Who wins public consulting in Europe — 2026
15,613 public consulting contracts were awarded in Europe in the 24 months to 30 October 2026, worth €5.38 bn where a value is given, to 9,861 firms by 6,352 public buyers. Who won them, how big they are, how many firms competed and what is open now, from TED and four national registers, every figure with its base.
By Pablo Ramos-Sánchez · data of 30 October 2026 · 24 months of awards · CC BY-NC 4.0 · CSV · Markdown
Question 1Which consultancies win the most public work in Europe?
The Big Four lead by a wide margin. In the 24 months to 30 October 2026 the most frequent winners were EY 533, Deloitte 404, PwC 396, KPMG 392 awards, each in 27 to 29 countries; BDO (140), Grant Thornton (132), Forvis Mazars (119), Ipsos (113) follow. Even so, the ten firms that win most often take only 13% of the 15,613 awards: the market is very fragmented.
Question 2How much do the large consultancies take?
About one award in ten. The large consultancies (the Big Four, Accenture, Capgemini, IBM and the strategy houses) won 10.2% of awards and 11.1% of the value; the Big Four alone 9.5% and 9.5%. Their share is highest in finance & economics (24.7% of awards, 34.2% of value) and IT advisory (15.9%), and lowest in urban & spatial planning (1.1%). A typical Big Four award is worth €195,000, 2.0 times the market median.
Question 3How big is a typical contract?
Small. Half of the 10,416 awards with a value are below €99,700, and the middle half lies between €48,100 and €260,000. A few large contracts carry the money: the 824 awards of €1 M or more are 7.9% of awards but 71% of the €5.38 bn awarded.
Question 4Can a small firm win?
Yes. Where the notice gives the winner's size (6,426 awards, mostly TED notices), an SME won 68.7%: 65.4% of awards to a single firm and 77.1% where several firms are named (consortia or lots). SMEs also send 58.7% of the bids where that is reported. Of the 9,861 firms that won, 7,207 won once, and 82.5% of awards went to firms outside the top 20.
Question 5Where is the money?
Germany has the most value, €1.51 bn from 1,917 awards (median €374,400). France has the most awards (4,884) but smaller ones (median €68,400), as does Spain (3,766, median €66,200). Part of the gap is coverage: France and Spain publish small contracts in national registers that TED does not carry, so compare countries with care.
Question 6Who buys consulting?
Central government buys the largest share of the value (28.8%) with 8% of awards; local government places the most contracts among the buyers we can type (21.1%) but only 10.1% of the value. The busiest buyers are GIZ (181), FIIAPP (136), Isdefe (131), Caisse des Dépôts (118), AFD (110); by value, Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt leads with €562.8 M from 36 awards.
Question 7How many firms bid?
Few. The median award had 3 bids, where the count is published (13,457 awards, 86%), and 22.6% had a single bid: 16% in France, 28.5% in Spain, 22.9% in Germany. Awards won by the Big Four had a single bid less often (14%).
Question 8How much goes through framework agreements?
23.9% of awards are framework agreements, and their stated ceilings add up to €20.03 bn, 3.7 times the €5.38 bn of all other awards. A ceiling is a maximum shared by the holders, not a fee, so this report keeps it out of the market size and of each firm's value. Frameworks are the norm in Sweden (86.3% of awards) and Austria (63.1%), and rare in Spain (6.2%); large consultancies hold 17.9% of them against 7.7% of other awards.
Is the market growing?
It is too early to say. Awards by half-year went from 4,771 in 2025-H1 to 3,277 in 2026-H1, and the last 12 months show 6,055 awards against 9,558 in the 12 before (-37%). Most of that gap is the reporting lag: awards reach TED and the national registers weeks or months after the decision, so the latest months are always incomplete (the last three months have 261, 334, 294 awards so far) and will be revised up at every weekly build. Read the trend with the next report, when the same months are complete.
What is open now?
On 30 October 2026, 626 consulting calls were open (France 183, Spain 104, Germany 66, Netherlands 45). 258 of them publish an estimate, €278.3 M together (median €270,000), and 331 close within two weeks; 164 are framework agreements. The radar lists them with who usually wins similar work, updated every week.
