IT consulting and managed services company Version 1 has acquired Birmingham-based firm Patech Solutions Ltd for an undisclosed sum.

The move is the fifth acquisition by the Irish firm as part of its strategic growth plan.

Version 1 acquired Patech Solutions primarily because of its significant experience of the Oracle E-Business Suite product stack and associated technologies.

Tony Bird (left), founder and CEO of Patech Solutions, with Justin Keatinge, CEO of Version 1

The acquisition will see Version 1 strengthen its position as the leading Oracle partner in the UK and Ireland.

In Association with

CEO of Version 1, Justin Keatinge, said that Patech and its 65 staff has an enviable pool of e-business talent on which Version 1 could build.

He added: “Similar to Version 1, Patech has a successful and very strong public sector record, a sector in which we are keen to grow, so it is an exciting opportunity for us.”

Founder and CEO of Patech Solutions, Tony Bird, said: “Version 1's acquisition of Patech is an exciting development for us and will enable us to provide a wider range of solutions and services to our existing clients.

“It will also help us to scale up our business rapidly, and to capture even more opportunities both within the Oracle e-business space and the broader IT services market.”

Version 1 employs over 600 staff, with 150 of those in the UK. The firm said that it achieved 35% growth in 2014 and expects to see revenues in excess of €70m this year.