A different kind of deal
An emerging trend signals a significant shift in the consulting industry landscape: major consulting and engineering firms are now acquiring technology companies outright as a strategic moat, rather than simply partnering with or licensing from them.
The AECOM–Consigli deal
AECOM's recent acquisition of Norwegian AI startup Consigli, reported at roughly $390 million, exemplifies this trend perfectly. Consigli, which markets itself as "the autonomous engineer," builds AI tools that automate tasks like space optimization, MEP load calculations, clash-free BIM modeling, and tender document preparation — work that has traditionally sat squarely inside the billable hours of engineering firms.
Why buy instead of license?
What makes this particularly noteworthy is that it represents a departure from the traditional model, where engineering and consulting firms buy software from established vendors. By owning the technology outright, firms like AECOM can differentiate their services, protect their methodologies, and create barriers to entry that competitors will find difficult to replicate.
What this means for the industry
Firms that own their technology stack can offer integrated solutions that pure-play consultants cannot match, while also protecting themselves from commoditization. This acquisition pattern suggests the boundary between "consulting firm" and "software company" is starting to dissolve.
It's the same logic behind why we built Celeste IQ as a platform rather than a bundle of point solutions: for data governance to actually hold up under AI workloads, it has to be owned end-to-end, not stitched together from whatever vendors happen to be in the stack.
Own your data infrastructure.
See how Celeste IQ gives utilities the same kind of end-to-end ownership over data governance that firms like AECOM are now paying hundreds of millions for.