Tables
Top 20 firms in Europe
| # | Firm | Awards | Share | Value won | Share of value | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EY | 533 | 3.4% | €166.2 M | 3.5% | 29 |
| 2 | Deloitte | 404 | 2.6% | €81.4 M | 1.7% | 28 |
| 3 | PwC | 396 | 2.5% | €122.7 M | 2.6% | 28 |
| 4 | KPMG | 392 | 2.5% | €86.1 M | 1.8% | 27 |
| 5 | BDO | 140 | 0.9% | €31.2 M | 0.7% | 20 |
| 6 | Grant Thornton | 132 | 0.8% | €35.2 M | 0.7% | 13 |
| 7 | Forvis Mazars | 119 | 0.8% | €14.6 M | 0.3% | 16 |
| 8 | Ipsos | 113 | 0.7% | €30.9 M | 0.6% | 16 |
| 9 | AUREN CONSULTORES SP, S.L.P. | 73 | 0.5% | €4.2 M | 0.1% | 1 |
| 10 | ESPELIA | 73 | 0.5% | €3.8 M | 0.1% | 1 |
| 11 | BearingPoint | 67 | 0.4% | €2.1 M | 0% | 8 |
| 12 | Accenture | 66 | 0.4% | €34.0 M | 0.7% | 12 |
| 13 | URBANIS | 59 | 0.4% | €7.1 M | 0.1% | 1 |
| 14 | NTT DATA | 56 | 0.4% | €60.6 M | 1.3% | 4 |
| 15 | Ramboll | 50 | 0.3% | €9.7 M | 0.2% | 8 |
| 16 | Capgemini | 47 | 0.3% | €1.4 M | 0% | 11 |
| 17 | Egis | 45 | 0.3% | €2.3 M | 0% | 4 |
| 18 | Sweco | 44 | 0.3% | €1.7 M | 0% | 6 |
| 19 | Setec | 44 | 0.3% | €1.6 M | 0% | 1 |
| 20 | CGI | 42 | 0.3% | €1.7 M | 0% | 9 |
Top 10 firms by value won
| # | Firm | Value won | Share of value | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH | €268.5 M | 5.6% | 15 |
| 2 | EY | €166.2 M | 3.5% | 533 |
| 3 | PwC | €122.7 M | 2.6% | 396 |
| 4 | KPMG | €86.1 M | 1.8% | 392 |
| 5 | VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH | €83.0 M | 1.7% | 4 |
| 6 | Deloitte | €81.4 M | 1.7% | 404 |
| 7 | NTT DATA | €60.6 M | 1.3% | 56 |
| 8 | Consulting Insire | €59.2 M | 1.2% | 1 |
| 9 | DB ENGINEERING & CONSULTING GMBH | €50.4 M | 1.1% | 3 |
| 10 | energielenker service GmbH | €50.0 M | 1% | 1 |
Top 5 firms in the largest markets
Netherlands · 457 awards
| # | Firm | Awards | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EY | 21 | 4.6% |
| 2 | PwC | 18 | 3.9% |
| 3 | BDO | 16 | 3.5% |
| 4 | Deloitte | 14 | 3.1% |
| 5 | Flynth Audit B.V. | 13 | 2.8% |
Countries
| Country | Awards | Share | Value awarded | Median | Median bids | Single bid | Large firms | SMEs | Frameworks | National register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 4,884 | 31.3% | €522.6 M | €68,400 | 4 | 16% | 4.3% | 63% | 24% | 73% |
| Spain | 3,766 | 24.1% | €776.5 M | €66,200 | 3 | 29% | 10.3% | 59% | 6% | 75% |
| Germany | 1,917 | 12.3% | €1.51 bn | €374,400 | 3 | 23% | 8.6% | 64% | 24% | 22% |
| Ireland | 575 | 3.7% | €245.2 M | €140,000 | 3 | 22% | 11.7% | 78% | 25% | 0% |
| Netherlands | 457 | 2.9% | €272.6 M | €400,000 | 3 | 26% | 12% | 71% | 37% | 3% |
| EU institutions | 440 | 2.8% | €427.8 M | €1.0 M | 4 | 18% | 16.4% | 28% | 53% | 0% |
| Norway | 416 | 2.7% | €71.1 M | €258,000 | 4 | 14% | 23.6% | 76% | 51% | 0% |
| Sweden | 388 | 2.5% | €65.8 M | €308,000 | 4 | 16% | 16.5% | 79% | 86% | 0% |
| Poland | 363 | 2.3% | €77.5 M | €102,600 | 3 | 28% | 4.4% | 93% | 17% | 0% |
| Italy | 299 | 1.9% | €321.8 M | €434,600 | 4 | 16% | 26.4% | 83% | 28% | 0% |
| Lithuania | 208 | 1.3% | €30.0 M | €140,000 | 2 | 40% | 9.6% | 90% | 5% | 0% |
| Belgium | 191 | 1.2% | €51.0 M | €281,800 | 4 | 14% | 23% | 69% | 52% | 0% |
| Greece | 187 | 1.2% | €355.8 M | €861,900 | 1 | 61% | 16% | 81% | 11% | 0% |
| Austria | 168 | 1.1% | €49.0 M | €390,000 | 3 | 34% | 9.5% | – | 63% | 0% |
