Mercer to Acquire ORC Worldwide

 The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.  

 A Mercer news release said both Mercer and ORC are known for their leadership in employee mobility information and related administrative applications, international talent management consulting, and extensive compensation and workforce data. In addition to its SIRS compensation surveys, ORC is well regarded for its global peer networking services, educational seminars and conference services which include 35 peer networks that allow senior HR and health, safety and environmental professionals to share best practices, according to the announcement.  

 As a combined organization specializing in human resource information and related consulting, Mercer and ORC will serve more than half of the companies in the S&P 500, the FTSE 100 and the FT Global 500, and more than one-third of the DJ Global 1800 as well as many mid–size firms, non-governmental organizations and non-profit institutions.  

 “The combined organization that will result from our global integration gives our clients access to an unrivalled set of products and services. In the expatriate space, ORC and Mercer together will become the undisputed leader in terms of client and geographic coverage. No other full service HR firm is able to match our combined breadth of service and data products,” said Robert J. Freedman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ORC, in the news release.  

 More about ORC Worldwide is at http://www.orcworldwide.com.