Consultancies and systems integrators have been both criticised and critical over the past few months but what does a post-pandemic future look like?

Last year we predicted some big changes for the SIs in terms of their delivery methods and in the pricing of deals. As COVID-19 has accelerated the wider business community’s need for digital services, so too has it forced big consultancies to rethink how they operate.

When the country went into a COVID-19 lockdown back in March, it set in motion a series of events that both upended and unnerved most industries. For consultancies and systems integrators however, this has been a time of mixed fortunes. On the one hand they have had their work cut out in helping clients overcome the rapid shift to remote working, while coping with their own internal pressures to shift to virtual working. And yet, on the other hand, consultancies have actually done quite well out of it.

While government contracts awarded to consultancies to manage track and trace systems and PPE purchasing – controversially totalling over £56m in just a few weeks, according to openDemocracy – have somewhat clouded the public image, perhaps consultancies should be better judged on their reaction to the crisis, their on-going support of customers and their future relevance. For the most part, consultancies reacted quickly to the pandemic but now, learning to live with the virus, workplaces and working patterns are under increased scrutiny.