Consulting firms, a machine installed in the heart of the State – Le Monde

Shocking figures, edifying examples, harsh criticism… The Senate published an explosive report on Thursday 17 March. For four months, a commission led by rapporteur Eliane Assassi (French Communist Party) and President Arnaud Bazin (Les Républicains) investigated the massive influence of consulting firms on state affairs. An open secret for those who know the workings of the state, but a reality unknown to the general public. This commission is a response to the controversy over the role of several of these private companies in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. It demonstrates relentlessly that this is not an epiphenomenon, the result of an exceptional health crisis. The senators, this is a first, were able to measure the extent of the subject they tackled, by demanding the communication of elements hitherto kept secret: the list of contracts signed by the ministries with the consulting firms and their amounts. Verdict: the State spent more than 1 billion euros in 2021 for these missions, half in IT consulting, the other in strategy and organization. AUREL Read also Article reserved for our subscribers The consulting firm McKinsey accused of tax evasion in France This figure is only a minimum: the senators did not have access to all the services ordered by the many agencies dependent ministries. It is however much higher than that of 140 million euros per year advanced by the Minister of Transformation and the Public Service, Amélie de Montchalin, during her hearing in January. The latter also affirmed that these budgets remained stable during the five-year term. False, retort the senators, who on the contrary note an “explosion of consulting services” which spares no ministry: the envelope has doubled from 2018 to 2021, during the five-year term of Emmanuel Macron. Distribution of electoral professions of faith, management of speed cameras, coaching of senior civil servants, preparation of the reform of legal aid, assessment of overseas taxation, creation of a “smart border” with the United Kingdom after Brexit, “optimization of hospital logistics”… A veritable inventory à la Prévert, the list of 945 missions revealed by the commission of inquiry makes it possible to appreciate the variety of areas in which private firms support the administration, sometimes strategic, related to the major reforms of the five-year term, sometimes peripheral. “A sprawling phenomenon” Calling on skills that are absent internally, moving quickly, renewing points of view… so many reasons that throw the public sphere into the arms of private consultants. “To succeed in its transformation, support from a consulting firm has almost become a ‘must have'”, note the senators. “On transformation topics, there is no question: consulting firms are better all the time. It’s our job,” boasts Matthieu Courtecuisse, president of Syntec Conseil, the sector federation and who himself heads the firm Sia Partners. You have 75.42% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.