# Who wins public consulting in Europe — 2026

Arquestra Consulting Market Radar · by Pablo Ramos-Sánchez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablo-ramos-s%C3%A1nchez) · data of 30 October 2026 · licence CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Web page: https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting/report-2026 (Spanish: https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting/report-2026/es) · data: https://arquestra.dev/data/consulting-league-2026.csv

> Cite as: Arquestra Consulting Market Radar (arquestra.dev), "Who wins public consulting in Europe — 2026", data of 2026-10-30, https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting/report-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.

## Key figures

- 15,613: consulting contracts awarded in 24 months
- €5.38 bn: awarded, frameworks kept apart
- €99,700: median contract
- 68.7%: won by SMEs, where the notice says
- 3: median bids per award
- 626: calls open on 30 October 2026

## 1. Which 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.

Base: Awards won, 2024-10-31 to 2026-10-30, all 15,613 consulting awards; an award with several winners counts for each. Universities and public bodies left out of the ranking.

## 2. How 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.

Base: Kinds of work with at least 200 awards. Value: each award's value split between the firms it names, over the €4.79 bn of awards with a value and a named winner; frameworks and values of €150 M or more left out.

## 3. How 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.

Base: 10,416 awards with a value (of 15,613); 3,734 framework agreements (a ceiling, not a fee) and 1,463 awards without a value left out.

## 4. Can 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.

Base: Winner size: 6,426 awards (41% of all; 4,629 to one firm, 1,797 to several). Bids: 2,753 awards that give both counts. SME as declared in the notice.

## 5. Where 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.

Base: Value of awards with a value, frameworks and values of €150 M or more left out; the number after the value is the count of awards. EU institutions (€427.8 M) shown in the country table.

## 6. Who 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.

Base: 6,352 buyers. The type is read from the buyer's name; 31.4% of awards come from buyers whose name does not tell (shown as not classified).

## 7. How 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%).

Base: Share of the 13,457 awards that give the number of bids received.

## 8. How 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.

Base: Countries with at least 150 awards; the number after the share is the count of framework agreements. 3,346 of the 3,734 frameworks state a ceiling (median €516,000).

## 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.

| Half-year | Awards | of which TED | National registers | Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-H2 | 2108 | 1384 | 724 | yes |
| 2025-H1 | 4771 | 3056 | 1715 | no |
| 2025-H2 | 4096 | 2302 | 1794 | no |
| 2026-H1 | 3277 | 1681 | 1596 | no |
| 2026-H2 | 1361 | 365 | 996 | yes |

## 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.

Open calls in the radar: https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting?status=open&src=report-2026

## Tables

### Top 20 firms in Europe

| # | Firm | Awards | Share of awards | Value won | Share of value | Countries | Firm page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EY | 533 | 3.4% | €166.2 M | 3.5% | 29 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/ey |
| 2 | Deloitte | 404 | 2.6% | €81.4 M | 1.7% | 28 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/deloitte |
| 3 | PwC | 396 | 2.5% | €122.7 M | 2.6% | 28 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/pwc |
| 4 | KPMG | 392 | 2.5% | €86.1 M | 1.8% | 27 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/kpmg |
| 5 | BDO | 140 | 0.9% | €31.2 M | 0.7% | 20 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/bdo |
| 6 | Grant Thornton | 132 | 0.8% | €35.2 M | 0.7% | 13 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/grant-thornton |
| 7 | Forvis Mazars | 119 | 0.8% | €14.6 M | 0.3% | 16 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/forvis-mazars |
| 8 | Ipsos | 113 | 0.7% | €30.9 M | 0.6% | 16 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/ipsos |
| 9 | AUREN CONSULTORES SP, S.L.P. | 73 | 0.5% | €4.2 M | 0.1% | 1 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/auren-consultores-sp |
| 10 | ESPELIA | 73 | 0.5% | €3.8 M | 0.1% | 1 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/espelia |
| 11 | BearingPoint | 67 | 0.4% | €2.1 M | 0% | 8 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/bearingpoint |
| 12 | Accenture | 66 | 0.4% | €34.0 M | 0.7% | 12 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/accenture |
| 13 | URBANIS | 59 | 0.4% | €7.1 M | 0.1% | 1 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/urbanis |
| 14 | NTT DATA | 56 | 0.4% | €60.6 M | 1.3% | 4 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/ntt-data |
| 15 | Ramboll | 50 | 0.3% | €9.7 M | 0.2% | 8 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/ramboll |
| 16 | Capgemini | 47 | 0.3% | €1.4 M | 0% | 11 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/capgemini |
| 17 | Egis | 45 | 0.3% | €2.3 M | 0% | 4 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/egis |
| 18 | Sweco | 44 | 0.3% | €1.7 M | 0% | 6 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/sweco |
| 19 | Setec | 44 | 0.3% | €1.6 M | 0% | 1 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/setec |
| 20 | CGI | 42 | 0.3% | €1.7 M | 0% | 9 | https://arquestra.dev/firms/en/cgi |

