Offer for Cornwell declared wholly unconditional

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DO SO FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 May 2007 Recommended Cash Offer by PKF (UK) LLP on behalf of Serco Group plc to acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Cornwell Management Consultants plc Offer declared wholly unconditional The Board of Serco Group plc ("Serco") announces that, as at 3.00 p.m. (London time) on 16 May 2007, Serco had received valid acceptances of the Offer for Cornwell in respect of a total of 12,384,053 Cornwell Shares (including acceptances in respect of irrevocable undertakings) representing approximately 70.3 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Cornwell. The Serco Board also announces that it has resolved to amend the condition as to acceptances of the Offer such that the required acceptance level for the Offer be reduced from 90 per cent. to 70 per cent. The Serco Board is therefore pleased to announce that all of the conditions to the Offer have now been satisfied or waived and that accordingly the Offer is today declared unconditional in all respects. As announced by Serco on 24 April 2007, Serco received irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from the Directors of Cornwell who hold Cornwell Shares in respect of their entire beneficial holdings of, in aggregate, 5,348,750 Cornwell Shares representing approximately 30.4 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Cornwell. In addition, irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer were received by Serco from certain other Cornwell Shareholders in respect of their entire beneficial holdings of, in aggregate, 3,926,308 Cornwell Shares representing approximately 22.3 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Cornwell. In total Serco received irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer in respect of, in aggregate, 9,275,058 Cornwell Shares representing approximately 52.7 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Cornwell. Serco has received valid acceptances in respect of 8,607,608 of the Cornwell Shares which are the subject of irrevocable undertakings representing, in aggregate 48.9 per cent. of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Cornwell. Serco has not yet received valid acceptances in respect of 667,450 Cornwell Shares which are the subject of such irrevocable undertakings representing 3.8 per cent. of the issued share capital of Cornwell. Save as disclosed in this announcement or in the Offer Document, neither Serco nor any persons acting or deemed to be acting in concert with it has any interest in (or a right to subscribe for any short positions (whether conditional or absolute and whether in the money or otherwise), including any short positions under a derivative, any agreement to sell or any delivery obligation or right to require another person to purchase or take delivery in respect of) or has borrowed or lent (save for any borrowed shares which have either been on-lent or sold) any Cornwell Shares. Notice is hereby given that the Offer will remain open for acceptance until further notice, and Cornwell Shareholders who have not yet accepted the Offer are urged to do so as soon as possible. Cornwell Shareholders who hold their Cornwell Shares in certificated form and have not yet accepted the Offer are encouraged to complete, sign and return the Form of Acceptance in accordance with the instructions set out in the Offer Document and on the Form of Acceptance, so as to be received by Computershare Investor Services plc, PO Box 859, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 1HZ (telephone number +44 (0) 870 889 3288) as soon as possible. Cornwell Shareholders who hold their Cornwell Shares in uncertificated form (that is in CREST) and have not yet accepted the Offer are encouraged to take the action set out in paragraph 17.2 of the letter from PKF (UK) LLP set out in Part 2 of the Offer Document to transfer or procure the transfer of their Cornwell Shares to an escrow balance as soon as possible. Settlement of the consideration due under the Offer in respect of valid acceptances which have been received and are complete in all respects, will be despatched on or before 31 May 2007. Settlement of the consideration in respect of further acceptances which are valid and complete in all respects, will be despatched within 14 days of receipt. Terms contained in the Offer Document have the same meaning in this announcement unless the context otherwise requires. Enquiries: Serco 01256 745900 Dominic Cheetham, Director of Corporate Communications Richard Hollins, Head of Investor Relations PKF (UK) LLP (Financial Adviser to Serco) 020 7065 0000 Stephen Bayfield Araminta Sugden Brunswick (PR Adviser to Serco) 020 7404 5959 Jonathan Glass Margaret Dinan This announcement does not constitute an invitation to purchase any securities or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities, pursuant to the Offer or otherwise. The Offer will be made solely by the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance accompanying it, which will contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer, including details of how the Offer may be accepted. The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which this announcement is released, published or distributed should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions. Any failure to comply with the restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by use of the mails, or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, facsimile transmission, internet, email, telex or telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce, or of any facility of a national securities exchange, of the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction where it is unlawful to do so ("the Excluded Territories") and cannot be accepted by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from within any of the Excluded Territories. PKF (UK) LLP, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for Serco and for no-one else in connection with the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than Serco for providing the protections afforded to customers of PKF (UK) LLP, nor for giving advice in relation to the Offer or any matter referred to herein. The Serco Directors, whose names are set out in the Offer Document, accept responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the Serco Directors (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the information contained in this announcement for which they are responsible is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase any securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

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