Written by AEC Next News on November 8, 2018
INSIGHT AROUND DODGE DATA & ANALYTICS ACQUISITION OF INTEGRATED MARKETING SYSTEMS (IMS)
The early industrialists created empires through vertical integration of the manufacturing process, turning raw material into a product and then bringing it to market, in one long chain. In a similar fashion, Dodge Data & Analytics’ recent acquisition of San Diego-based Integrated Marketing Systems (IMS) signals the addition of yet another link in a chain of construction information that consumers have long relied upon.
Dodge has a storied history in AEC going back to their relationship with Engineering News-Record Magazine (ENR), but that’s just one of the reasons that the Dodge name is trusted in the AEC world. Architects, engineers and construction professionals have come to trust IMS in a similar fashion. Founded in 1991, IMS (Integrated Marketing Systems) provides public project information to architects and engineers searching for very early stage project notification and intelligence. IMS provides info for the AEC sector that is based on detailed and timely research.
Knowing when to bid and on what, being prepared for the bid and having the tech tools to carry the added load of work from bid through handoff, all are covered by Dodge. Between insights, advance notice of projects, market analysis and system integration offerings, the needs and interests of Dodge consumers are now even better covered.
“The combined insights from both the Dodge and the IMS datasets will benefit their collective customer base by providing deeper intelligence and improved timeliness and relevance,” says Dodge Chief Executive Officer Mike Petrullo. “Together, Dodge and IMS will continue to deliver on their commitment to meet clients’ needs with a high-quality offering and superior customer service.”
Integrated Marketing Systems and Dodge consumers now will have access to early-stage professional service projects in addition to Dodge’s Sweets, an online building product database with more than 100,000 product listings. The combination of companies enables users to add product details directly to the projects they are working on.
Dodge’s acquisition of IMS comes after its recent unveiling at AIA of Dodge Construction Central (DCC), a unified market intelligence and collaborative platform. With its range of high-profile clients, IMS complements Dodge’s plan to lead the construction market with DCC.
In addition to providing construction listings such as RFPs, Dodge Data & Analytics also has diversified over the years to provide tech-based analytics and software as a service.
“The acquisition augments Dodge’s current product offering, as IMS targets professional services relating to the projects that Dodge already captures in its database,” Petrullo told AEC Next News. “It also broadens and expands Dodge’s service into the AEC community by delivering earlier stage project notification and intelligence, thus providing a continuum that is of great value to the construction community. IMS’s focus on architects and engineers aligns well with Dodge’s core customer base served by Sweets.”
The acquisition is expected to benefit not only consumers but also both of the companies, by enhancing their offerings and their share of the AEC market. Dodge Data & Analytics’ acquisition of IMS provides a growth opportunity for both businesses, through better solutions offering for their clients, says Nick Benore, General Manager for IMS.
“The alliance with Dodge will be instrumental in enhancing the business intelligence and insights that Integrated Marketing Systems delivers to its customers and in achieving our next phase of growth,” Benore said. “We look forward to our close association with both the strong legacy and forward-thinking focus of the Dodge brand.
Dodge Data & Analytics is located in San Diego, CA; New York, NY; and has offices in Hamilton, NJ; Bedford, MA; Arlington, TX; Cincinnati, OH; El Monte, CA; and Vancouver, BC.