### 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

- France (4884 awards): 1. EY 94 (1.9%); 2. ESPELIA 73 (1.5%); 3. URBANIS 59 (1.2%); 4. Deloitte 53 (1.1%); 5. Forvis Mazars 49 (1%)
- Spain (3766 awards): 1. Deloitte 103 (2.7%); 2. EY 101 (2.7%); 3. PwC 100 (2.7%); 4. KPMG 85 (2.3%); 5. AUREN CONSULTORES SP, S.L.P. 73 (1.9%)
- Germany (1917 awards): 1. PwC 56 (2.9%); 2. KPMG 46 (2.4%); 3. Deloitte 41 (2.1%); 4. EY 35 (1.8%); 5. GFA Consulting Group GmbH 29 (1.5%)
- Ireland (575 awards): 1. EY 26 (4.5%); 2. Ipsos 24 (4.2%); 3. KPMG 22 (3.8%); 4. Arup 16 (2.8%); 5. Greenville Procurement Partners Ltd 13 (2.3%)
- Netherlands (457 awards): 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 | 4884 | 31.3% | €522.6 M | €68,400 | 4 | 16% | 4.3% | 63% | 24% | 73% |
| Spain | 3766 | 24.1% | €776.5 M | €66,200 | 3 | 29% | 10.3% | 59% | 6% | 75% |
| Germany | 1917 | 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** | 10171 | €2.50 bn | €90,600 | 10.7% | 13.2% | 69% | 3 |
| **Transformation & change** | 5442 | €2.89 bn | €118,000 | 9.2% | 9.3% | 68% | 3 |
| Research & evaluation | 4151 | €1.13 bn | €124,500 | 4.2% | 2.6% | 74% | 3 |
| Finance & economics | 2626 | €621.0 M | €87,200 | 24.7% | 34.2% | 56% | 3 |
| Strategy & management | 2137 | €622.3 M | €80,000 | 10.3% | 10.8% | 71% | 4 |
| PMO & project assistance | 1718 | €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 |
| 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 |

### Buyer types

| Buyer type | Awards | Share of awards | Value awarded | Share of value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not classified | 4905 | 31.4% | €1.42 bn | 26.4% |
| Local government | 3297 | 21.1% | €546.3 M | 10.1% |
| Public companies | 1798 | 11.5% | €534.4 M | 9.9% |
| Regional government | 1617 | 10.4% | €339.9 M | 6.3% |
| Agencies & other bodies | 1347 | 8.6% | €421.7 M | 7.8% |
| Central government | 1249 | 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.

## Definitions

- Award: a contract or framework agreement awarded to one or more firms (an award with several winners counts once in market totals, once for each winner in firm counts).
- Value awarded: the award's value where given; framework agreements (their value is a ceiling shared by the holders) and values of EUR 150 M or more are left out and reported apart.
- Value won: an award's value split equally between the firms it names.
- Large consultancies: EY, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, Accenture, Capgemini, McKinsey, BCG, Bain, IBM, Roland Berger (the radar's list; Oliver Wyman and Kearney when they win).
- SME: as declared in the TED eForms notice.

## Data and licence

Public extract (firm x country x kind of work, top firms only): https://arquestra.dev/data/consulting-league-2026.csv. Licence CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/); commercial reuse by licence (https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting/licence). Method: https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting/method. Market cards for agents: https://arquestra.dev/api/radar/cards/index.md. Firm pages: https://arquestra.dev/firms/en. Custom report for a sector or country: https://arquestra.dev/assets/consulting/report-2026#order