Serco completes $295M acquisition of Reston contractor

Herndon federal contractor acquires Whitney, Bradley & Brown

Published May 5, 2021 by Richard Foster

Herndon-based federal contractor Serco Inc. (a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Serco Group plc) has completed its $295 million acquisition of Reston-based Whitney, Bradley & Brown (WBB) from an affiliate of Florida-based private equity firm H.I.G. Capital.

The acquisition strengthens Serco’s program management services for its Department of Defense clients and enriches the company’s expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics and cyber consulting, according to a company statement.

The acquisition is expected to contribute approximately $230 million in incremental revenues this year, Serco says, adding that WBB had a position on 35 federal contract vehicles with a combined ceiling value of over $70 billion, most of which are expected to carry over with the acquisition.

“We are happy to welcome the team from WBB aboard and incredibly excited about the scope of what we can now offer to clients across the Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Army, Navy, Marines, Department of Homeland Security and other strategic accounts,” Serco Chairman and CEO Dave Dacquino said in a statement. “Just as the naval system’s business of Alion joined Serco in 2019 to transform our relationship with the Navy, the expertise of this team makes us a highly credible provider of data-driven technology solutions across the full lifecycle.  Our experience of working with their leadership team through the acquisition process has only reinforced the deeply shared cultural values between our two organizations and the commitment to quality.”

Robert Olsen, former CEO of WBB and now senior vice president of the new Serco business unit, commented: “We are very happy to be joining Serco, as the synergies between the combined two companies will benefit the business, our employees and our customers. We are extremely excited about what we will be able to do working together to address many of our government’s most pressing technological, organizational, program, and financial challenges.”

Serco Group plc was founded more than 50 years ago and currently employs more than 40,000 people in 35 countries, 8,000 of whom are employed in the U.S. The company works primarily with federal and local government customers. WBB employs approximately 1,000 people and provides consulting services such as program management, mission performance, advanced analytics and machine learning. It reported approximately $212 million in 2020 revenue.

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