Systems integrator By Light Professional IT Services has acquired McLean, Virginia-based Phacil, a government-focused technology service contractor for an undisclosed sum. By Light, which has private equity ownership, gains additional cybersecurity and managed services for federal agencies.
Bob Donahue Jr., CEO and founder of By Light, said:
"We are thrilled to acquire Phacil, which has a proven track record of excellent service and growth. Its diversified IT capabilities across a wide customer base make it an excellent fit with our company, and will allow us to expand our offering to better serve our customers."
Phacil has provided government IT services for nearly two decades. Key focus areas include networks, and data centers.
Phacil: A Closer Look
Phacil has also been responsible for implementing:
- cloud and other managed services to support web applications, infrastructure, and project management;
- cybersecurity threat identification, vulnerability testing and systems monitoring; and
- developing and implementing cloud and other software solutions for data migration, server hosting, web portals, and service desk support for the Department of Defense and civilian agencies.
Phacil, founded in 2001, became an employee-owned company in 2016. The firm has grown more than 400 percent in the last six years and has had a compounded annual growth rate of 31 percent since 2010, though specific revenue and profit figures were not disclosed.
This is By Light’s second acquisition since private equity firm Sagewind Capital purchased the IT company in 2017. Sagewind has a history of backing management teams with experience in the government and defense businesses.
M&A: Government IT Service Providers
There has been a bevy of M&A deals in the government IT services business over the last year. Recent deals tracked by ChannelE2E have included:
- January 2019: Government contractor CACI International acquired LGS Innovations and Mastodon Design for a combined $975 million.
- January 2019: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), America’s largest military shipbuilder, acquired Fulcrum IT Services & G2 Inc. for government technology consulting & cybersecurity expertise.
- January 2019: Government IT services provider Concept Plus, a key Oracle partner, acquired Dougherty & Associates (DAI Solutions), a management consulting firm headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
- November 2018: Private equity-backed EverWatch acquired Dynamic Engineering Solutions (DES), an IT consulting firm that provides software and systems engineering, cloud and systems administration to government agencies. Financial terms were not disclosed.
- September 2018: Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) acquired rival Engility for $2.5 billion in stock. The deal created a $6.5 billion IT consulting and professional services firm focused on government agencies.
- May 2018: SAP National Security Services (SAP NS2) acquired government IT systems integrator Technology Management Associates (TMA).
- February 2018: General Dynamics acquired government IT contractor CSRA for $9.6 billion, making it the number two provider of federal IT services.
