Dive Brief:

• The partnership creates a cloud-based hub combining Dodge Data and Analytics’ construction data and business intelligence with Stack’s takeoff and estimating tools.

• Integration of Dodge data into STACK software is expected to improve project plan, bid and execution metrics.

• Platform data will also be used to provide building product manufacturers with insight into how products are being specified and used in the field.

Dive Insight:

Even as construction startups continue to garner significant investor and acquisition interest, consolidation through mergers at the top-end of the AEC tech sector are offering integration of disparate systems to deliver deeper platform as a service offerings, particularly by global and multinational software giants. In April, Oracle acquired Textura for a cool $663 million in cash, followed by the purchase earlier this month of Cincinnati-based ConstructConnect by software conglomerate Roper Technologies for $632 million.

For now, Dodge and Stack are taking the strategic partnership route, opening platforms and APIs to each other in a combined effort to provide more solutions, tools and deeper data sets to contractors during the project planning and bidding phase.

On-the-jobsite results will likely prove out one consolidation model over another, but convergence of construction technologies onto larger, enterprise platforms is in the offing either way. In an announcement of the partnership, Dodge CEO Mike Petrullo pointed to the deal as a huge step toward the vision of integrated, cloud-based platforms for AEC professionals at every stage of construction.