Consultants move to dispel their gravy train reputation

The consulting industry has begun talks with government to try and counter its gravy train image.

Lib Dem shadow chancellor Vince Cable last week renewed a familiar attack on the industry, that it is paid huge amounts of taxpayers’ money despite a string of failures.

The new head of the Management Consultancies Association Alan Leaman said there was ‘a heck of a lot of good work going on’.

‘We’ve opened discussion with the Office of Government Commerce and others, partly about the industry making sure it communicates it’s adding value,’ said Leaman.

The OGC is responsible for ensuring the public sector gets best value from consultants.

Leaman said that the meetings were the start of the association’s strategy of convincing government, business and the public that consultants’ services adds value.

The MCA’s task has not been helped by PA Consulting’s sacking from its Home Office contract after losing a data stick containing details of tens of thousands of prisoners, and recent comments from Lib Dem shadow chancellor Vince Cable saying that the ‘gravy train’ of consultancy must end.

Dismissing Cable’s comments as ‘sloppy, shallow thinking’, Leaman admitted the public sector and consultancy must improve their relationship. ‘There are issues. I wouldn’t say the relationship is in any way ideal, and needs to be improved.’

The MCA is setting up a group of members tasked with feeding back to the government how it thinks the relationship can be improved.

‘We don’t want this to be a negative exercise and a list of complaints. We’ll nail the issues,’ said Leaman.

The MCA is also set to contribute to the consultation opened by the Treasury’s new professional services global competitiveness group, headed by economic secretary to the Treasury Kitty Ussher and Kingston Smith senior partner Sir Michael Snyder. The group is looking at medium and longer-term issues affecting professional services.