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Rockworth leads the sale of I2N to Northgate Public Services

Suffolk-based i2N was founded in 1999. It provides a range of SaaS-based products, covering the management of prisoner interventions, evidence, education, hearings, case management, and body worn video camera data. It also offers hosting and managed services, including secure service desks and secure operation centres; as well as a range of professional services, such as software development, solution architecture and consultancy.

NPS, a wholly owned subsidiary of the NEC Corporation, Japan, is the market leader for policing IT solutions in the UK with 15 forces currently using NPS’ crime, custody and intelligence management system, CONNECT. Recent contract wins with West Midlands Police and the Metropolitan Police Service mean that over 50% of police officers in England will be using NPS technology.

The i2N acquisition presents an opportunity for greater visibility across the criminal justice system enabling users throughout the process to work collaboratively to deliver better outcomes and reduce reoffending.  The deal will significantly increase NPS’ offering across the entire criminal justice process.

The deal fits with NPS’ strategy of shifting its business toward SaaS and recurring revenue models. It already has a strong position in operational policing and the acquisition of i2N should allow it to build its proposition in the adjacent justice sector. Here it will be able to draw on the knowledge in NEC, where offender management is a focus of its Public Safety business. Synergies also exist between NPS and i2N in local government and the businesses will be looking at opportunities for i2N’s case management platform amongst youth offending teams in this sector.

This is only the second acquisition NPS has made since 2007. The other being the small bolt-on purchase of Health Information Systems (UK) Ltd in March 2017.

Stephen Callaghan, chief executive officer of NPS, which is owned by the NEC Corporation, Japan, said, “We see a good synergy between NPS and i2N in the area of local authority youth offender management.  NPS provides a range of product and services to 168 local authorities in the UK.  This acquisition will boost our offer in the important justice sector whilst providing a strong opportunity for growth for i2N.”

Jim O’Connor, CEO of i2N said, “Joining the NPS team opens up new and exciting markets for both businesses in the development of critical software that spans the entire justice sector.”

Founded in 1999, i2N is ranked in the top 25 SME IT service providers on the government G-Cloud by Government Digital service and is a key supplier to the Ministry of Justice.  In recent years, i2N has been expanding cloud ready platforms as Software as a Service (SaaS) via G-Cloud on the GOV.UK Digital Market Place.

Following completion of the transaction, i2N will continue to operate under their existing name and the key management team and all operational staff will remain in place. i2N will operate as a business unit within NPS’ Safety Division with further integration into the business as customers’ requirements for integrated software and services within the justice system develop.

i2N supplies specialist software to the UK’s Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board. Founded in 1999, it is ranked in the top 25 SME IT service providers on the government G-Cloud by the Government Digital Service, and is a key supplier to the Ministry of Justice. In recent years, i2N has been expanding cloud ready platforms as Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings via G-Cloud on the GOV.UK Digital Marketplace.

After several years of successful growth, the Shareholders decided in 2017 to review acquisition and incorporation into a larger entity as an option to facilitate the next stage in the development of i2N. We were particularly concerned to find the right partner and, if a match was not available, to continue to expand within our specialist government sector. Our priority was exhaustive but discreet research to find the right potential acquirer, already operating in our sector but not directly competing, with the synergies to complement and enhance the i2N offering. After careful research and review of references we engaged Rockworth Management Partners.

Tom Boardman-Weston led the research phase and generated a large list of potentials buyers with some interesting options that we had not initially considered. The Rockworth approach ensured that we were looking at companies we could be confident had a genuine interest in the transaction without revealing exactly who was looking. Once we had narrowed the list down to the few companies that we felt we would be happy to work with, Tom and Lawrence Price agreed non-disclosures and facilitated discreet initial meetings with them. This led to a short-list that fitted our criteria and were interested in a potential transaction with i2N. After initial negotiations we decided that our preference was to proceed with Northgate Public Services (NPS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese multinational NEC Corporation. They are the market leader for policing IT solutions in the UK with 15 forces currently using NPS’ crime, custody and intelligence management system, CONNECT and over 50% of police officers in England using NPS technology. This perfectly complemented our Ministry of Justice customer base creating opportunities for both companies so we agreed exclusivity and Lawrence negotiated a deal structure that worked for both parties. The due diligence process was completed in two months with Rockworth and Penningtons Marches supporting the i2N team and the transaction was successfully concluded by the target year-end date. Particular thanks to Zuzana Valkovic who supported the i2N team throughout the due diligence process and helped enormously in the development and validation of the financial data.

We are very happy with the outcome and looking forward to continuing to provide innovative products to our customers across the justice sector of government as a part of the NPS family and more than happy to recommend the services of Rockworth Management Partners.

