It would seem from your recent coverage that every penny’s worth of taxpayers’ cash spent on management consultancy is a complete waste of money (The Big Con by Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington review – how consultancy firms cash in, 16 February; Bad managers on brilliant pay: that’s why the UK’s not working, 25 February; UK ministers promised to kick the consultant habit but they can’t: they’re addicted – and we pay the price, 28 February). Actually, the opposite is true.
Public sector clients turn to consultants to deliver improvements in frontline services for the British public – from reducing waiting lists for breast cancer screening to helping councils cut the number of homeless people on the streets and rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine. The dedicated professionals in our industry go above and beyond to deliver the results their clients need. We need to urgently bust some myths about what consultants do and how we do it.
The UK civil service is one of the best in the world, employing highly talented, motivated and dedicated people. Far from being infantilised, as the authors allege, our sector works in partnership with the government to deliver some of the most urgent and complex transformation projects this nation faces.
Tens of thousands of clients demand our services as they offer access to specialist skills and capabilities not offered inhouse and we transfer knowledge to clients, leaving them better equipped to respond to future challenges on their own.
Members of the Management Consultancies Association are committed to upholding high standards of ethics, and they have strict internal governance procedures to ensure the public interest is being served. Old-fashioned caricatures of consultants permeate the media. Today’s generation of consultants are motivated by the purpose of the work they deliver. This country should be proud to have a consultancy industry of such talent, dedication and integrity.
Tamzen Isacsson
Chief executive, Management Consultancies Association
