Latham & Watkins Advises Nemetschek Group on Acquisition of HCSS
Latham & Watkins has advised Nemetschek Group, a global leading vertical provider of AI-powered software solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AEC/O) and media industries, on the acquisition of Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, LLC (HCSS), a provider of software solutions for the heavy civil construction sector, from Thoma Bravo. HCSS will become part of the Nemetschek Group’s Build & Construct segment.
The strategic transaction enables Nemetschek to expand its presence in the infrastructure and heavy civil construction markets and further strengthen its position in the North American construction software market. The acquisition also broadens Nemetschek’s solution portfolio across the construction lifecycle and expands the Build & Construct segment’s total addressable market to an estimated US$12 billion by 2028.
Under the agreed ownership structure, Nemetschek SE will hold approximately 72% of the shares in the Build & Construct segment, with Thoma Bravo retaining an approximate 28% minority interest.
The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2026 and is subject to customary regulatory approval and closing conditions.
The Latham team was led by Munich corporate partner Rainer Traugott and Chicago partners Bradley Faris and Dan Breslin, with associates Jay Trewn, Diana DuBois, Taylor Larson, Philipp Gaertner, Chris Freitag, and Rieke Klie. Advice was also provided on tax matters by Chicago partner Enrique Rene de Vera and Munich partner Ulf Kieker, with associate Valerie Silva Parra; on antitrust matters by Frankfurt partner Max Hauser and Hamburg partner Jana Dammann de Chapto, with counsels Nils Bremer and Jamie Sadler, associate Helena Hofmann, and senior merger control attorney Matthew Piehl; on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner Paul Rosen, with counsel Ruchi Gill, and associates Amulya Vadapalli, and Stephen Keith; on data privacy matters by Houston partner Robert Brown and Washington, D.C. partner Clayton Northouse, with associate Diya Jajal; on intellectual property matters by Washington, D.C. partner Morgan Brubaker, with associate Daniel Donovan; on benefits and compensation matters by Los Angeles partner Michelle Carpenter, with associates Sahar Merchant and Kayla Snyder; and on capital markets matters by London partner Ryan Benedict.