(mockedBeanFactory);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * given that the extending bean does not exist ensure that an exception is thrown
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void extendingBeanDoesNotExist()
+    {
+        // === given ===
+
+        // set the bean names
+        beanExtender.setBeanName(BEAN_NAME);
+        beanExtender.setExtendingBeanName(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(true).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(false).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // expecting exception
+        exception.expect(NoSuchBeanDefinitionException.class);
+
+        // === when ===
+        beanExtender.postProcessBeanFactory(mockedBeanFactory);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * given that a different class name has been set on the extending bean ensure it is
+     * set correctly on the origional bean
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void beanClassNameSet()
+    {
+        // === given ===
+
+        // set the bean names
+        beanExtender.setBeanName(BEAN_NAME);
+        beanExtender.setExtendingBeanName(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // both beans are available in the bean factory
+        doReturn(true).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(true).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // return the mocked bean definitions
+        doReturn(mockedBeanDefinition).when(mockedBeanFactory).getBeanDefinition(BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(mockedExtendingBeanDefinition).when(mockedBeanFactory).getBeanDefinition(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // bean class names
+        doReturn("a").when(mockedBeanDefinition).getBeanClassName();
+        doReturn("b").when(mockedExtendingBeanDefinition).getBeanClassName();
+
+        // no properties have been defined
+        doReturn(Collections.EMPTY_LIST).when(mockedPropertyValuesExtendingBean).getPropertyValueList();
+
+        // === when ===
+        beanExtender.postProcessBeanFactory(mockedBeanFactory);
+
+        // === then ===
+
+        // expect the class name to be set on the bean
+        verify(mockedBeanDefinition, times(1)).setBeanClassName("b");
+        verify(mockedPropertyValuesBean, never()).add(anyString(), anyString());
+
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * given that new property values have been set on the extending bean ensure that they
+     * are correctly set on the original bean.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void beanPropertyValuesSet()
+    {
+        // === given ===
+
+        // set the bean names
+        beanExtender.setBeanName(BEAN_NAME);
+        beanExtender.setExtendingBeanName(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // both beans are available in the bean factory
+        doReturn(true).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(true).when(mockedBeanFactory).containsBean(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // return the mocked bean definitions
+        doReturn(mockedBeanDefinition).when(mockedBeanFactory).getBeanDefinition(BEAN_NAME);
+        doReturn(mockedExtendingBeanDefinition).when(mockedBeanFactory).getBeanDefinition(EXTENDING_BEAN_NAME);
+
+        // bean class names
+        doReturn("a").when(mockedBeanDefinition).getBeanClassName();
+        doReturn(null).when(mockedExtendingBeanDefinition).getBeanClassName();
+
+        PropertyValue mockedPropertyValueOne = generateMockedPropertyValue("one", "1");
+        PropertyValue mockedPropertyValueTwo = generateMockedPropertyValue("two", "2");
+        List<PropertyValue> list = new ArrayList<PropertyValue>(2);
+        list.add(mockedPropertyValueOne);
+        list.add(mockedPropertyValueTwo);
+        doReturn(list).when(mockedPropertyValuesExtendingBean).getPropertyValueList();
+
+        // === when ===
+        beanExtender.postProcessBeanFactory(mockedBeanFactory);
+
+        // === then ===
+
+        // expect the class name to be set on the bean
+        verify(mockedBeanDefinition, never()).setBeanClassName(anyString());
+        verify(mockedPropertyValuesBean, times(1)).add("one", "1");
+        verify(mockedPropertyValuesBean, times(1)).add("two", "2");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Helper method to generate a mocked property value
+     */
+    private PropertyValue generateMockedPropertyValue(String name, String value)
+    {
+        PropertyValue result = mock(PropertyValue.class);
+        doReturn(name).when(result).getName();
+        doReturn(value).when(result).getValue();
+        return result;
+    }
+}