DealFlowAgent at the Fire Safety Event 2026: Recap
DealFlowAgent exhibited at Stand 410 at the Fire Safety Event 2026 at NEC Birmingham. Who is buying UK fire safety, security and FM businesses, key themes, and how to talk to our team about your exit.
DealFlowAgent is the UK and US's only M&A advisory and brokerage firm specialising in fire safety businesses. We help owners secure multiple acquisition offers at higher valuations.
Sell your fire safety businessDealFlowAgent at the Fire Safety Event 2026: Recap
The Fire Safety Event 2026 wrapped at NEC Birmingham on 30 April, and the DealFlowAgent team is back at base after three intensive days at Stand 410, positioned between the VIP networking area and the Leaders stage. The footfall was extraordinary, the conversations were better, and the message we took away is clear: UK business owners in fire safety, security, and facilities management are actively thinking about exit timing, valuation, and who is buying right now.
If you missed us at the show, this is your catch-up. We have summarised what we saw on the floor across the four co-located shows, the strategic and PE buyers we know are most active in your sector, and how to start a conversation with our team about your business. If you operate in fire safety, security, or facilities management and are weighing an exit in the next 12 to 36 months, our fire safety M&A advisory page is the right place to begin.
Why DealFlowAgent Was at NEC Birmingham
The Fire Safety Event sits at the centre of the Safety & Security Event Series - a cluster of shows that brings together the entire compliance, protection, and built environment community under one roof. According to the official event, the 2026 edition drew over 13,500 visitors and 300+ exhibitors across three days, with 89% of attendees in C-suite or senior management roles.
For an M&A advisor focused exclusively on the £1M to £30M segment in building services and healthcare, that is exactly the room we wanted to be in. We were there to:
- Meet business owners considering an exit in the next 1 to 5 years
- Brief active strategic buyers and private equity platforms on UK targets we are tracking
- Showcase our specialism in fire safety, security, and facilities-adjacent niches
- Run our £1M+ Revenue Club briefings for qualifying owners
The co-location was the differentiator. Visitors moved seamlessly between the Fire Safety Event in Hall 4 and The Security Event in Hall 5, with The Workplace Event and The Health & Safety Event in adjacent halls. That meant a single conversation could span fire compliance, intruder alarms, access control, CCTV, and full facilities management - the exact crossover where the most interesting M&A activity is happening right now.
What We Heard on the Floor
Three themes dominated owner conversations at Stand 410.
Compliance Costs Are Squeezing Smaller Operators
The Building Safety Act 2022 and its evolving secondary legislation have raised the bar for everyone delivering active and passive fire protection. Founder-led businesses with strong technical reputations are finding that the cost of maintaining BAFE SP203, third-party certification, ISO 9001, and the management overhead of expanding compliance regimes is harder to absorb at sub-£3M revenue levels. Several owners we met are looking at sale not because they want to retire, but because joining a larger platform removes the compliance burden and frees them to focus on technical work.
Recurring Revenue Is the Multiple
Every serious buyer we spoke to opened with the same question: what proportion of revenue is contracted maintenance versus project install. Businesses with 60%+ recurring revenue are commanding meaningfully higher EBITDA multiples than equivalent installers. We have written about the dynamic in detail in our HVAC recurring revenue analysis, but the principle applies identically across fire and security.
Cross-Discipline Capability Is Now Premium
Buyers are no longer interested in pure-play fire alarm installers or standalone CCTV companies. The premium valuations we are seeing are for businesses that can deliver across detection, suppression, security systems, and emergency lighting under one roof - the businesses Mitie's CEO Phil Bentley described, when announcing the £350M acquisition of Marlowe, as "facilities compliance powerhouses."
The Active Buyer Landscape
A key reason we exhibit at events like this is to maintain real-time awareness of who is buying, what they want, and at what price. We do not claim relationships with every name on this list, and we do not imply we lack them either. What we do claim is granular, current knowledge of each acquirer's strategy, deal criteria, and platform gaps.
Fire Safety and Life Safety
Mitie Group became the dominant force in UK fire compliance in August 2025 with its £350M cash acquisition of Marlowe plc, adding 2,700 employees and capabilities across detection, alarms, suppression, fire stopping, and water hygiene to its existing TIC platform. Mitie is now the UK's largest provider of Testing, Inspection and Certification services and continues to absorb regional fire businesses where the technical fit is strong.
