Cavendish is delighted to announce that it has advised on the sale of OLM Systems (OLM), a leading UK provider of cloud-native social care case management software solutions, to Civica, a global GovTech leader in critical cloud-based software and services. The transaction represents a landmark deal in the local government sector and further demonstrates Cavendish’s market-leading expertise in technology M&A.

Over the past 24 months, Cavendish has completed 24 technology transactions, with this deal marking its fourth in the government, health & social care software sector. This subsector is undergoing rapid change, with legacy platforms being displaced by highly scalable, cloud-native solutions that integrate seamlessly with emerging AI technologies. At the same time, government structural reforms, multi-billion-pound investment programmes, and a clear mandate for further digitalisation are driving the push for greater efficiency across the sector.

Cavendish ran a comprehensive process, engaging with both strategic trade buyers and global growth equity investors. The transaction not only delivered an excellent outcome for OLM’s shareholders but also brings a strategically important asset into Civica’s business. Central to OLM’s recent success is ECLIPSE, its cloud-native social care case management platform. ECLIPSE transforms the way local councils operate by streamlining social care case management and finance, helping local authorities respond to rising demands, remain compliant with statutory requirements, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for vulnerable citizens.

The sale of OLM Systems and the addition of social care software through ECLIPSE will allow Civica to strengthen its extensive portfolio of local government solutions while providing OLM with the necessary scale and resources to accelerate the next phase of its expansion. This in turn will increase support for local authorities at a time when social care provision — the single largest area of council expenditure — is under mounting financial and operational pressure.

OLM’s Founder, Peter O’Hara MBE will join Civica’s Industry Advisory Board and OLM’s Managing Director, Mark Raeburn and Finance Director, Alison Williams will remain in the business to ensure continuity.

Paris McNicol-Outch, Associate Director at Cavendish commented:

“It’s been fantastic to work with Peter and the wider OLM team on this milestone deal in the GovTech sector. Civica’s acquisition of OLM is a transformative deal which will give Civica an unmatched depth and breadth of capability across all key local authority functions. We look forward to watching this next chapter for OLM with Civica.”

Anthony Platt, Partner and Head of Technology at Cavendish, commented:

“This is the second time I’ve had the privilege of advising Peter O’Hara on an M&A transaction. Peter has built and scaled multiple successful software businesses and continues to be actively involved in many more. Peter has achieved remarkable success entirely without taking external funding. At OLM, he has focused on developing software that delivers real social impact and investing in the Eclipse platform Peter has been instrumental in driving the modernisation of technology in social care.”