| Finland | 165 | 1.1% | €115.1 M | €232,300 | 3.5 | 16% | 19.4% | 73% | 39% | 0% |
| Czechia | 150 | 1% | €33.3 M | €191,500 | 3 | 30% | 20.7% | 80% | 29% | 0% |
| Latvia | 144 | 0.9% | €17.1 M | €97,000 | 2 | 23% | 27.1% | 92% | 11% | 0% |
| Denmark | 134 | 0.9% | €135.8 M | €656,600 | 3 | 10% | 36.6% | 40% | 41% | 0% |
| Romania | 113 | 0.7% | €29.1 M | €179,600 | 3 | 25% | 12.4% | 97% | 34% | 0% |
| Estonia | 105 | 0.7% | €15.7 M | €125,500 | 2 | 31% | 20% | 93% | 36% | 0% |
| Bulgaria | 89 | 0.6% | €50.5 M | €107,300 | 2 | 32% | 0% | 96% | 9% | 0% |
| Portugal | 69 | 0.4% | €18.3 M | €177,800 | 4 | 30% | 13% | 77% | 17% | 0% |
| Luxembourg | 69 | 0.4% | €19.0 M | €236,100 | 3 | 21% | 15.9% | 69% | 22% | 0% |
| Switzerland | 59 | 0.4% | €95.5 M | €757,600 | 5 | 4% | 16.9% | 68% | 20% | 0% |
| Hungary | 58 | 0.4% | €13.3 M | €275,800 | 2 | 39% | 15.5% | 69% | 47% | 0% |
| Slovenia | 43 | 0.3% | €13.6 M | €190,000 | 1 | 53% | 18.6% | 90% | 12% | 0% |
| Cyprus | 42 | 0.3% | €11.9 M | €196,600 | 2 | 34% | 28.6% | – | 7% | 0% |
| Malta | 38 | 0.2% | €10.4 M | €247,500 | 4 | 36% | 15.8% | – | 18% | 0% |
| Croatia | 36 | 0.2% | €5.7 M | €172,500 | 2.5 | 28% | 19.4% | 100% | 25% | 0% |
Kinds of work
| Kind of work | Awards | Value awarded | Median | Large firms (awards) | Large firms (value) | SMEs | Median bids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy & advisory | 10,171 | €2.50 bn | €90,600 | 10.7% | 13.2% | 69% | 3 |
| Research & evaluation | 4,151 | €1.13 bn | €124,500 | 4.2% | 2.6% | 74% | 3 |
| Finance & economics | 2,626 | €621.0 M | €87,200 | 24.7% | 34.2% | 56% | 3 |
| Strategy & management | 2,137 | €622.3 M | €80,000 | 10.3% | 10.8% | 71% | 4 |
| Urban & spatial planning | 720 | €60.3 M | €70,000 | 1.1% | 0.6% | 76% | 4 |
| Legal advice | 269 | €19.2 M | €51,600 | 7.4% | 11.8% | 72% | 5 |
| Transformation & change | 5,442 | €2.89 bn | €118,000 | 9.2% | 9.3% | 68% | 3 |
| PMO & project assistance | 1,718 | €521.3 M | €120,000 | 7.8% | 18.7% | 69% | 3 |
| EU funds support | 943 | €1.21 bn | €114,400 | 8.5% | 5.1% | 73% | 3 |
| Change & organisation | 930 | €336.7 M | €90,700 | 12.5% | 11% | 67% | 3 |
| Programme delivery | 877 | €443.7 M | €153,200 | 2.6% | 3.7% | 72% | 3 |
| IT advisory | 826 | €274.9 M | €116,600 | 15.9% | 21.1% | 59% | 4 |
Buyer types
| Type | Awards | Share of awards | Value awarded | Share of value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not classified | 4,905 | 31.4% | €1.42 bn | 26.4% |
| Local government | 3,297 | 21.1% | €546.3 M | 10.1% |
| Public companies | 1,798 | 11.5% | €534.4 M | 9.9% |
| Regional government | 1,617 | 10.4% | €339.9 M | 6.3% |
| Agencies & other bodies | 1,347 | 8.6% | €421.7 M | 7.8% |
| Central government | 1,249 | 8% | €1.55 bn | 28.8% |
| Education & research | 581 | 3.7% | €64.4 M | 1.2% |
| EU institutions | 440 | 2.8% | €427.8 M | 7.9% |
| Health | 379 | 2.4% | €73.1 M | 1.4% |
Top buyers by number of awards
| Buyer | Country | Awards | Value awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH | Germany | 181 | €57.6 M |
| Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIIAPP) | Spain | 136 | €13.0 M |
| Ingeniería de Sistemas para la Defensa de España S.A., S.M.E. y M.P | Spain | 131 | €29.7 M |
