Adds details on deal and background on Mitie and OCS throughout, shares in paragraph 3

July 21 (Reuters) - British outsourcer Mitie MTO.L has agreed to be bought by private equity-backed rival OCS Group International for £3.1 billion ($4.17 billion), in a deal the companies said on Tuesday would strengthen their technology and data-driven operations.

OCS will pay 218.5 pence per Mitie share in cash, plus a dividend of 3.1 pence per share. The total offer of 221.6 pence per share represents a 46.8% premium to Mitie's closing share price on Monday.

Mitie's shares shot up over 40% in early trading to a record high of 214 pence, but still below the offer price.

The deal will create a British facilities management group with combined annual revenues of about £8.5 billion, that the companies said will be better positioned to capture growing demand for complex services related to data centres, power-grid connections and regulatory compliance.

OCS operates across the UK, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, working in the business services, healthcare, technology and financial services sectors. Since 2022, it has been owned by U.S. private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

Under Chief Executive Phil Bentley, Mitie has delivered a turnaround across its businesses since 2023, while also benefiting from growth in AI-related infrastructure such as data centres and from government investment in utilities.

Bentley, who had planned to retire by March 2027, will remain with the company until completion of the transaction, which is expected in the first quarter of 2027, the companies said.

Separately, Mitie reported a 10% rise in revenue for the quarter ended June 30, supported by new contract wins, including data centre capital projects, and engineering services at AstraZeneca's AZN.L global research hub.

Mitie has suspended its £100 million share buyback programme in light of the proposed acquisition by OCS.

($1 = £0.7439)