Sureserve Group, backed by Cap10 Partners since taking the business private in 2023, remains highly acquisitive in fire safety, building compliance, and energy services. The group has been particularly active where social housing and public sector fire compliance contracts are involved.
Churches Fire & Security, backed by Horizon Capital, has now completed more than 20 bolt-on acquisitions and operates a true buy-and-build platform across fire detection, suppression, sprinklers, and security. Their preferred targets are regional businesses with maintenance-heavy revenue mixes between £2M and £15M.
Johnson Controls and Honeywell are the two global strategic acquirers most consistently active in higher-end UK fire and life safety transactions, particularly where there is a meaningful technology, software, or data layer to the business.
Bullwell Group, Ventro Group, and LFS Group are all building regional fire compliance platforms backed by mid-market PE, and each completed multiple bolt-ons in 2025. Their criteria typically focus on £500K to £3M EBITDA, strong CAFM systems, and clean compliance records.
According to Lincoln International's Q4 2025 European Fire and Life Safety Quarterly Review, the European fire safety M&A market remained active through year-end with several deals progressing into 2026, sustaining the consolidation thesis that has driven this sector for five years.
Security Systems
Verisure, majority-owned by Hellman & Friedman, completed its €3.2 billion IPO on Nasdaq Stockholm in October 2025 and continues to expand internationally with €3.7 billion in 2025 revenue and 6.2 million monitored customers. While the listed business is now organic-growth focused, the broader Hellman & Friedman platform remains an active strategic observer of the European security market.
ADT and Securitas continue to evaluate UK acquisitions selectively, particularly where commercial monitored security and electronic access control are involved.
Amberstone Security, Pyronix, and Genetec anchor the technology integrator end of the market, where the most interesting bolt-on activity is happening for £1M to £8M revenue specialists with strong system integration capabilities.
For owners specifically focused on the security exit landscape, we have published a detailed security business valuation guide for the UK and US markets covering EBITDA multiples, deal structures, and acquirer profiles.
Facilities Management
The big story of 2026 is the Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) combination of OCS Facilities Services and Atalian, which CD&R announced in April 2026 as the foundation of a global FM platform across cleaning, security, catering, and multi-technical services. This consolidation will trigger further bolt-on acquisitions through 2026 and 2027.
Mitie, beyond its Marlowe acquisition, remains the UK's largest pure-play FM acquirer and has been particularly active in TIC, energy services, and security integration.
Bidvest Noonan and Atlas FM are mid-market consolidators that have built strong UK footprints through targeted acquisitions in security-led FM and integrated soft services.
Compass Group and ISS play in the larger end of the market and are consistent acquirers of specialist FM businesses where there is a clear strategic gap in their existing service mix.
For a wider view of how PE is approaching the building services consolidation thesis, our analysis of UK home services roll-ups covers the playbook in detail.
Why DealFlowAgent Is Different
We met dozens of owners at the event who had previously spoken to traditional brokers or generalist M&A advisors. Three frustrations came up repeatedly.
We Specialise. Generalists Don't.
DealFlowAgent does not advise on car washes, software companies, or pubs. We focus exclusively on building services (HVAC, plumbing, fire safety, electrical, pest control, landscaping, security) and healthcare (dental, care homes, veterinary, medispas) businesses valued between £1M and £30M. Every pitch we deliver, every buyer list we curate, and every valuation analysis we produce is built on sector-specific knowledge - BAFE accreditation impact, MCS implications for HVAC, CQC ratings for healthcare, UDA contract dynamics for dental.
We Know the Buyers. Personally.
A buyer list is only as good as the relationships behind it. We are constantly tracking which platform is hungry, which has indigestion from a recent integration, who is fundraising, who has unspent dry powder, and who is quietly deprioritising the UK. That intelligence is impossible to develop unless you live inside the niche.
We Use AI to Compress Timelines
The traditional M&A process drags - often 9 to 18 months. We use proprietary AI tooling to accelerate buyer matching, financial modelling, and pitch document preparation, which has consistently reduced our deal cycles to 4 to 9 months. That matters because every additional month of process is a month where market conditions can shift and your business performance can drift.
