Bain Capital affiliate to acquire Guidehouse for $5.3B

Guidehouse has entered into an agreement to be acquired by a Bain Capital Private Equity affiliate for $5.3 billion, the McLean-based consultancy announced Monday.

The investment will support Guidehouse’s growth plans, the company said, and it will continue to operate under its current management team, which is led by Chairman and CEO Scott McIntyre. Guidehouse has been owned by Veritas Capital since 2018; the management consultancy formed that year when Veritas acquired PricewaterhouseCoopers’ public sector arm.

In a statement, McIntyre said Guidehouse looked forward to kicking off “the next phase of our growth in partnership with Bain Capital,” adding that the private equity group “shares our people-first culture, consulting heritage and commitment to embracing complexity.”

“Together, we see significant opportunities to capitalize on attractive marketplace dynamics to further grow the business with our best-in-class client delivery capabilities,” McIntyre said. “We look forward to an impactful partnership with the Bain Capital team leveraging their resources and operational expertise as we work towards building our next generation consultancy with an unwavering commitment to creating the scalable, innovative solutions our clients need to succeed in this increasingly digital and complex environment.”

Guidehouse employs more than 17,000 people across 55 locations around the globe. In 2022, the company opened its new McLean headquarters, moving from a previous location near the White House in Washington, D.C. Later that year, it consolidated its defense and national security units, naming Ed Meehan, who had led the company’s defense group, its chief growth officer.

“Guidehouse has established a clear leadership position in its space using a differentiated model built on collaboration, expertise, and great execution,” Boston-based Bain Capital Partner Joe Robbins said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Scott and his proven management team to continue growing organically and inorganically in an industry with strong, long-term fundamental tailwinds.”