Observations on the Role of Consultants in the Public Sector

Abstract

Citizens have always expressed concern with their government's methods of spending their money. The intensity of these concerns has varied cyclically in American history, and governmental structure and efficiency is once again undergoing a period of thorough examination. Given the startling increases in the federal budget from $70 billion in 1954 to one-half trillion dollars in 1978, the present reexamination seems appropriate. The major focus of the current review is upon the reorganization of federal agencies. The need for greater order, simplicity, and efficiency in government was an issue in the 1976 presidential campaign. The line agencies do not carry out the government's work alone, however, and as the other papers in this symposium have indicated, outside consultants also play a major role in the conduct of the government's business. The Office of Management and Budget has begun to study consultants as well as the agencies themselves and has requested reports on the use of consultants from nearly 200 federal agencies. Federal policymakers are interested in streamlining the functioning of both the bureaucracy and their associated consultants. These policy-makers have indicated their concerns regarding these tasks, and a Chicago Tribune article has noted that, privately, Carter advisers admit that reforming consultants may be more difficult than reorganizing the government. '