TerraQuest in a nutshell?

TerraQuest is a provider of software and data services to both the public and private sectors in the domain of land and property, development planning, geographic information systems, data and document management, and fully outsourced business process solutions.

Established in 1972, the business has been evolving over the years in the pursuit of continuous improvement and has become a trusted and distinguished organization for its expertise in providing innovative and cost-effective solutions in land, property and construction planning. The team delivers bespoke, flexible, and efficient services through a process-orientated delivery structure.

How would you define the company before and after the 9th of November 2022, when TerraQuest Solutions got acquired by Apse Capital?

Being backed and supported by a private equity firm Apse Capital has sharpened our focus on transitioning to a data technology company. The shift from being a provider of high-quality and trusted land and property data for the construction industry to a technology business with our own proprietary solutions was already underway but accelerated further with the new investment.

Our mission is to shape the future of the land, planning technology, underpinned by data-driven solutions that are universally accessible and beneficial to all. With the new dimension, focus, and support we are experiencing, the business is moving ever closer to achieving that mission objective.

Could you elaborate more on the meaning of transforming a data-driven company into a technology-driven? What exactly has changed?

Historically TerraQuest is one of the UK’s longest-established land and property services companies. And our business was quite different before global digitalization enabled our company transformation. Initially, data was manipulated manually and extracted from paper documents and paper maps, with field checks and other human-involved activities. Then we started digitalizing and manipulating data in modern, automated ways. Nowadays we are talking about holistic platforms that deliver end-to-end technology where we provide value beyond the power of data – we deliver processes, automation, verifications, security, analytics, and decision-making in close to real-time.

Sounds like quite an exciting journey! How did you manage to make a shift in the company culture and team mentality, to inspire the people for change and innovation?

Our philosophy has always focused on delivering premium services and data solutions to our customers. It remains the same, although enhanced by the potential of technology and digitalization. Although there has not been a drastic change in our core values and company culture, the technology solutions division alone has grown by over 60% and we have embraced the new ideas, energy, and different perspectives this expansion has brought to the business.

Our team is empowered, and we always strive to encourage our employees to keep in mind our six value pillars of trust, excellence, integrity, innovation, growth, and respect when collaborating or engaging with our clients and customers.

Developing at such a fast pace, how did CoMantis fit into your partner network?

To support our growth and expansion we needed to further enhance and develop the team and explore complimentary new innovative solutions and options to expand into new geographies. We engaged with CoMantis as we did not have the bandwidth at the time to dedicate ourselves to finding and vetting new suppliers to help us during this important and dynamic period.

A company needs to commit many hours to an effort that is usually a non-core business activity in small or mid-size organizations to achieve the desired results of a selection process. Therefore, we opted to engage with a professional partner who could lead the identification and supplier selection process.

This is how we engaged with CoMantis, using their support for identifying the right partners that matched our ambition and our cultural values, which was critical to ensure continuity. Although not the first option we considered, it appeared to be the quickest way to success.

What was the experience working with CoMantis?

Fluid, efficient, agile, complimented by swift and sharp communication, whilst being understanding of our needs and vision with their professional approach throughout each stage of the engagement. Moreover, by grasping our view for the future, in addition to helping us in finding the best-fit technology services supplier, CoMantis has been introducing us to innovative organizations in fields like satellite monitoring, video streaming for remote assessments and assistance, and others. Qualifying the right partners with precision goes in hand with our innovation, growth, and acquisition principles.

How would you evaluate the supplier selection model?

As shared, procurement, supplier selection, or due diligence procedures require time, competence, and precision. For us, external help in these domains is of high value as we aim at focusing on our core business. Working with CoMantis has helped us in engaging only with pre-selected, short-listed companies that meet the required criteria and score high, based on the qualification metric.

Where do you see TerraQuest in half a decade?

Our online services include digital mapping, land and property portals, and the National Planning Portals for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. With digitalization there are no boundaries, thus, the investment in becoming a technology company is paving the way to expand beyond the boundaries of the British Isles.

The business development efforts are centered on new markets and broader horizons. A logical step in our growth plans is towards the commonwealth countries, due to similar standards, tender criteria, and legislation.

Thank you for your kind words, Laurie!

From data-driven to technology-driven – a quest for an outstanding added value in land referencing and construction planning