BenchBee warns UK IT consultancies waste GBP £3.06bn
The founder of consultancy talent-sharing platform BenchBee has said UK IT consultancies waste billions of pounds each year on unassigned staff time, as government moves towards shared systems across departments and public bodies.
Hassen Hattab, Founder & CEO of BenchBee, compared the consulting sector's use of "bench" time with the UK government's Shared Services Reform, which he said has projected benefits of £1.8bn over 15 years through shared HR and finance systems.
Shared Services
The government's Shared Services Strategy has expanded shared HR and finance platforms across 18 departments and more than 100 arms-length bodies, according to figures cited by Hattab. He said this approach replaced multiple separate systems and reduced duplication.
Hattab said the projected £1.8bn includes £500m in direct financial savings and £1.3bn in operational efficiencies. He put the investment at around £900m. He said an alternative approach would have cost £1.7bn if departments replaced systems separately.
He framed the reform as an example of organisations pooling capacity and improving visibility of resources rather than running duplicate services in parallel.
Bench Costs
Hattab said IT consultancies face an opposing pattern. He said many firms report shortages in areas such as AI, cyber security, data, cloud and software engineering. He also said firms carry unassigned consultants between projects.
"In the UK alone, bench time is estimated to cost IT consultancies around £3.06bn each year in non-billable hours," said Hassen Hattab, Founder & CEO, BenchBee.
He said consultants spend an average of 15% to 20% of their time unassigned. He also cited research that he said shows 81% of UK businesses report negative impacts from IT and tech skills shortages.
Recruitment Cycle
Hattab argued that conventional hiring methods do not match fluctuating demand for specialist skills. He cited placement fees of 15% to 25%, long hiring timelines and permanent headcount increases. He said these pressures contribute to what he called a "hire-or-fire cycle".
He said this cycle raises costs when demand drops and increases urgency when demand rises again. He said it also creates instability for consulting businesses managing delivery pipelines and utilisation.
Talent Sharing
Hattab presented talent-sharing as an alternative model. He said consultancies could share under-used staff between organisations rather than addressing demand changes in isolation.
He positioned this approach as comparable to shared services in government, with staff capacity replacing shared back-office systems as the unit of pooling. He said it increases the visibility of available skills and shortens the time to staff work.
"This is not a talent problem. It's a utilisation problem. The talent exists. The demand exists. The connection doesn't," said Hattab.
BenchBee operates a platform that matches what it describes as "vetted bench consultants" with other consultancies that have short-term project needs. The company describes the platform as operating on flat-fee pricing and a continuously updated pool of skills.
Hattab said consultancies use talent-sharing for workforce planning as well as for filling short gaps between assignments. He said firms use it during quieter periods and to respond to client demand without committing to permanent hiring.
Market Conditions
Hattab said consulting firms face shifting demand patterns. He pointed to AI adoption, digital transformation programmes and geopolitical shifts as factors changing clients' priorities and timelines. He also said clients face pressure to deliver more with fewer resources.
He argued this environment puts operational efficiency closer to the top of executive agendas. He said firms should review how they manage utilisation before increasing recruitment spend or expanding headcount.
"The question isn't whether shared models work, we have clear evidence that they do. The question is whether the private sector is willing to apply the lesson," said Hattab.