Accenture Targets Government Work With Australia Acquisition

Accenture is growing Down Under, adding its fourth acquisition in a year to the list of companies the massive solution provider has taken over in Australia.

Apis Group, a digital design consultancy with an expertise as a strategic adviser to clients in government, was acquired by Dublin-based Accenture. The terms of the deal, which was announced Monday, were not disclosed.

“Apis Group’s talented team of professionals brings in-demand industry expertise and consulting skills that align with our offerings to government clients,” Louise May, who leads Accenture’s Health & Public Service practice in Australia and New Zealand said in a statement. “This acquisition will bolster our position as partner of choice for government and health organizations, who will benefit from the deep specialist expertise of Apis combined with Accenture’s world-class digital transformation capabilities.”

Accenture did not respond to a request for comment.

Apis Group -- which is based in Canberra, Australia -- was founded in 1999 and employs more than 120. The company works with some of Australia’s largest federal public service organizations, providing strategic advisory services, project management, business and digital design services. In its statement, Accenture said that Apis has put together a team with extensive experience in service delivery reform, including social services, health care services, aged care, education, employment and environment sectors.

“The opportunity to become part of Accenture presents new potential and great possibilities for our business, our clients and our people,” Anthony Honeyman, chairman and a partner at Apis Group, said in a statement. “We are particularly excited about the opportunity to leverage Accenture’s deep digital and analytics capabilities. By combining our skills, expertise and client relationships, we can enhance our offerings to government clients including deploying digital services that deliver enhanced experience to citizens in their dealings with government.”

In Accenture’s 2019 fiscal year which ended Aug. 31, the company spent almost $1.2 billion on a total of 33 acquisitions across the globe, in a bid to acquire critical skills and capabilities in strategic, high-growth areas of the market, the company said.

Bob Easton, chairman of Accenture in Australia and New Zealand, said the company would keep investing in Australia, where it has seen “ongoing” customer demand.

“The acquisition of Apis Group is the latest demonstration of our continued investment in Australia and our commitment to growing our capabilities in areas where we have ongoing client demand and new opportunities,” Easton said in a statement.

Accenture in Australia bought cybersecurity and technology company BCT Solutions in June; big data and analytics company Analytics8 in August, and PrimeO, an Oracle software-as-a-service cloud implementation service provider, in December 2018.