Rickitt Mitchell has advised the shareholders of DEF Software on the sale to Infoshare+, a portfolio company of Omni Partners

DEF Software

DEF Software Limited is a leading independent software provider to the UK local authority market, with a 30-year heritage serving more than 60 local authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. With a c.15% market share in its core verticals, DEF’s client base spans counties, districts, boroughs and unitary authorities.

DEF’s flagship MasterGov product suite provides an integrated workflow solution designed to improve planning processes and land-use functions, supporting core statutory processes and seamless cross-department collaboration. The full product suite offers more than 20 modules – most notably Planning, Building Control, Land Charges and Highways. DEF is also in the final stages of developing Manifold, a next-generation solution expected to go live in late 2026.

DEF’s platform is highly differentiated, distinguished by the depth and configurability of its software solutions and speed of deployment via its proprietary migration tool. This proposition has translated into exceptional customer retention – net revenue retention of 109%, gross revenue retention of 99%.

The Deal

The acquisition significantly enhances Infoshare+’s capabilities by broadening its reach into infrastructure, housing and asset management, while substantially expanding its footprint in Northern Ireland.

Rickitt Mitchell acted as exclusive sell-side financial adviser to DEF and its shareholders, running a competitive, international process that generated significant interest. Rickitt Mitchell built out the financial model underpinning the transaction, while supporting the shareholders through all stages of the process to deliver a transaction that provides the business with the resources and platform to accelerate its product roadmap and to reach a broader public sector ecosystem.

Anant Kapoor, Partner, Rickitt Mitchell:

“DEF is a leading provider of workflow solutions to Local Authorities, and its quality of service is underpinned by exceptional retention rates. The acquisition by Infoshare+ will enable DEF to continue its impressive growth and leverage complementary solutions to its existing client base”

David Frame, Chairman, DEF:

“The Rickitt Mitchell team played an important role in delivering a fantastic result for the shareholders of DEF. Their sector knowledge was key in articulating the equity story to bidders and the execution ability of the team enabled a highly competitive process through to completion. Having myself completed half a dozen transactions over the past 20 years, I can say without hesitation that Rickitt Mitchell were by far the most professional advisers I have worked with, and demonstrated the strongest work ethic throughout the entire process.”

Infoshare+

Infoshare+ is a UK-based public sector partner offering innovative software and data solutions. Trusted by hundreds of organisations across local and central government, health and the emergency services, Infoshare+ focuses on empowering customers with software that enhances decision-making and helps them keep pace in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Omni Partners

Omni invests in mission-led, fast-growing and profitable businesses that are looking for their first institutional capital. These are typically high-margin companies based in the UK, Ireland and the Nordics that dominate their niche, are driven by culture-focused management teams and make at least £2m EBITDA