Accountancy firm EY’s Bristol corporate finance team has acted as lead advisor to specialist systems integrator IPL’s shareholders in its sale to major UK IT firm Civica.
Bath-based IPL was formed 37 years ago and now employs more than 370 staff. It has developed secure software for more than 400 blue-chip clients, helping them improve customer experience, operational efficiency and risk management.
Customers span sectors such as transportation, banking and finance, oil and gas, and the public sector, and include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Environment Agency, Highways England, Nationwide Building Society, First Group and Kent Police. So far this year it has won new contracts with Airbus, Oxford Instruments and Ordnance Survey.
Its acquisition by Civica creates a digital business with more than 750 staff and annual sales of nearly £90m.
Civica is a market leader in critical software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing that help organisations transform the way they work. The group, which employs more than 3,000 people and has revenues of £234m, supplies more than 4,000 organisations in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the US. 
It said the acquisition – financial details of which have not been released – would extend its position as a leading player in its market.
The EY team was led by Richard Jones, Tony Trussell and Simon Pearson, assisted by Tim Amey and James Skade.
EY executive director Tony Trussell said: “IPL is a leading company in digital transformation, trusted by major government and commercial customers to design, build and manage their secure business critical software solutions.
“We have known the business for a number of years and this transaction is an excellent strategic fit for both IPL and Civica. It’s been a great pleasure to work with the IPL team to deliver this outcome.”
IPL chief executive Paul Jobbins said: “This is an exciting development for our customers, partners and employees.
“IPL’s skills, knowledge and capabilities are complementary to Civica’s, enabling the combined business to offer a broader range of solutions to a wider customer base at an important time in the market. We look forward to building on our joint strengths and vision in order to deliver increasing value to customers.”
Civica group chief executive Simon Downing added: “Organisations in both public and private sectors are looking to transform the way they work to engage customers more effectively and operate more efficiently, and there is increasing recognition that improvement is dependent on digital technology and automation.
“IPL brings specialist expertise and the combined business creates a market-leading digital solutions capability well placed to respond to the needs of customers.”
Civica has 18 bases across the UK including its South West hub in Bristol and an office in Yeovil.
