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UK consulting sector surges ahead with 15% year-on-year growth
 
 The UK consulting sector
is booming again, with
official figures this
week showing firms
achieved year-on-year
revenue growth of 15% in
the 12 month period to
end 2004. The figures,
released today by the
Management Consultancies
Association, show that
pure management
consultancy has also
rebounded with annual
growth hitting 8.6% after
a period of stagnation.
   IT Consulting was up
17.1% year-on-year, while		 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 revenues which decimated
consultants' aspirations
of quickly rising through
the ranks. Renewed growth
across all sectors of the
consulting profession
signals an end to this
period of subdued career
progression prospects.
   Commenting on future
growth areas, Lynton
Barker (MCA President
2004/5 and Chairman of
Hedra) stated:
   "MCA members expect to
be involved in other
transport and
infrastructure projects		 
 in the coming months
particularly if London is
successful in its bid to
host the next Olympics.
Our members are also
predicting further work
with the financial
services, construction
and property, overseas
sector and the public
sector."
   Accenture, BT,
Capgemini, Deloitte, IBM
Business Consulting, PA
Consulting and
PricewaterhouseCoopers
are just some of the
major brand firms that		 
 are members of the MCA
and whose data provide
these revenue trend
guidelines for the UK
consulting sector.
Full-year revenues for
2004 are estimated at
£10bn and the management
consultancy industry is
expected to contribute
more than £1bn to the
balance of payments,
making it an increasingly
important contributor to
the UK economy.
   		 
 Outsourcing grew 23.3%,
but it is the renewed
demand for strategy and
business consulting
assignments that has
really got the industry
excited. These business
lines - and most
noticeably strategy
consulting - have endured
a period of subdued		 
 
Atos Origin returns to profit; signs its biggest UK deal
 
 Atos Origin returned to
profit in 2004, helped by
an increase in IT
spending and the
successful management of
its Sema acquisition.
   Atos Origin reported a
net profit of 11 million
euros ($14.7m) for the
year ending December
2004, compared to a net
loss of 169 million euros		 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 results were helped by
the Sema acquisition that
was completed at the
beginning of 2004 and the
upturn in the market.
   Atos is predicting
that it will achieve
underlying revenue growth
of at least 5 percent and
an operating margin of
7.5 percent to 8.0
percent in 2005, basing		 
 its forecast on a "clear
recovery in the market,
on the steady flow of new
orders announced since
the beginning of the
second half of 2004, and
an increase in [their]
pipeline of order
opportunities."
   In other news, Atos
announced it has won a
7-year UK government		 
 contract worth 750
million euros ($960m).
   The deal, which is
Atos Origin's largest
ever UK contract win, is
a business process
outsourcing (BPO)
contract to run medical
assessment services for
benefits claims to the
Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP). 		 
 ($227m) in 2003.
   Sales increased 75
percent from 3.03bn euros
($4.07bn) in 2003, to
5.30bn euros ($7.11bn) in
2004.
   The company said its		 
 
MCG returns to profit
 
 Management Consulting
Group PLC (MCG) returned
to profit in 2004 thanks
in part to a "significant
improvement" in the
performance of its Parson
Consulting business -
stimulated by an increase
in Sarbanes-Oxley related
work.
   For the year ended 31
December 2004, MCG
reported turnover of		 
  
   
 
 
 
 2003. The group said
exchange rate movements
had only a small impact
on their operating profit
because they largely
matched the currency of
their costs with the
currency of their sales.
   "During 2004 our
trading improved
significantly, with
Parson Consulting
doubling in size and		 
 Proudfoot Consulting
performing strongly,"
said Chief Executive
Kevin Parry.
   Group revenue in the
first two months of 2005
has matched the level of
the first two months of
last year, while the
cumulative order book of
both Proudfoot Consulting
and Parson Consulting is
some 10 percent up since		 
 the beginning of the
year.
   "In 2005, our existing
orders and prospects,
together with the
expanded service
offering, will position
us well to deliver
further growth." said
Parry.
   		 
 £119.2 million, up 35
percent from £88.6
million in 2003. At
constant exchange rates
turnover growth was 44
percent.
   Profit was £8.5
million, compared to a
loss of £3.8 million in		 
 
Wipro opens new office in Germany
 
 Wipro Technologies has
opened a new office in
Munich, its third centre
in Germany. It will be
staffed by local language
consultants and driven by
the developing business		 
  
   
 
 
 next phase of the
company's plans for
investment in expanding
its German
infrastructure.
   As demand grows for
nearshore facilities, the		 
 office will expand as a
development centre to
provide comprehensive IT
services and local
language delivery.
   Europe represents 30
percent of Wipro's IT		 
 services global revenues
and is growing more than
50 percent year-on-year,
with Germany being one of
the top growth markets.
   		 
 needs of German
companies. The third
office, after Kiel and
Duesseldorf, marks the