IT staffing is the segment of the Dutch flex market where buyers pay the highest multiples. But not every IT agency gets that price. What counts is what your consultants can do, how long they stay, and whether your assignments belong to you or to a broker.
Why IT secondment sells for more.
Across Dutch staffing, multiples usually lie between 3x and 7x EBITDA, depending on size. Well-performing IT secondment firms sit at the top of their size class, for three reasons:
- Longer placements. An IT professional often stays with the same client for six months to several years, so a buyer can already see much of next year's revenue.
- Higher margins. Gross margin in IT secondment is typically 25% to 40%, against 15% to 25% for generalist temp agencies.
- Scarce knowledge. An experienced cloud architect or security specialist is not recruited in a week. A buyer who takes over a team of them buys time.
IT staffing is also bought from outside the flex industry. IT service providers, international staffing groups and funds with an IT platform all want certified specialists with steady clients, and that competition drives the price.
What buyers weigh in an IT staffing firm.
- Consultant base and specialism. A small team of seniors in a clear domain such as cloud, cybersecurity, data engineering or SAP can be worth more than a large pool of generalists.
- Clients and contracts. Long framework agreements with several clients beat loose placements with a handful. Buyers want to know what is fixed, until when, and what happens when a tender is reissued.
- Broker and MSP dependence. Revenue through brokers or MSPs depresses the multiple: the relationship is not yours and the intermediary squeezes your rate.
- Freelancer share. A core of employed consultants gives retention and margin. Since Wet DBA enforcement, buyers ask how false self-employment risk is covered.
- Retention and margin per consultant, over several years. High turnover is a red flag.
- Owner dependence. If you manage the key accounts and recruit the best people yourself, a management layer that runs the firm without you lifts the multiple directly.
And the Wtta applies here too: from 1 January 2027 every secondment firm needs an admission and a €100,000 deposit. Check where you stand with the Wtta check (in Dutch).
What your IT agency is worth.
The formula is the same as for any staffing business: normalised EBITDA times a multiple. At €500,000 of normalised EBITDA that is €2.5 million at 5x and €3 million at 6x. Then comes the equity bridge to what you actually receive, where working capital is no detail when large clients or brokers pay late. Normalise first: at 6x every justified euro of add-back becomes six. Our business valuation page explains the method, and the free value check gives a first range in two minutes.
Who buys IT secondment firms.
- Funds with an IT platform. Ice Lake Capital added OGD, with 1,400 IT professionals, to Building Beyond Technology Group in July 2025. Emagine, owned by Axcel, completed its acquisition of Waada The Movement in March 2026.
- International strategic buyers. Atlantic International acquired Circle8 Group in January 2026, and LTIMindtree (LTM) made an offer for Randstad Digital and Tech Consulting in May 2026.
- Family holdings. Van Uden Holding acquired Linden-IT in November 2025: a family business, without a fund behind it.
- Minority investors. Rotate Capital took a 20% stake in Bluetang and Blacktang in March 2026. You do not have to sell everything to bring in a partner.
All deals, each with a source, are in the Flex M&A Radar (in Dutch). Looking to buy an IT staffing firm instead? See acquiring a staffing company in the Netherlands.
Preparation and confidentiality.
Start at least twelve months ahead: show margin per consultant and per client, build a management layer, put client agreements in contracts and keep your CRM current. According to Exit in Flex, preparing for sale adds 20 to 30% on average. The sale itself takes 6 to 9 months, often with an earn-out tied to revenue, EBITDA or client retention, a rollover with private equity, or a vendor loan of 10 to 20%.
Confidentiality matters more in IT than anywhere. Consultants hear from recruiters daily, and a competitor who learns your firm is for sale will call your best people. Buyers therefore first see an anonymous teaser that does not reveal your specialism, and more only after an NDA and your consent.