Clifford Chance (CC) has helped client US investment house Carlyle Group win preferred bidder status in the politically sensitive £250m privatisation of the defence research business, QinetiQ.

Carlyle Group beat off competition from 40 bidders in the auction to enter negotiations to buy a minority stake in QinetiQ, which is being advised by its in-house team alongside a team from Herbert Smith, led by corporate partner Stephen Rayfield and project partner Adrian Clough.