Ropes & Gray has advised Bridgepoint on the acquisition of a 75% stake by Bridgepoint Development Capital IV – a fund focused on investing in mid-market growth businesses – in Fera Science Limited (‘Fera’) from Capita, a leading provider of business process services.

Fera is a national and international centre of excellence for interdisciplinary investigation and problem solving across plant and bee health, crop protection, sustainable agriculture, food and feed quality and chemical safety in the environment. Established in 2015 as a joint venture between Capita (75%) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) (25%), Fera provides expert laboratory (and field) based, assurance, applied research, proficiency testing and data services to the public and private sector across the agriculture, food and environment value chain. As part of the deal, which values Fera at £80 million, Defra is retaining its shareholding.

The Ropes & Gray team was led by private equity transactions partner Helen Croke with associates Nicholas Matthew and Padraic Daly. Other members of the team included tax partner Brenda Coleman and associate Charles Voisey; finance partner Alex Robb and associates Jacob Bennett and Chad Parkinson; antitrust partner Annie Herdman and counsel Dervla Broderick; PERE partner David Seymour and associates Joey Patchitt and Abbey Shaw; litigation & enforcement counsel Paige Berges; and trainees Ruby Ward, Simon Jagoe and Joseph Marshall.