Dozen of deals in Nov. in the Business Services sectors, incl. 2 from SCD Advisory

1.       Decision Inc. picks up ProQuest for Salesforce boost - A SCD ADVISORY TRANSACTION

South African-headquartered management and technology consulting outfit Decision Inc. has acquired ProQuest Consulting to boost its expertise with Salesforce. Acquired for an undisclosed sum, ProQuest is a Salesforce Summit partner based in Sydney and will see its entire workforce transition over to Decision under the arrangement. ProQuest is also set to retain its own branding and focus on Salesforce solutions post-acquisition. The resulting acquisition will see Decision’s Australia business grow to over 65 employees, resulting in its global operations expanding to just under 400. Following the deal, ProQuest CEO Amyeric Zito will continue with the business as managing director, while director Clive Roberts will also stay on as sales director.

2. Atturra to acquire Melbourne-based Chrome Consulting, a leading OpenText Enterprise Content Management partner - A SCD ADVISORY TRANSACTION

Atturra Limited (ASX: ATA), a leading technology services business in designing, implementing, and maintaining IT solutions, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Anatas Pty Ltd, has exchanged a Share Sale Agreement (SSA) to acquire Chrome Consulting Pty Ltd. Melbourne-based Chrome is an award-winning SAP/OpenText partner. Chrome is redefining end-to-end ECM services within the SAP ecosystem, delivering seamless services from strategic advisory through to implementation and ongoing support. With an impressive track record, Chrome empowers SAP customers on their S/4 HANA data optimization, decommissioning and transformation journeys. Chrome consistently drives results that improve cyber resilience, accelerate efficiency and unlock value for clients.

3.       Canary expands cyber security offerings with Layer 8 acquisition

Canary Technology Solutions has acquired Brisbane-headquartered Layer 8 Security to enhance its cyber security skillset and its Queensland footprint. According to a statement by Canary, acquiring the cyber security consultancy represents a “natural alignment of values”, with it bringing Layer 8’s educational solutions into its portfolio. This includes Layer 8’s gamified Cyber Escape Room learning experiences and awareness programs. The acquisition of Layer 8 comes weeks after Canary acquired Wyntec, with the latter acquiring Layer 8 back in April 2022.

4.       Civica acquires Melbourne-headquartered Loop Software

Civica has acquired Melbourne-headquartered Loop Software to enhance its school management platform. Loop Software is a boutique software firm established in 2000. It is behind the Daymap learning management platform used by more than 150 schools. Daymap has been used in Australian schools for more than two decades, according to the Daymap website. Daymap aims to reduce teacher and administrative workloads by integrating written and audio feedback tools with assessment criteria, streamlining grading and feedback storage. It is designed for use in student management and wellbeing, assessment and reporting, attendance, curriculum management, school organisation and communication, and document management, among other tasks. Daymap’s Parent Portal enables parents to stay connected with their child’s school life.

5.       EY adds identity and access management specialist J Group Consulting

Big Four accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young has added Melbourne-based privileged access management specialist J Group Consulting, which was established just two years ago. A CyberArk regional award-winner, J Group Consulting is one of the country’s leading specialists in the ‘identity and access management’ (IAM) space, which aims to reduce cyber threats for critical online infrastructure. The firm was established in 2022 by former National Australia Bank manager Joel Harris, who now joins Ernst & Young’s Identity practice as partner, along with a team of 20 employees between Melbourne and Sydney. With a background in cyber forensics, Harris spent the best part of a decade at NAB before launching J Group, which just one year later was named CyberArk’s Asia Pacific growth partner of the year. The company provides clients across the region with strategy, implementation, optimisation and engineering services in the niche but fast-growing IAM segment.

6.       OneStep Group Acquires Brisbane's C5 Technology

Telstra Platinum Enterprise Partner OneStep Group has acquired Brisbane-based managed IT, cloud solutions, and cybersecurity provider C5 Technology. The acquisition strengthens the Queensland presence of OneStep Group, which also has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, where OneStep Group acquired cybersecurity and Microsoft consultancy ES2 in 2023. The deal brings OneStep Group’s workforce to more than 200 people and strengthens the company’s managed IT services, cloud migration and management, and cybersecurity offerings, according to its announcement. It also expands OneStep Group’s data security, business continuity, and digital transformation capabilities. OneStep Group touts more than 1,000 customers and experience in retail, government, enterprise, and healthcare. OneStep Group was Cradlepoint Partner of the Year in 2023 and Cisco Enterprise Partner of the Year in 2022.

7.       Pacific Aerospace Consulting joins defence company Aurizn

The Australian arm of Pacific Aerospace Consulting has joined Adelaide-based defence technology specialist Aurizn. With a sister organisation based in the US, the Australian branch of Pacific Aerospace Consulting (PAC) was established in Canberra in 2005 with a focus on delivering operational solutions geared towards the aerospace sector. Aurizn said the strategic acquisition would enhance its capabilities in cybersecurity, systems integration, and mission planning among other areas, positioning it as a Tier 2 defence technology business with over 300 professionals. Backed by Pemba Capital Partners, Aurizn was formed in 2022 via the merger of South Australian software engineering companies Consilium and elmTEK, both of which had served the defence sector for more than a decade. Earlier this year, Aurizn added commercial specialist McR Defence from law firm McCullough Robertson, bringing in Sangster to take over as chief. A former managing director at Downer, Sangster said Aurizn would continue to seek out acquisition opportunities to support the firm’s growth agenda, including with a view to PAC’s American business. Meanwhile, Pacific Aerospace Consulting co-founder and US CEO Eric Rambow will join Aurizn as an executive director, alongside former elmTek and QinetiQ leaders Ganen Ganeswaran and Bjorn Wharff.

