Contract wins are an education for Amor

A CLUTCH of new contracts worth a total of £23 million has helped Glasgow-based business technology provider Amor Group take a step closer to its £60m turnover target.

The firm - which works in the energy, transport and public sectors - yesterday unveiled interim revenues of 16.5m for the six months to 30 June, up from 15.4m last year and 7 per cent ahead of target.

Pre-tax profit leapt by 21 per cent to 2.3m in what chief executive John Innis characterised as having been an "extremely successful" year so far.

The company, created last May following the acquisition of the Scottish IT services operations of French company Sword Group in a private equity-backed buyout, aims to grow its turnover to 60m by 2012. Sales stood at 30m in 2009.

Major deals so far this year have included a 3.9m professional services contract with Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.

Energy industry wins included a five-year support contract with Centrica, worth 500,000, and a $750,000 (486,000) deal with the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago to design and install a gas management system for the Cross Island Pipeline system. Amor also signed a 200,000 deal with Oslo airport covering passenger tracking system.

The flurry of new contracts has led to the firm taking on more staff, with Amor confirming yesterday that it has recruited a total of 77 workers this year to take its headcount over 400.