Jim O’Connor, CEO and co-founder

What our clients say

  • Thank you all for your excellent and urgent support in finalising our deal.  I appreciate that it was all rather late in the process - but you never flinched once. Your ability to get up to speed so quickly and provide great intervention and solid guidance is a credit to your professionalism. I was particularly impressed with your patience in providing expert help at a time when our stress levels were running high.
    Stewart Hollington
    Director, Analytical Services International
  • Time and time again as we went through the process, I was relieved that we had Rockworth at our side. They have excellent contacts and were able to unearth a wide range of suitors for the business.
    Neil Cameron
    Co-founder, CHL Software
  • The relationship we have built with Rockworth over the last five years helped to lay the foundations of a smooth and successful transaction. Selling a company I have built up over the last 20 years comes with some mixed emotions. It has been quite a journey. But I am delighted with the outcome that Rockworth helped to achieve, and I am looking forward to seeing the business continue to thrive under new ownership.
    Dr Donald Gibb
    Founder, The Birth Company
  • Thank you for your hard work and trustworthy advice on this deal - your focus and patience have been incredible. I've been hugely impressed at all stages on how you've guided me through this process, and how you've kept cool heads when it must have been very challenging to do so. Extremely happy to recommend Rockworth.
    Andy Crysell
    Founder & CEO, Crowd DNA
  • Thank you everyone at Rockworth for your guidance, advice and pragmatism during what has been a very quick turnaround. It has been a pleasure.
    Andy Whittard
    Managing Director, Cherwell Laboratories Limited
  • Rockworth provided the support, experience and the technical knowledge that we needed to secure a successful sale.  Lawrence and his colleagues are all high calibre individuals, and I would certainly recommend them.
    Alice Watson
    Founder, Porge Research
  • During the whole process the team at Rockworth was always available to answer questions, no matter how banal, and held our hand throughout. I can honestly say that without the Rockworth calm hand on the tiller I am not sure we would have got through it in such an easy manner.  
    David Bilton
    Director, CadCam Technologies Limited
  • We chose to work with Rockworth on the basis of their approach, networks and reputation. Lawrence and his team provided excellent support throughout the entire sale process and enabled the company to achieve an outstanding result. Whilst there was a great deal of complexity at times, it was managed with great care and my colleagues and I enjoyed working together with the Rockworth team throughout. I would have no hesitation in using Rockworth for future transactions and would recommend them very highly to others.
    Martin Lucas
    MD, Kittiwake Developments Ltd
  • I would like to thank you and the team for the major contribution you made to the sale of Cromptons Healthcare. It turned out to be a very complicated deal and I have to say I was staggered by the commitment and effort that was required from us all. I was impressed by both the professionalism and the support that Rockworth provided, which proved to be absolutely essential to me. I had not fully appreciated beforehand just how necessary that support would be.
    Martin Calhoun
    Owner, Cromptons Healthcare Ltd
  • Lawrence, many thanks to you and the members of the Rockworth team for achieving such a great result. It is the best possible outcome we could have achieved, both for ourselves as shareholders, and for our staff, ensuring not just the continuation of the company but positioning it for further growth. We were very pleasantly surprised at the range of potential acquirers that you introduced us to - we had no idea initially of the types of acquirer that you would manage to find from outside our direct industry.
    David Black
    Managing Director, Young Black IS Ltd
  • Rockworth was the ideal guide and partner in our search for a buyer for our company. Their process, insight and people skills were the perfect antidote for our inexperience and were a major factor in achieving the smooth path to our desired outcome. From the start their approach suited our needs as a privately owned company with limited resources to run the business and undertake a transaction. They were invaluable in helping us understand what was needed and what we might reasonably expect. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
    Tim Champion
    Managing Director, H.Squared Electronics Limited
  • From initial preparatory work and advice through the deal process and to final completion, we found your work to be invaluable. I was particularly impressed with the careful and thorough management of the due diligence process: the consistency and detail-oriented manner in which this work was carried out was much appreciated and ensured that the deal completed smoothly, even accounting for the different languages and countries involved.
    Fabio Antoniazzi
    Founder, La Credenza Ltd
  • As a family-owned business, it was extremely important to us that we had an advisor who took care and paid attention to the detail of our business. Lawrence and his team demonstrated real commitment to the deal, both in researching appropriate potential acquirers and following this through in a diligent and extremely supportive manner. I know that without Lawrence and his team we wouldn’t have achieved the successful outcome that we did.
    Rachel Bush
    Owner, Bush & Company Rehabilitation Ltd

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