We Charge Differently
Most traditional advisors structure their fees in ways that prioritise their downside. We work success-weighted, with skin in the game on the exit multiple. We do not get paid premiums unless you do.
For owners who want to dig into how we think about exit positioning, our buy-side advisory page explains how we connect sellers with the most appropriate qualified, motivated buyers in their niche.
The £1M+ Revenue Club
One of the most popular elements at Stand 410 was our £1M+ Revenue Club briefing - a private session for business owners with annual revenue above £1M who are seriously considering exit in the next 1 to 5 years. The club gives members:
- Quarterly buyer activity briefings specific to their niche
- Access to our proprietary multiples database covering completed UK transactions
- A confidential preliminary valuation indication on request
- Priority access to off-market buyer introductions when their timing is right
Membership is by invitation only. If you missed us at the event and qualify, contact our team and reference the £1M+ Revenue Club in your enquiry.
What Happens If You Did Not Make It to Stand 410
Plenty of owners who told us they would visit got pulled into supplier meetings, demo halls, or the LPCB Live Testing lab. If you wanted to talk to us at the event and missed us, the conversation does not have to wait until next year. We are now back at full capacity in the office and running 30-minute introductory calls with owners interested in:
- Confidential preliminary valuations of fire safety, security, or FM businesses
- A current view of who is buying in your specific niche
- Exit timing analysis given the latest BADR tax changes (covered in our BADR April 2026 analysis)
- Buy-side mandates from active acquirers we are working with
The team that was at Stand 410 wearing the DealFlowAgent shirts and gilets is the same team that will be on those calls. There is no junior associate handover, no off-shore desk, no template pitch deck.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of businesses does DealFlowAgent advise?
We focus exclusively on building services and healthcare businesses valued between £1M and £30M. In building services, that means HVAC, plumbing, fire safety, electrical, security systems, pest control, and landscaping. In healthcare, it means dental practices, care homes, veterinary practices, and medispas. We do not advise on retail, hospitality, software, or other generalist sectors.
What EBITDA multiples are fire safety businesses currently achieving?
2026 multiples for UK fire safety businesses range from 5x to 11x EBITDA depending on size, recurring revenue mix, accreditations, and geographic footprint. Smaller installer-led businesses with project-heavy revenue trade at the lower end. Compliance-led businesses with strong contracted maintenance and BAFE accreditation regularly achieve 8x to 11x. Platform-level transactions involving £3M+ EBITDA frequently price above 10x. Our fire safety business valuation guide covers the drivers in detail.
What about security systems business valuations?
Security systems valuations have followed a similar trajectory to fire safety, with monitored recurring revenue businesses achieving the strongest multiples. Verisure's IPO valuation of €13.7 billion at the end of 2025 reset benchmark expectations for premium security platforms. UK monitored security businesses with strong ARR typically trade in a 7x to 12x EBITDA range, with integrators and installers without recurring revenue trading lower.
How do facilities management exits compare?
FM is more bifurcated. Pure cleaning and soft services businesses trade in the 4x to 7x EBITDA range, while integrated TIC, fire compliance, and security-led FM businesses command 8x to 12x. CD&R's combination of OCS Facilities Services and Atalian sets the consolidation context for the next two to three years.
What is the best time to start a conversation about exit?
Ideally 12 to 24 months before you actually want to transact. That window gives time for legitimate value engineering - tightening up management accounts, formalising contracted revenue, addressing succession risk - that translates directly into a higher exit multiple. Our EBITDA optimisation guide sets out the specific levers.
Do I need to be ready to sell to talk to you?
No. A meaningful proportion of the conversations we had at Stand 410 were with owners 3 to 5 years away from a transaction who simply wanted to understand the buyer landscape and benchmark themselves. We are happy to have those conversations confidentially without commitment.
How does the BADR tax change affect my exit timing?
The Business Asset Disposal Relief CGT rate moved from 14% to 18% on 6 April 2026, alongside changes to Inheritance Tax Business Property Relief from April 2026. Those changes have shifted exit timing calculus for many owners. We have written about this extensively in our BADR April 2026 changes analysis.
What is the £1M+ Revenue Club?
A private membership group for business owners with £1M+ annual revenue who are seriously considering exit within 1 to 5 years. Members get quarterly buyer activity briefings, multiples database access, preliminary valuation indications, and priority off-market buyer introductions when their timing is right. Membership is by invitation only.
