TO COUNTER allegations that management consultants in the public sector do little except spend taxpayers’ money constructing PowerPoint presentations, there has been a move towards public sector organisations wanting – and consultants providing – more specialist tailored services.

Philip Geiger, the chairman of Xayce, says: “The private sector demands specialist skills from its providers and most consultancy services are structured by industry. The public sector should demand the same but we have to realise that the public sector is not just one industry but many; local government, for instance, is very different from health.”

But being too specialised can backfire for both consultant and client, with “most problems being multi-headed beasts with an effective solution requiring a selection of areas of expertise in function and sector”. So specialise, but don’t become niche.

Geiger also suggests that small, specialist consultancies can offer more flexibility and lower costs than the larger, bigger-name ones. But specialist doesn’t necessarily mean small, says Joe Stringer, a partner in consulting at Tribal. “It is easy to misinterpret specialist as small. We have 2,500 people, compared to some of the major brand consultancies that have only about 200 people based in the UK. There is a myth around the big brand logos which is frustrating.”

One of the key advantages of the specialist firm, Stringer says, is independence. “For some of the more generalist firms consultancy is the thin end of a wedge and they’ll aim to sell outsourcing and other services down the line.”

Jeremy Oates, the managing director of Accenture UK’s government practice, says: “Within the public sector there has been an issue in the past where consultants come in to do certain jobs and stay for years, which is inappropriate. We always focus on delivering particular outcomes. The value of consultancy is about making sure you’re getting a team that is committed and focused on delivering rather than putting together slides and giving advice. The need to demonstrate that you have deep skills has increased because people are becoming better at using consultants.

“It’s not so much about the size of the consultancies, but the skills and capabilities that they can bring to the party.”

As Geiger says: “One size or type doesn’t fit all and there is a trend towards a mixed economy where generalists and specialists coexist and each plays to their strengths.”

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