Bechtel, one of the world’s largest engineering, project management and construction (EPC) firms, is moving to replace its internal document and record management systems to instead collaborate via the Aconex cloud.

Aconex Limited, a listed public Australian company, provides a cloud collaboration platform for the global construction industry. Its three-year agreement with Bechtel will standardise the use of Aconex across all business units globally in a phased implementation.

All new projects will be implemented on the Aconex platform. The terms of the agreement are user-based, providing flexibility for Bechtel to add an unlimited number of platform users to its projects over time.

Bechtel has some 40 offices and 58,000 employees in 40 countries.

Aconex plans to invest in the Bechtel corporate relationship with the addition of product functionality that it believes will benefit all Aconex customers and users worldwide. This investment is expected to moderately increase Aconex operating costs for research and development in the next 12 months.

Over the medium term of 1-3 years, Aconex will also invest in sales and marketing with the addition of account resources in its international regions to drive long-term growth within and beyond the Bechtel project network.

“This enterprise agreement reflects our growing relationship with Bechtel across a range of global projects,” said Aconex CEO Leigh Jasper.

“The world’s leading EPCs and contractors are increasingly trusting the Aconex platform to manage their largest and most complex developments. The network effects of Bechtel’s project partnerships and industry influence are helping us drive new business in multiple regions. The conversion of individual project engagements to enterprise agreements with Bechtel and other EPCs solidifies our relationships while expanding our market penetration and global user network. We look forward to serving increasing numbers of Bechtel projects worldwide under the new agreement.”

Bechtel projects managed on the Aconex platform include:

Riyadh Metro, a rapid transit system in Saudi Arabia with a total project value of approximately US$23 billion.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Berryessa Phase I and II, a US$7-billion extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system to the San Jose metropolitan area.

Antapaccay Copper Mine in southern Peru, a US$1.5-billion expansion of a brownfield copper mine owned and operated by Glencore (formerly Xstrata).

Muscat International Airport, a US$1.1-billion air transportation infrastructure project in Oman.

Under the enterprise agreement, Bechtel will use Aconex to automate key work processes; content, document and record management; and overall information management across its project teams. Aconex supports the entire project lifecycle, from feasibility and design through construction, inspections, handover, and asset operation. For building information modeling (BIM) projects, Aconex enables full collaboration between design and construction teams.