Global professional services firm Accenture announced today an agreement to acquire Italian engineering services provider IQT Group, in a move aimed at strengthening Accenture’s capabilities for net zero infrastructure projects.

IQT Group, based in Rovigo, Italy, focuses on designing and supervising net-zero infrastructure projects for electricity generation and transmission. The company works closely with utility providers, helping both private and public organizations build and modernize integrated electricity and water networks, and seeks to enhance energy efficiency of industrial and commercial sites, as well as designing and managing networks for telecom operators.

The acquisition will combine Accenture’s generative AI and digital capabilities with IQT Group’s infrastructure projects expertise to help clients plan, execute and manage net-zero infrastructure projects more efficiently, Accenture said. IQT’s more than 450 consultants and engineers will join Accenture’s growing infrastructure and capital projects practice in Italy, assisting Accenture in providing strategy, consultancy, and technology services for clients.

IQT Group’s recent projects have supported Italy’s clean energy transition under the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which aims to modernize infrastructure and enhance energy efficiency for a net-zero future. Among the goals for Italy’s PNRR are greater energy efficiency in residential and public buildings, increased sustainable mobility, development of renewable energies, and improvement in waste and water management. IQT’s services cover planning and execution of infrastructure projects, from conducting feasibility studies, handling environmental planning and permits, and setting technical specs, to ensuring efficiency, safety and sustainability throughout the project.

Andrea Cavecchia, CEO of IQT Group, said:

“Our expertise in engineering services for electricity, water and telecommunications infrastructure and industrial and commercial sites combined with Accenture’s global reach and digital capabilities, will allow us to expand our services and offer even greater value to our clients. Together we will pursue a sustainable future, built on smart strategic infrastructure to enhance the quality and safety of people’s lives.”

The announcement is the latest in a series of net zero-focused transactions for Accenture, including the firm’s recent acquisition of energy transition-focused Spanish engineering and consulting firm Boslan, with the firm citing opportunities to support clients to optimize investments in net-zero infrastructure.

Teodoro Lio, CEO of Accenture Italy and Market Unit Lead of Italy, Central Europe and Greece, said:

“The proposed acquisition of IQT Group confirms our intention to further strengthen our position in Italy by enhancing our engineering expertise and the services related to the implementation of strategic net-zero infrastructure projects. Our teams aim to support public and private companies in the utilities, energy and telecommunications sectors with digital tools to make their projects more efficient and productive. Ultimately, we will help them build a lower-carbon energy system, which will not only reduce the carbon footprint of utilities but also of the industrial value chain it powers.”