Dataproces Enters Strategic Partnership in Germany with a View to Potential Future Acquisition

IPO-IT GmbH is a specialised consultancy with 18 employees and more than 20 years of experience advising municipalities and public authorities in Germany across areas including municipal financial management, benchmarking, digitalisation, and strategic development. Over the years, the company has completed more than 550 projects for municipalities across Germany.

The partnership entails that Dataproces and IPO-IT GmbH will jointly develop and commercialise KommuneProfil in Germany. Dataproces will be responsible for the development, operation, maintenance, sales, marketing, and support of the solution, while IPO-IT GmbH will contribute domain expertise, professional benchmarks, market insight, and access to its municipal network.

The partnership has simultaneously been established as a structured trial of a possible future acquisition of IPO-IT GmbH. The parties have agreed to evaluate the collaboration six months after the launch of KommuneProfil in Germany or after the first 10 sales, whichever comes first. The purpose is to assess whether the partnership has created the foundation for a future acquisition.

The agreement is not expected, in isolation, to have a material impact on Dataproces’ financial guidance for 2026/27. The partnership supports the company’s long-term strategy of strengthening its position in Germany through gradual market development, partnerships, and potential acquisitions. Earlier this month, Dataproces entered into a separate agreement to acquire the German consultancy Lexis & Rother Partnerschaftsgesellschaft.

CEO Kasper Lund Nødgaard states:

We have identified a company with strong competencies, a solid municipal network, and considerable experience in areas that are closely aligned with our existing business. Rather than starting with an acquisition, we are starting by working together. This gives us the opportunity to validate the product, the market, and the collaboration before deciding on a possible acquisition. If at a later point we reach an agreement with IPO-IT GmbH on an acquisition, we want that decision to be based on concrete experience, shared customers, and documented results rather than assumptions.

The strategic rationale also extends beyond Germany. The challenges facing municipalities in Bielefeld and Berlin closely resemble those we encounter in Aalborg, Aarhus, and Vejle. The need for better data, better decision-making foundations, and better capacity planning is universal. When we strengthen our professional expertise in one place, we simultaneously strengthen our ability to develop better solutions for municipalities across markets.