Buying a fire and security business: what to look for
For founder-led fire and security firms buying in their sector: the UK market, maintenance contracts, BAFE and NSI accreditations and finding willing sellers.
This page is for owners of founder-led fire and security businesses, usually with £5m to £100m turnover, who want to grow by buying others in the sector. You might want maintenance contracts in a new region, a capability such as fire suppression, access control or monitoring, or simply more engineers and customers.
We help you find the right businesses to buy, including ones not for sale, approach their owners in confidence and keep the deal moving. Accreditation, compliance and technical checks sit with your own operations team and your advisers.
What is happening in fire and security M&A?
The sector is one of the busiest in UK services. Grant Thornton counted 184 completed deals in built environment and facilities services in 2025, and fire and security was the most popular sub-sector at 23% of them. Private equity was involved in 58% of all 184 deals. In fire and security specifically, private equity-backed companies made 70% of 2025 deals, up from 57% in 2024, while independent trade buyers fell from 32% to 19% (Grant Thornton UK, 2026).
Grant Thornton points to two drivers. Regulation since Grenfell, including the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022, makes spending on fire safety non-discretionary. And recurring income from maintenance, monitoring and inspections improves the quality of earnings.
The neighbouring testing and inspection sector shows how fast consolidation can move. Crowe recorded more than 280 UK testing, inspection and certification deals in 2025, and one private equity-backed group, Phenna, bought 25 businesses in that year alone. Crowe also lists fire safety among the growth areas and notes that strong accreditations create real barriers to entry (Crowe UK, July 2026).
For a founder-led trade buyer, this means well-run fire and security firms are being approached often. If you wait for one to be advertised, you are likely to compete with a better-funded buyer.
Why do fire and security owners buy?
- Maintenance contracts. Recurring service income makes your business more predictable and, usually, more valuable.
- Route density. More customers in the same area means engineers spend less time travelling and more time on site.
- Capability. Buying a business with skills you don't have, such as suppression systems, monitoring, or security systems alongside fire, lets you sell more to existing customers.
- Engineers. Qualified engineers are hard to find. An acquisition brings a working team.
- Accreditations. A target's certifications can open up customers and contracts you can't reach today.
What makes a fire and security business different to assess?
A general due diligence checklist covers the basics. These points matter most in this sector.
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Maintenance revenue | How much turnover comes from contracted maintenance, monitoring and inspection, against installation and projects. Contract length, renewal history, pricing terms and any change-of-control clauses. |
| Customer mix | Concentration in the top customers. Mix of direct clients, facilities management companies, main contractors and public sector. Framework positions and whether they survive a sale. |
| Accreditations | Third-party certifications such as BAFE or NSI, the scope of each, audit history and any non-conformities. Whether each one continues after the deal, checked with the certification body. |
| Engineer capacity | Number, qualifications and age profile of engineers. Overtime, subcontractor use and how much depends on a few people. |
| Compliance record | Records for completed work, certificates issued, incidents, claims and insurance. Regulation has increased responsibility for work already done, so past work matters. |
| Integration fit | Job management systems, monitoring arrangements, vans and stores, and how the two field teams will work together. |
Accreditations and engineers are where buyers most often get caught out. An accreditation that does not carry over, or a lead engineer who leaves, can take customers with it. Check both before you agree the price and main terms in writing, and verify every accreditation for the specific business and the specific deal.
How does finding fire and security targets work?
Owners in this sector are used to calls from consolidators. What works better than a standard letter:
- Define what you want and why. Region, size, services, accreditations and the share of maintenance income you need. This is your acquisition thesis.
- Research properly. Filings, certification body directories, websites, vehicle and staff numbers show what a business really does.
- Approach in confidence, owner to owner. Explain why their business fits yours and what happens to their engineers and customers.
- Qualify before you meet. Confirm interest, rough fit on size and services, and any obvious problems.
If you plan to buy several businesses over time, read buy-and-build strategy.
Who does what on a fire and security acquisition?
We have not completed a fire and security acquisition for a client, and we won't claim one. Michael Ferguson has worked on testing and inspection bolt-ons, a neighbouring sector where accreditations, recurring inspection work and engineer capacity raise similar questions. You can read about that on our case studies page.
- You and your operations lead: the decision, accreditation and technical review, engineer retention and integration.
- Acquisitiv: the search, owner approaches, qualification and deal management.
- Your accountants: maintenance revenue quality, real profit and working capital.
- Your lawyers: customer contracts, frameworks, employment, liabilities for past work and the sale agreement.
How can Acquisitiv help?
Acquisitiv Target 45 researches 100 businesses that fit your criteria, agrees the list with you, approaches the owners in confidence and makes 5 introductions to owners open to a confidential conversation about a sale. If we are short at day 45, we keep going at no extra fee. It does not promise a completed deal.
If you plan a series of bolt-ons, the Acquisitiv Expansion Partnership runs your search, pipeline and live deals month after month, coordinating your lawyers and accountants.
Where to start
If a competitor's owner is retiring, or you are wondering who might be, start with a conversation. Book an Expansion Briefing: a 30-minute call with us, followed by a short written summary and a recommended next step.
Questions buyers ask
Do BAFE and NSI accreditations transfer when I buy a company?
It depends on how the deal is structured and on each scheme's rules. Buying the shares of a company is different from buying its business and assets. Check directly with the certification body for each accreditation the target holds, for the specific business and the specific deal, before you agree terms.
What is maintenance revenue worth compared with installation work?
Contracted maintenance, monitoring and inspection income is usually valued more highly because it repeats and can be planned for. Grant Thornton notes that recurring revenue from maintenance, monitoring and inspections continues to improve the quality of earnings in the sector. Installation and project work is less predictable. Ask for revenue split by type and check it against the contracts.
How do I compete with private equity-backed buyers in fire and security?
Grant Thornton found private equity-backed companies made 70% of fire and security deals in 2025. A trade buyer competes by reaching owners first, in confidence, and by showing that their engineers, customers and name will be looked after. Many owners care about that as much as price.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026 by Michael Ferguson.
Want owners at your table in 45 days?
Start with a free Expansion Briefing. If Target 45 is right for you, we'll plan it together on the call.