DWF advises Capita on acquisition of Barrachd Ltd

The Glasgow office of DWF has advised Capita plc, a provider of customer and business process management (BPM) and integrated professional support service solutions, on its acquisition of Barrachd Ltd, software solutions provider and one of IBM’s business analytics partners in the UK.

The acquisition will allow Capita to deliver analytical technology to its clients in both the public and private sector and is the fourth deal that DWF’s corporate team has advised Capita on so far in 2015.

Founded in 2007, Barrachd develops bespoke technology solutions to solve business issues such as resource management and financial forecasting.

The Edinburgh-headquartered business works with companies across the financial services, energy and higher education sectors and has been listed in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 for two consecutive years.

As part of the acquisition, which was completed for an undisclosed sum, Barrachd’s 38-strong team will join Capita, where current directors Grant Smith, Clark Wilson and Robbie Crawford will continue to lead the business as part of Capita’s Digital & Software Solutions division.

DWF’s corporate team in Glasgow, including partner Paul Pignatelli, associate Tom Maxwell and solicitors Gemma Gallagher and Danielle Kidd, advised on the deal with support from partner Ronnie Brown in the firm’s tax team and Ingrid McGhee in the employment team.

The same team advised Capita on its acquisitions of IT solutions provider Pervasive Networks and geospatial field worker solutions firm, Sigma Seven earlier this year.

DWF’s Scottish corporate team has seen significant activity in the first half of the year, having acted on a range of high profile deals including the £20m MBO of PDG Helicopters and on Exova’s acquisition of Environmental Evaluation.

The team, which recently recruited partners Chris McLauchlan and Gary MacDonald, was ranked by Experian as the third most active M&A adviser in the region during the first quarter of the year.