8.       Canary Technology Solutions boost QLD presence with Wyntec purchase

Cloud, cyber security, retail and managed services provider Canary Technology Solutions has boosted its Queensland presence through the acquisition of Brisbane-based managed IT services provider Wyntec. The acquisition of Wyntec reflects Canary’s commitment to expanding its managed IT services and solidifying its position as a key player in the Australian market. Combining the two organisations will extend Wyntec’s comprehensive IT support experience, from cloud solutions to cyber security and managed services.

9.       First Focus acquires Section Group for website, digital marketing services push

First Focus has expanded its service offering into website design and digital marketing with its acquisition of Melbourne-based Section Group. Section Group was founded in 2011 and is made up of several business segments – Section Technologies for IT support and managed services, Section Media for marketing and website services, Section Hosting for website, ecommerce store and virtual private server hosting and Section Communications for telephony services. The last segment, Section Community, is described by the Group as being a planned registered charity to interact with homeless parents and their children “to give them somewhere safe to stay, reconnect with people, gain employment, be reintroduced to school and eventually move out into their own home again”. Section Group is the fourth acquisition for First Focus in 12 months, following its deals to purchase Melbourne-based IT provider Rock IT in December last year, as well as the Adelaide-based Enee in February and Lettscom in July.

 10.   Bureau Veritas strengthens its Buildings and Infrastructure leadership position in Asia-Pacific with an agreement to acquire The APP Group

Bureau Veritas announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire The APP Group, a leading provider of Assurance, Compliance, Independent Verification and Certification (IV/IC), Construction Supervision, Project Management, Strategic Advisory and Asset Management and Optimisation Services across the full asset investment lifecycle in the Buildings and Infrastructure sectors in Australia. This strategic move will significantly enhance Bureau Veritas' presence in the Asia-Pacific region and develop its capabilities to support infrastructure projects. This acquisition is aligned with Bureau Veritas’ LEAP | 28 strategy to expand leadership in Buildings and Infrastructure, diversifying its portfolio and investing in an attractive regional market. Bureau Veritas contributes to safer, sustainable and resilient buildings and infrastructure, delivering dedicated solutions from early-stage feasibility through construction and into asset operations. Its global reach and comprehensive service portfolio empowers clients across the entire asset lifecycle. The APP Group has an impressive 35-year track record as a trusted partner to government, infrastructure owners, large corporations and private clients in Australia, and is recognised as a leader in Assurance, Compliance, Independent Verification and Certification (IV/IC) across major Australian transport infrastructure projects. The APP Group brings a team of 500+ and access to a pool of over 200 specialist sub-consultants. It has a strong presence in transport infrastructure, buildings, social infrastructure and facilities and manages a client portfolio of over 200 customers. The company is headquartered in Sydney, Australia and delivered revenues of €87 million in 2023. 

11.   TechOne acquires CourseLoop for education boost

TechnologyOne has acquired Victoria-based higher education software provider CourseLoop, adding it into its solution ecosystem. According to the ERP software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendor, the addition of CourseLoop’s Curriculum Management product to TechnologyOne’s OneEducation enables it to cover the entire student lifecycle within one ERP solution. Other TechnologyOne education-related products include its Student Management, Timetabling & Scheduling, Human Resource & Payroll, Enterprise Asset Management and Finance solutions. In a statement, TechnologyOne said Curriculum Management will provide higher education institutions with data driven insights to create courses that are in demand, are financially sustainable and “deliver student success and institutional differentiation”.  TechnologyOne’s acquisition of CourseLoop comes close to a year after company recorded its fourteenth consecutive year of record revenue and profit growth in late November 2023.

12.   EQT acquires leading SaaS Talent Solutions provider PageUp to Aacelerate global expansion and product innovation

EQT and PageUp Group today announced that EQT, a purpose-driven global investment organization, has acquired Australian-founded PageUp, a global leader in SaaS talent acquisition, recruitment marketing, and talent management solutions from existing majority owners, Battery Ventures. The deal will enable PageUp to leverage EQT’s deep expertise in scaling high-growth global technology businesses to capture greater opportunities in the talent management software space, accelerate its international expansion, and enhance product innovation. Founded in 1997, PageUp now delivers its cutting-edge talent acquisition and recruitment marketing software to top-tier corporates, universities, hospitals, and public-sector customers worldwide via offices in Australia, North America, and Europe. PageUp’s product suite powers the end-to-end talent management of global brands such as Flight Centre Travel Group, Ramsay Healthcare Australia, Bank of Ireland, Boston Medical Centre, and University of North Texas Systems. EQT’s investment, through its BPEA Fund VIII (“EQT Private Capital Asia”), builds on PageUp’s operating momentum in achieving substantial organic and acquisition-led growth in recent years. This has included the acquisitions of Clinch in 2019 and eArcu and PathMotion in 2021. With EQT’s investment and strategic backing, PageUp will accelerate its expansion into priority international markets and deepen its offering in key sectors and verticals.

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