The Bristol-based online community specialist has made a move into public sector publishing with the purchase of Public Technology Limited.  Sift Media will take on 10 separate content driven titles that serve 15,000 registered subscribers, 150,000 unique users, generating upwards of 1 million page impressions per month.  The acquisition was brokered by Prism Consult Ltd, the media M&A consultancy.

Public Technology also runs the prestigious annual e-Government National Awards - the premier technology awards event for the public sector across eleven categories, covering online and IT initiatives, and attended by key ministers and public sector figures from central/local government, the NHS and education.

Established in 2003 by founder Chris Histed, Public Technology has become the UK's most-read online public sector news and information network, with a strong reputation both online and through the e-Government National Awards.

The acquisition will also allow Sift Media to move into the paid-for subscription market, with a number of subscription solutions already available on Public Technology’s tender alert sites (including TechTenders.net and HealthTenders.net) with more in the pipeline.

Ben Heald, CEO of Sift Media said: “We’ve wanted to add public sector audiences to our portfolio for a while, and Public Technology fits like a glove. Chris Histed has done a tremendous job to build the brand; and working with Chris our teams can now develop the business using their sales, editorial and community-building expertise.

Even though public sector spending might be somewhat curtailed over the next few years, there’s still going to be billions procured; with huge opportunities for us to help vendors and customers find each other through our range of publishing products.”

With the public sector expected to make serious drives for efficiency, the UK government is likely to remain one of the largest customers to the technology industry.  Government IT spend is expected to exceed £14 billion in the period 2008/09: 20% more than any other government in Europe, and accounting for almost 1.2% of the UK’s GDP.

The future of government service delivery depends on this technology investment.  Over the next decade, mobile and internet technology will increasingly become the preferred method of public interaction and information transfer for government departments. While for the 50,000 IT professionals employed directly by the government, at both central and local levels, technologies involving networking and connectivity, web services, CRM systems, call centres and mobile technologies will become a fundamental part of the universal drive for greater efficiency.

Public Technology founder, Chris Histed, commented: “Sift Media impressed us as by far the best choice to grow the business in the future; for our clients and our audiences. They’re dynamic, focused and an organisation committed to excellence.  The resources are second to none and we’re convinced that as a result, Public Technology will be able to provide our clients with an even better service. We look forward to our clients and readers taking full advantage of the opportunities this acquisition presents.”

The Public Technology portfolio comprises:

§  PublicTechnology.net – Covering public sector technology

§  Publicpages.net – A directory of public sector suppliers, free and paid listings

§  PublicTenders.net – Public tender listings covering the UK. Free to use content

§  TechTenders.net – IT & technology tenders from all public sector organisations across 27 EU countries. A subscription service.

§  NHStenders.net – NHS tender listings covering the UK. Free to use content

§  HealthTenders.net – Health product & service tenders from public sector health organisations & hospitals across 27 EU countries. A subscription service.

§  PublicPolitics.net – Political and public affairs news site

§  WhitehallPages.net – Covering news on central government across the UK

§  EducationPages.net  - News and developments for the education sector

§  EUMonitor.net – EU-related policy and politics news

§  The annual e-Government National Awards

§  Public Technology Magazine