Will DealFlowAgent be at the Security Event or Facilities Show 2026?
We rotate our event presence based on where the highest concentration of qualified owners is. The Fire Safety Event 2026 was an obvious yes given the co-location with The Security Event and The Workplace Event. We will publish our 2026/27 event calendar in due course - email the team to be added to the invite list.
How long does a typical exit process take with DealFlowAgent?
From initial engagement to completion, our typical building services and healthcare transactions complete in 4 to 9 months. That is meaningfully faster than the traditional 9 to 18 month industry benchmark, primarily because of the AI tooling we use across buyer matching, financial modelling, and pitch document preparation.
Next Up: Where to Find Us
The Fire Safety Event 2026 was the first of several we are exhibiting at this year. The Fire Safety Event 2027 is already confirmed for 27-29 April 2027 at NEC Birmingham, and we will be back. Between now and then, we will be at sector roundtables, the Facilities Show, healthcare M&A briefings, and a series of regional owner sessions.
If you want to be added to our event invitation list - including the £1M+ Revenue Club briefings - email the team using the contact form linked below.
Take the Next Step
If you own a fire safety, security, or facilities management business and have ever asked yourself "what is my business actually worth, and who would buy it?" - that is the question we exist to answer.
Speak to our team for a confidential introductory conversation. No commitment, no pressure, just sector-specialist M&A intelligence applied directly to your business.
We will see you in 2027.
Experienced Dealmakers Lead Your Exit
Every exit is led by a senior advisor who has been through it themselves. Meet the team who will guide you.
- •4 years in M&A advisory; 22 completed transactions
- •Direct relationships with hundreds of strategic and financial acquirers
- •Raised £2m in funding; placed 3rd of 1,900 at OnStage (the "Y Combinator of Europe")
- •Previously built a mobility and field services business to 30 staff and 6 UK warehouses, then sold via competitive process with an EY M&A partner
- •Full-stack developer of advanced agent systems and second-brain tooling for the M&A process
Emerson Patton
Sector Specialist: Building, Construction & Trade Services
- •20+ years advising owners in building services, fire safety, HVAC, plumbing, and construction
- •Guided 200+ companies through growth, profit improvement, and exit planning
- •Builds equity value and operational structure long before a sale
- •Partners with DFA to prepare owners for exit while the advisory team runs the sale
James Duboullay
Senior M&A Advisor
- •25+ years across investment banking, M&A and fundraising
- •Sector focus: essential services and software
- •Long-standing relationships with private equity buyers and growth funds
- •Personally advising DealFlowAgent founders for the past four years
Sage
AI Deal Concierge
- •Available 24/7. Monitors every signal in your deal
- •Keeps your advisory team one step ahead at all times
- •Trained on thousands of M&A transactions
Sterling
Buy-Side Deal Origination Agent
- •Engages 12,000+ acquirers to surface live mandates and intent
- •Qualifies buyer fit, budget and timing before introductions
- •Feeds your advisory team with warm, ranked buyer matches
- •Founded Fanbytes, scaled revenues to £10m+, exited at multi-eight-figure valuation
- •Advises on multiple M&A deals, invests in early-stage ventures
- •Built 700,000+ follower community teaching founders to scale and sell
- •Partnered with DealFlowAgent to expand access for founders to buyers
Sector Expert
Industry-Specific M&A Advisor
For every deal, our advisory team includes a sector specialist from that client's specific industry and niche: bringing relationships, insider knowledge, and leverage to support your process and achieve the best acquisition outcome.
Fire Safety M&A Specialists
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DealFlowAgent is the UK and US's only M&A advisory firm specialising in fire safety businesses. Our trusted advisors leverage industry knowledge, buyer relationships and proprietary technology to help business owners secure multiple acquisition offers at higher valuations.
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Joe Lewin
Exited entrepreneur and M&A advisor who has guided 20+ business owners through successful exits. Joe built and sold his first company after scaling to 80,000+ users and raised over £2M in funding. He founded DealflowAgent to combine traditional M&A expertise with AI technology, creating aligned advisory solutions for SME business owners. Joe regularly speaks on exit planning and M&A trends, and has built a network of thousands of strategic acquirers across UK and US markets.
