Alongside the RGPP other audits are ongoing

Ludovic de Lamazière, Capgemini, an Associate Director was surprised even its few months of mission passed to the Ministry of finance, 2006: "even five years ago, no one could imagine that we would find in the Office of the Director of the Budget to help him, with his teams, to reposition its business and to reorganize its branch, one of the most powerful of Bercy!" When the administration do was appeal consultants for menial tasks or to care for the implementation of information systems is well and truly over. With the acceleration of the reform of the State and the needs of productivity gains fast to reduce the debt, the French market for the Council to the public sector has recovered part of the delay to the other European markets.

Symbol of this new role acquired by the consultants with the public authorities: the now famous "rgpp" or general review of public policy, launched in July 2007 by Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon. For almost a year, 22 mixed teams, consultants and senior officials, have passed through all public policies to make them more effective, under the leadership of the branch of the modernization of the State (DGMC), located at Bercy. Even if the budget is, on paper, rather modest RGPP (EUR 13 million in 2008), these audits are only the most visible part of a market for the Council to the public sector, estimated at between 300 and 450 million euros per year. Alongside the RGPP other audits are ongoing. Thus, "in the context of reorganization of the State purchases, a small revolution pass completely unnoticed, explains Philippe Caille, associate of Ineum Consulting." "Professionalizing purchases, now entrusted to a government agency, we hope make nearly 1 billion savings per year in three years".

Difficult beginnings

This intrusion of the consultants in the field of strategic audits of the State but was not itself. Of course, explains Bertrand Baret, senior partner at Roland Berger, consultants and senior officials know that "there is no reason to have methods that enabled the private sector to gain efficiency do not work for this service provider that is the State a little particular" long. But he had to convince policy makers that the use of consultants, charged between 1,500 and 3,000 euros the day, bringing real added value to General inspections, "private sector as in the public, work with audit or verification logic and not Council, which does not facilitate the appropriation of the recommendations."explains Gilles Bonnenfant, partner in Eurogroup.

For their part, firms have been forced to review their way of working to meet this difficult deemed client commands. Starting with their methodologies that they had to adapt, because the State refused to see plated such what on its complex organization. At Bercy, it admits that, at the beginning of the RGPP, it took invite some consultants to demonstrate, very quickly, for more originality... Another feature, and not least: audits are always led by several senior government officials, from the DGMC or inspection unit. No question, indeed, says Sébastien Proto, Director of cabinet of Eric Woerth, Minister of the Budget, let the consultants work alone, without the administration cockpit. Similarly, the State asked firms to join together as a consortium. Heterodox in the private sector, this configuration, which usually combines a firm strategy to a management consultancy firm, allows Bercy around procurement Code much too rigid: if it appears, in mission, that the original between reflection and implementation mix is not correct, the existence of the consortium to avoid passing a new tender.

"Of the work for ten years."

Even if the first audits policy, launched in 2005 by Jean-François Copé, then Minister of the Budget, have not always led to the expected results, the administration itself, until now, satisfied with the work carried out by private consultants. For François - Daniel Migeon, Director of the DGMC, they "have played a fundamental role in the conducted audit phase initially RGPP." "With the inspection teams, they shot a lot of work, which allowed us to very quickly make decisions". Same inspection body starting with the prestigious finance Inspection, eventually get accustomed to their intervention. "With the General inspections, relations are best that people realize, says indeed Cyril Garcia, partner with Capgemini.". We share the same management culture, have attended the same schools and are pursuing the same objective, that of a more efficient State. This cultural proximity facilitates work.

In these circumstances, the next few years to announce promising for consultants, with the implementation of mergers between administrative structures such as the ANPE and Unedic, or the multiplication of the missions of evaluation of public policies. The profession also anticipates the launch of new sites, in line with the white paper of defence or the Larcher report on hospital card. Philippe Caille considers that "in some sectors such as defence or the hospital world, the consultants have work for ten years." In private However, some of them worry about the rigidity of the management of human resources of the administration: "with such inertia, regrets a professional, we are often led to little spectacular solutions, which may lead the State to ask why pay us also expensive.

To a growing interpenetration

These strong constraints did not begin enthusiasm of Agnès Audier, partner at the Boston Consulting Group, convinced that "contrary to a widespread, idea regulatory framework current, even if it is binding, is to adopt significant transformations, including human resources". Elsewhere, at Bercy, it is estimated that the consultants have beautiful days before them, with the launch of 15 major projects per year.

Therefore, rather than a dramatic increase in the market, especially to expect a greater interpenetration between the State and its major providers. Because the French administration did not intend to remain dependent on their tools and know-how. Sébastien Proto confirms that "The State has the intention to internalize the expertise of consultants". Which in fact began last November, with the spectacular appointment, at the head of DGMC, François - Daniel Migeon, former partner of McKinsey. More surprising still, this movement goes in both directions. Thus, Association of former students of the ENA decided to launch in September 2008, a partnership with cabinet Eurogroup, to encourage young enarques to perform their "statutory mobility", i.e. the period of two years that they pass, early career, outside the administration of origin. According to Marc Deby, in charge of the ENA alumni association careers, this partnership is positive, because it introduced "a breath between the public and the private sector." "The challenge for the administration will be to return to it, at the end of their mobility, these officials, by offering them jobs building new skills".

Consultants who work for the State and civil servants who work for consultants... After having long been trolling a European phenomenon, the French State seems determined to catch her.