Madison Dearborn Partners To Acquire Majority Stake in Unison from Carlyle

July 12, 2022 at 07:30 AM EDT

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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220712005440/en/

Contacts

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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Madison Dearborn Partners To Acquire Majority Stake in Unison from Carlyle

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