Osborne Clarke advises Causeway on its acquisition of the UK’s leading competence, safety and skills passport provider to enhance workforce management solutions for contractors

Construction technology provider Causeway Technologies has acquired Reference Point, developer of the UK's leading workforce competency and authority-to-work system.

This is the third strategic acquisition since Five Arrows made a significant investment in Causeway in 2021, and reinforces Causeway’s platform strategy to digitise the processes that underpin the construction and maintenance of the built environment.

International law firm Osborne Clarke advised Causeway with a corporate team led by partner Simon Spooner and including senior associate Adam Turner, associate Jay Eng and trainee Luke Webb. Senior associate Jonny Musty and partner Mat Oliver advised on tax, with associate director Lara Flynn and associate Zoe Marks advising on employment matters.

This follows Osborne Clarke's engagement by Causeway on the investment by Five Arrows Principal Investments in July 2021 and on its acquisition of leading infrastructure asset management software provider, Yotta, in May 2022.

Through SkillGuard, their market leading mobile workforce management system, Reference Point is known in the UK for delivering the Network Rail Sentinel system (the largest health and safety passport system in the world), as well as the Highways Passport scheme.

Reference Point’s solutions are also used globally, extending as far afield as Australia where the Rail Industry Worker Programme covers the entire Australasian rail industry.

This acquisition provides Causeway with a single platform for industry bodies, asset owners and contractors to manage operatives' identity, training compliance, health, safety, and resource management across the supply chain. Additionally, it provides a secure place for operatives to hold their competencies and identify themselves.

Causeway Technologies was founded in 1999 by chief executive, Phil Brown. Headquartered in Buckinghamshire, it serves over 3,000 customers globally and has over 500 employees. Causeway provides enterprise and cloud software solutions to support the construction and maintenance industries, serving consultants, contractors, suppliers, and their clients on an international scale.

Osborne Clarke is a go-to legal practice for companies in both the technology and built environment sectors. It works with clients ranging from international businesses to fast-growth start-ups and market challengers. The team advises at every stage of company development across all corporate issues, from equity and debt fundraisings to M&A, IPOs and JVs.