Acquisition

RM PLC
14 July 2003

14th July 2003

RM further develops education services strategy with acquisition of Forvus


RM plc, the leading supplier of ICT services to UK educational establishments,
announces the acquisition of data management and statistical services provider
SIR (UK) Ltd (which trades as Forvus).  The initial consideration for the
acquisition of Forvus is £4.55 million (payable in cash), and deferred
consideration will be a maximum of £2.45 million (payable in cash in December
2006).

The acquisition of Forvus, which provides services to the UK public sector, is a
further development of RM's education services strategy.  Forvus provides
outsourced services in the area of analysis and reporting of complex data sets.
Examples of Forvus' current contracts include: providing school performance data
for the Department for Education and Skills; gathering and analysing data about
the performance of teacher training establishments, and providing public access
to it through the web, for the Teacher Training Agency; and managing data
collection for the Housing Corporation.  These contracts are typically
multi-year in nature and have allowed the company to develop strong
relationships with its client base.

For the year to 31st March 2003 Forvus had turnover of £3.0 million and
profit-before-tax (adjusted to reflect normalised Directors' remuneration) of
£770,000.  Forvus is expected to have net assets of £800,000 and net cash of £1
million at the date of acquisition.  The initial consideration of £4.55 million
will be financed from RM's cash resources and will be offset by the £1 million
of cash acquired.  The deferred consideration of a maximum of £2.45 million is
subject to performance conditions relating to profit growth over the period 1st
April 2003 to 30th September 2006, and will be payable in cash in December 2006.

On completion of the acquisition Forvus will continue to be run by the existing
management team as a separate entity, with access to the support and resources
of the RM Group.  The three founding Directors have agreed to remain with the
business until at least March 2007, to continue to lead the company and to drive
forward Forvus' growth plans.

Commenting on the acquisition, Tim Pearson, CEO of RM, said:

'I am delighted that the Directors of Forvus have agreed to become part of the
RM Group.  Forvus is highly regarded amongst its customer base, has a number of
key education data management and reporting contracts, and is well positioned
for growth.

'The acquisition of Forvus is part of our strategy of moving RM into the broader
education services market, and their expertise will be significant in broadening
RM's education proposition.  There is increasing recognition of the need to use
data to underpin improvements in the delivery of public services, and the skills
Forvus brings to the Group position us well for deeper engagement with our
customer base.

'In much the same way that the acquisition of 3T Productions three years ago
allowed both RM and 3T to bid for and win different kinds of business, I am
confident that Forvus can achieve new levels of success as part of RM.'

- Ends -


For further information, please contact:

  Mike Greig/Phil Hemmings, RM plc                        08709 200200
  Andrew Fenwick/Fiona Fong, Brunswick                    020 7404 5959


Notes to Editors:

 1. Forvus was founded in 1985 as a statistical and data management consultancy
    by three Directors who remain with Company.  The founding Directors, and the
    key employees of the company, have significant knowledge of statistics, data
    management, data presentation and the use of IT systems to collect and
    disseminate data.  Forvus is based in Clapham and employs 20 people.

 2. The adjusted profit figure for the year to 31st March 2003 takes into account
    the impact of Directors' bonuses and pension arrangements during the year.
    Forvus' audited profit on ordinary activities before tax (PBT) for the year
    was £624,000.

 3. RM acquired 3T Productions in March 2000, since then revenues have grown by
    40% pa (compound).


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange