Madison Dearborn Partners To Acquire Majority Stake in Unison from Carlyle
July 12 2022 - 7:30AM
Business Wire
MDP Partners with Unison’s Management Team and
Carlyle to Support the Company’s Software Innovation and Continued
Growth in the Government Contracting and Procurement Sector
Unison, a leading provider of procurement, supply chain, and
contract management software to U.S. federal government agencies
and government contractors, today announced that it will receive a
strategic majority investment from funds affiliated with Madison
Dearborn Partners, LLC (“MDP”), a leading private equity investment
firm based in Chicago. As part of the transaction, funds managed by
global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) will sell its majority
stake to MDP, while remaining a strategic partner as a minority
investor. MDP joins existing investors, Carlyle and Unison
management, to provide additional resources and industry expertise
to help Unison continue to enhance its innovative software
offerings and growth trajectory. Financial terms were not
disclosed.
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Founded in 1983, Unison is a leading provider of purpose-built
procurement and contract management software solutions to U.S.
federal government agencies and government contractors. Unison
offers its clients differentiated solutions to help them transact
and manage contracts more efficiently and comply with complex
federal contracting requirements. A trusted partner with
longstanding relationships and a track record of customer-led
success, Unison currently serves all 15 U.S. cabinet-level agencies
and has more than 200,000 product end users.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new partners from MDP and look
forward to their support as we continue to execute our strategy to
provide innovative and reliable software solutions for federal
organizations and government contractors,” said Reid Jackson, CEO
of Unison. “MDP brings a wealth of experience and additional
financial resources that will allow Unison to accelerate our growth
and deliver world-class software products to meet the evolving
needs of our customers. MDP’s track record of successful
partnerships with vertical enterprise software, procurement and
supply chain, and government services and technology companies will
greatly benefit Unison as we enter this pivotal new chapter in
Unison’s history.”
“We are excited to enter into this partnership with the talented
team at Unison and Carlyle. Unison is an innovative company with a
longstanding track record of success and an established strong
leadership position in the government procurement software market,”
said Matt Norton, Managing Director and Head of the Business &
Government Software and Services team at MDP. “Unison sits right at
the intersection of our team’s core focus areas, and we look
forward to applying our extensive expertise to help drive Unison
forward in the service of the U.S. federal government and its key
contractors.”
Steve Bailey, Managing Director at Carlyle, said: “We have had
the pleasure of working with Reid and the Unison team to help them
grow into the market leader they are today. The team has executed
their plan and grown through investment in products, continued
organic growth and the completion of two strategic acquisitions to
expand their solutions and accelerate international growth. Our
partnership with Unison is aligned with Carlyle’s long history of
investing in leading industry-specific application software
companies. We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with MDP
during the next phase of Unison’s growth.”
The transaction is anticipated to close in the third quarter of
2022. Upon closing, funds associated with MDP will own a
controlling stake in Unison, while Carlyle will retain a
significant minority equity position. Unison’s management team will
continue to serve in their current roles and members of Unison
leadership will maintain a significant portion of their investment
in Unison.
Baird is serving as the exclusive financial advisor, Latham
& Watkins LLP is providing legal counsel, and PwC is providing
financial advisory services for Unison and Carlyle. Lincoln
International is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to MDP,
while Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Crowell & Moring LLP are
providing legal counsel for MDP. Committed financing for the
transaction has been provided by Antares Capital.
About Unison
Unison’s secure cloud and on-premise software, marketplace, and
information products “Power the Business of Government” by
supporting more than 200,000 users in leading federal prime
contractors, all U.S. cabinet-level agencies, and major Department
of Defense programs.
For more than 30 years, Unison has continually advanced software
and insight solutions to help customers efficiently achieve their
missions. Unison is headquartered in Dulles, VA.
For more information, visit www.UnisonGlobal.com
About Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC
Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC (“MDP”) is a leading private
equity investment firm based in Chicago. Since MDP’s formation in
1992, the firm has raised aggregate capital of over $28 billion and
has completed over 150 investments. MDP invests across five
dedicated industry verticals, including basic industries; business
and government software and services; financial and transaction
services; health care; and telecom, media and technology services.
For more information, please visit www.mdcp.com.
About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep
industry expertise that deploys private capital across three
business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global
Investment Solutions. With $325 billion of Assets Under Management
as of March 31, 2022, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and
create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and
the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs nearly
1,900 people in 26 offices across five continents. Further
information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on
Twitter @OneCarlyle.
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Media
For Unison:
Sally Ewalt Director of Marketing Unison 571.449.4000
For MDP:
Chuck Dohrenwend / Jake Yanulis Abernathy MacGregor
abmacmdcp@abmac.com 212.371.5999
For Carlyle:
Brittany Berliner Phone: +1 (212) 813-4839
brittany.berliner@carlyle.com
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