Accenture has agreed to acquire Soben, a Gasgow-based global provider of construction consultancy services.
Soben has a team of 250 and serves clients in Western Europe (UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Netherlands), the US, Mexico, Brazil, India and Australia.
The Soben staff will join Accenture’s infrastructure and capital projects practice within its “Industry X” team.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.
“Soben’s expertise in data center development and the pharmaceutical and energy industries will boost Accenture’s capital projects capabilities in advisory as well as project, cost and commercial management for clients,” said Accenture.
“Soben works for leading global hyperscalers and co-location providers on major data center construction.
“Its services include project management consultancy, scheduling, project controls, cost and commercial management, consultancy and advisory, and carbon cost management.”
Steve Roberts, senior managing director, Accenture Industry X, said: “The market for capital projects and especially data centers is growing rapidly, driven by ever-higher demand for cloud computing and AI and exponential data growth.
“Hyperscalers and co-location companies are under tremendous pressure to deliver on this demand. They need a provider that brings data center expertise plus proven capital projects experience, which is what the combination of Soben and Accenture will stand for.”
Maddie Walker, Accenture’s Industry X lead in the UK, Ireland & Africa, said: “Soben will enhance our infrastructure and capital projects capabilities across Europe, particularly boosting our practice in the UK.
“With complex capital projects on the horizon, and increasing adoption of AI, the UK is positioning itself for growth – and the construction sector must ensure it has the innovative thinking, technology, and skills to lead the way. Together, Accenture and Soben bring leading minds in capital projects expertise and emerging technology together.”
Soben CEO Scott Smyth said: “When we started Soben in 2011, our vision was to disrupt the construction consultancy marketplace, and we have now established Soben as one of the key players for capital projects in Europe and North America.
“By joining Accenture, we can realize that vision and offer fantastic opportunities for our people to grow their careers. We’re looking forward to bringing Accenture’s global reach and digital capabilities to our clients to help them scale their business fast and deliver exceptional outcomes for their capital projects.”