From April 2017 to June 2022, as per Right To Information (RTI) Act disclosures, sixteen Union government ministries collectively allocated Rs 500 crore to five major consultancy firms. The ‘Big Five’—PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, Ernst & Young Global Limited, KPMG International Limited, and McKinsey & Company—secured around 308 consultancy projects from diverse government entities.
These projects spanned a spectrum of activities, including “financial due diligence,” “retainer for advisory service,” “hiring technical consultants,” and even “evaluation of nominations of e-governance awards.” The ministries involved in this allocation encompass Rural Development, Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Coal, Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Electronics and Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Defence, Civil Aviation, Public Enterprises, Non-conventional Energy Resources, Power, Road Transport and Highways, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Tourism.
Notably, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, along with its Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), outsourced contracts exceeding Rs 170 crore. The power sector ranked second, with nine organizations under the power ministry awarding contracts worth Rs 166.41 crore to the ‘Big Five’ consultancies.
While the Indian Oil Corporation withheld contract data citing the “trade secrets” clause of the RTI Act, among the ‘Big Five’ firms, PwC secured the highest number of contracts (92) amounting to over Rs 156 crore. Deloitte received 59 assignments worth over Rs 130.13 crore, E&Y obtained 87 contracts totaling Rs 88.05 crore, KPMG secured 66 contracts worth Rs 68.46 crore, and McKinsey received three contracts totaling Rs 50.09 crore.
Post Your Comments