| CAISSE DES DEPOTS ET CONSIGNATIONS (CDC) | France | 118 | €8.5 M |
| AGENCE FRANCAISE DE DEVELOPPEMENT (AFD) | France | 110 | €11.9 M |
| Compañía Española de Financiación del Desarrollo. COFIDES S.A., S.M.E | Spain | 71 | €7.3 M |
| METROPOLE D'AIX-MARSEILLE-PROVENCE (AMP) | France | 68 | €4.7 M |
| AGENCE DE L ENVIRONNEMENT ET DE LA MAITRISE DE L ENERGIE (ADEME) | France | 63 | €5.9 M |
| European Commission, INTPA - International Partnerships | EU institutions | 57 | €209.6 M |
| Aena | Spain | 53 | €25.1 M |
Top buyers by value
| Buyer | Country | Value awarded | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt | Germany | €562.8 M | 36 |
| European Commission, INTPA - International Partnerships | EU institutions | €209.6 M | 57 |
| Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz | Germany | €180.3 M | 10 |
| Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie | Germany | €145.3 M | 21 |
| Hansel Oy | Finland | €87.1 M | 3 |
| Ministerie van Defensie | Netherlands | €68.3 M | 6 |
| Landeshauptstadt Hannover - Stadtentwässerung | Germany | €59.2 M | 1 |
| National Transport Authority | Ireland | €58.5 M | 14 |
| Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SPA | Italy | €58.5 M | 14 |
| Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH | Germany | €57.6 M | 181 |
Coverage: compare countries with care
The data come from TED, the EU's official journal of tenders (awards above the EU thresholds, and some below), and from four national registers that also publish smaller contracts: France (DECP and BOAMP), Spain (PLACSP), Germany (the federal notice service) and the Netherlands (TenderNed). Every other country is TED only. National registers give 43.7% of the awards in this report (DECP 3,226, PLACSP 2,829, DE 416, BOAMP 342, TenderNed 12; TED 8,788).
That shapes every comparison between countries: France and Spain look larger in count and smaller per contract partly because their small contracts are visible (median award €58,200 in the national registers against €272,100 in TED). The winner's size, the price weight and some bid counts come from TED eForms notices only, so those figures rest on fewer awards; each one gives its base.
What counts: awards for consulting work (strategy and advisory; transformation and change), from €15,000, in the 24 months from 2024-10-31 to 2026-10-30. Universities, research institutes and public bodies won 412 awards: they count in the market but not in the firm rankings. 1,875 awards name no winner we can rank (private persons, names a register hides, missing names). Firm names are unified across registers and countries (EY, Ernst & Young Abogados and EY Advisory are one firm), but some local spellings may remain separate.
Download the data
The figures of this report, by firm, country and kind of work (top firms only, no tender-level rows), are a free public extract under CC BY-NC 4.0: reuse them with attribution, not for commercial purposes. Commercial reuse and the full dataset are licensed on request.
Arquestra Consulting Market Radar (arquestra.dev), "Who wins public consulting in Europe — 2026", Pablo Ramos-Sánchez, data of 2026-10-30. CC BY-NC 4.0.
Agents can also read the market cards (one per country and kind of work) at /api/radar/cards.
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