Accenture has acquired Houston-based Structure to expand its smart grid offering. Structure provides consulting, system integration and customized solutions and services to energy and utilities clients.
Accenture already provides a slate of smart grid consulting and solutions services including smart/advanced metering, grid operations, transmission and distribution asset management, and resource management. The Structure acquisition will expand the offering in these areas, and Accenture will absorb all of Structure’s 190 employees.
The deal is the latest in a handful of acquisitions from Big IT, as firms line up behind key opportunities like public safety, smart cities, and the Internet of Things. The new opportunity set requires a slightly different take on procurement, often relying more heavily on platforms and vendor agnostic solution over the customized and vendor locked-in solutions of years past.
“Structure’s capabilities in grid operations and power systems engineering, combined with Accenture’s global strengths in information technology (IT), will provide our clients with comprehensive end-to-end solutions and services to support the integration of operational technologies with IT systems, forging a path toward a smarter, more digital grid,” said Omar Abbosh, senior managing director, Accenture Resources operating group.
“This includes the deployment of advanced distribution management systems and automation solutions, as well as improved outage management and grid analytics. We also plan to combine Structure’s market operations and commodities trading services with Accenture’s capabilities in digital asset management to help our clients optimize their commercial positions.”
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
