The Big News: The Trump administration is reviewing billions in federal contracts with top consulting firms as part of its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. The General Services Administration (GSA) has ordered agencies to justify mission-critical contracts with firms like Booz Allen, Accenture, and Deloitte. The review could significantly impact consulting firms reliant on government work. However, concerns arise over potential service disruptions and whether the cancellations will yield real savings.

On the Move: BRG has strengthened its Antitrust and Competition group with the addition of Dr. Ai Deng as Managing Director in Washington, D.C. A renowned economist with 20 years of experience, Deng has advised on major cartel, market manipulation, and monopolization cases. His expertise spans high tech, finance, energy, and digital platforms, enhancing BRG’s capabilities in complex regulatory matters.

The Buzz: KPMG is consolidating its global structure, reducing 120+ country units to 30-40 with completion expected in 2026. The move aims to enhance efficiency, retain talent, and improve audit quality by integrating smaller firms into larger regional clusters. Smaller units stand to gain by combining resources with larger clusters, enhancing investments in technology, products, and services across auditing, tax, and consulting.

On the Rise: Publicis Sapient announced a five-year global strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate enterprise IT modernization using AI and machine learning. The partnership focuses on legacy workload migration, enhanced customer experiences, and efficient software development, combining AWS cloud technology with Publicis Sapient’s Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering and Data and AI (SPEED) methodology.

What’s Next: McKinsey released the findings from their latest Global AI Survey, revealing that organizations—especially those with $500M+ in revenue—are restructuring to integrate generative AI,  such as centralizing governance, redesigning workflows, and hiring AI specialists. AI adoption is increasing, with 78% of companies using AI in at least one function,  yet tangible bottom-line impact remains limited at this stage.