Success of Access divisions

The group, which has its MS2M compliance division based in York, said the year had been "very good" for most of its companies.

But after a strong first couple of months, Access said it has been a difficult period for its latest acquisition Cobent, which counts the United Nations among its customers. Despite this, it said it is confident it has an "excellent" software product in Cobent and it looks forward to the division's future growth.

The best performing divisions were Access Intelligence Media Communications and Due North, which the group said had "delivered excellent results".

The company said it has made significant progress in the private sector with several new contract wins.

Access's software helps businesses and organisations cut costs around procurement, and also helps them comply with legislation around sensitive issues such as tendering contracts.

About half of its revenues come from the public sector, but it has been focusing heavily on private sector opportunities.

Access moved its group head office from York to London when executive chairman Michael Jackson arrived in 2008 and injected 1.3m into the business, pledging a 'buy-and-build' strategy.

The group's annual results for the year to November 30 will be announced on March 7.

Access said it has appointed Joanna Arnold, its corporate development director, to the board. Ms Arnold, 29, joined the group two years ago