Accenture launches Construct for global capital projects

Accenture has launched Accenture Construct, a global business focused on capital project delivery. The unit brings together more than 5,000 specialists across engineering, project delivery, data and artificial intelligence.

The move comes as Australia and other markets increase spending on data centres, energy systems and transport networks, bringing greater scrutiny to how major projects are planned and delivered.

The new business is aimed at project owners managing large infrastructure and industrial developments, including airports, power grids, rail networks, data centres and manufacturing facilities. It combines Accenture's existing work in strategic advisory, engineering, project delivery and technology services under a single structure.

Accenture is targeting what it describes as an owner-side capital project services market worth USD $260 billion. It projects annual growth of 7.5 per cent to lift that figure to USD $348 billion by 2030.

That market is being shaped by three broad investment themes: the build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centres, the energy transition, and the replacement and expansion of critical infrastructure. Those themes are particularly relevant in Australia, where governments and private operators are committing large sums to electricity networks, renewable energy links, transport upgrades and digital infrastructure.

Market focus

Accenture Construct is organised around five lines of business: data centres; utilities and telecommunications; transportation and civic infrastructure; advanced manufacturing; and process industries. The unit will work with both public and private sector clients.

In data centres, the business will cover work from early design and site planning to construction management and commissioning. In utilities and telecommunications, it will span fibre and 5G networks, power generation, grids, water systems and energy transition assets such as wind and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The transportation and civic infrastructure arm will cover airports, hospitals, rail networks and roads. The advanced manufacturing segment will focus on software-led production facilities for sectors including semiconductors, vehicles, industrial equipment and pharmaceuticals. The process industries practice will address decarbonisation infrastructure, liquefied natural gas and field programmes across chemicals, mining, and oil and gas.

Accenture said the business had been assembled through internal growth and acquisitions. It cited specialist deals in Spain, the US, Canada, Italy, Belgium, France, the UK and Brazil as part of the build-out.

Delivery model

Accenture is seeking to address a longstanding problem in major capital projects: fragmented accountability across consultants, advisers, contractors and specialist suppliers. Under traditional structures, project owners often carry the risk and cost of gaps between separate parties.

Accenture Construct will use a shared project data foundation and artificial intelligence-based workflows to create a single operational view across project delivery. The aim is to improve visibility over cost, schedule, quality and asset performance while reducing handover issues between different firms involved in the same project.

Julie Sweet, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Accenture, linked the launch to rising infrastructure demand and changes in project planning driven by artificial intelligence.

"Global demand for critical infrastructure capital programs is accelerating at the same time as AI is fundamentally changing how projects are planned, delivered and operated," said Sweet.

"Together, these shifts are significantly increasing our market opportunity for the capital project services provided by Accenture Construct, which combines deep capital project expertise with global scale, built to give owners a new level of visibility and certainty," she said.

Adam J. Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Accenture Construct, said the issue for many projects was not a lack of technical specialists but the way responsibility is spread across delivery teams.

"Capital projects haven't lacked expertise; they've lacked alignment on shared success outcomes. Owners assemble exceptional teams, but accountability is often dispersed across the delivery ecosystem," said Shaw.

"Accenture Construct brings those capabilities together under one accountable partner, combining deep delivery expertise with AI and data to help owners make better decisions, reduce uncertainty and deliver better outcomes," he said.

Existing work

Accenture pointed to several existing engagements that illustrate the type of work it wants the new business to expand. These include support for Vale on an industrial capital portfolio, a long-term role with the Florida Governmental Utility Authority on governance, capital delivery and operations, and work on the Metrolinx GO Expansion programme in North America through a programme delivery consortium.

Accenture Construct will also work alongside DLB Associates, Accenture's majority-owned joint venture. DLB will continue to provide data centre lifecycle services for US clients, covering planning, feasibility, commissioning and operational readiness.

The launch extends Accenture's push into industry-specific services as global consulting groups seek larger roles in physical infrastructure programmes, with digital systems, construction planning and asset operations becoming more closely linked. In Australia, that shift is likely to sharpen competition for advisory and delivery mandates tied to the country's infrastructure pipeline.

Accenture said its capital projects business has grown fourfold over the past three years across advisory, engineering, project delivery and technology services.