Granicus Acquires Firmstep

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Granicus has acquired Firmstep, a London-based government services provider. Firmstep helps governments move forms and services online and will add those capabilities to Granicus’ existing platform.

The unified platform will include support for web content management, online transactions, digital communications (email, text, social), citizen CRM, 311 service requests, and meeting transparency from a single provider. Both Granicus users and Firmstep users will have the opportunity to begin using services already offered by both companies through the unified platform.

“U.S. local governments continue to struggle delivering on the promise of digital civic services for their communities. Solutions designed for the private sector are overly-complex and don’t fit the needs of the public sector, and government-focused point solutions do not integrate well and therefore deliver an extremely poor resident experience,” said Granicus CEO, Mark Hynes adding that with the transaction, Granicus would be in a position to offer those services in a way that is tailored to the needs of the public sector.

Firmstep has been digitizing government services in the UK for 18 years. The company claims that its services have helped cut down in-person service interactions by as much as 80 percent, reducing costs for governments and adding convenience for residents.

Together, Granicus and Firmstep will serve over 4,200 government customers and over 2,700 local governments across the U.S. and U.K. The investment reflects Granicus’ commitment to deepening its market presence in the U.K. – doubling the current Granicus client base to over 300 customers. The company also manages the 13 million GovDelivery subscribers in the UK.

As part of the transaction, Granicus will keep Firmstep’s London office and staff.

Granicus is backed by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. This is the company’s fifth acquisition since Vista made its initial investment in 2016.


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