Time.news – Given the very tight deadlines for the launch of the Recovery, the government has enlisted the global consulting giant McKinsey which will thus have a supporting role in the choices made to restart the economy
According to what some media outlets reveal today, the company will provide analysis of data and the impact of individual projects selected by the Treasury. In exchange, the company will have a “reimbursement of expenses” but the impact in terms of image will certainly be greater since after this assignment it will certainly have a higher positioning on the market.
Although McKinsey is still famous: the strategic consulting multinational is based in Chicago, was founded nearly a hundred years ago, and now has more than 9,000 consultants spread over 98 offices in 57 countries.
Moreover, she would not be new to positions of this kind: even the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair he used McKinsey’s assessments for the restructuring of the Cabinet Office, becoming the subject of much criticism, primarily by the Financial Times.
And even in Italy, the news that the Draghi government will avail itself of its support has not gone down. To the point that the treasure who in a note clarified the reasons behind the decision to seek advice from McKinsey.
First, let the Ministry headed by Daniele Franco, the society “it is not involved in the definition of PNRR projects“. Not only that, but” the decision-making, evaluation and definition aspects of the various investment and reform projects included in the Italian Recovery Plan remain solely in the hands of the public administrations involved and competent for the matter “.
The contract with the company also has a value of 25 thousand euros + VAT and was entrusted pursuant to art. 36, paragraph 2, of the Procurement Code, or so-called direct sub-threshold contracts “.
The governance of Piano therefore, the Treasury emphasizes, it remains with the competent administrations and structures of the MEF who make use of internal staff of the offices.
When the news leaked this morning, a lot of criticism came from the same majority: for Stefano Fassina Di Leu, “this is just not right. In this way, the competences of public administrations are humiliated and political accountability is removed. Parliament must intervene”.
“With what mandate? On the basis of what decision?” Asks the national secretary of the Italian Left Nicola Fratoianni.
“Given that the previous government – continues the leader of SI – was ‘stoned’ over the governance that expropriated Parliament, this would be quite serious. In addition to being grotesque”.
The exponent of the Democratic Party goes down hard Francesco Boccia and former Minister for Regional Affairs: “With all due respect to McKinsey, if the news that came out today were true, it would be pretty bad.”
Along the same lines, the former Minister of the South Giuseppe Provenzano: which invites us to “call the best in the State, perhaps among the young, not to delegate fundamental functions to external private parties. There is a rule, it must be implemented”.
Instead, he sees nothing wrong with it Osvaldo Naples, deputy of Cambiamo even if, he observes, “it would be useful and positive, however, to offer a minimum of explanations on this advice, above all to remove any shadow or suspicion from the technicians of via XX Settembre about their adequacy and competence”.
A voice out of the chorus, the industrialists: “Management consulting is a sector of excellence that in delicate moments like the ones we are experiencing can make a very indispensable contribution. In this sense, learning that McKinsey’s colleagues have been hired for collaborating in the drafting of the new Pnrr can only please us “, he points out Marco Valerio Morelli, president of Assoconsult, the Confindustria association that represents consulting firms in Italy.
However, the clarification of the Treasury has not appeased the controversy: the opposition also intervenes. The co-president of the European group ECR-Fratelli d’Italia Raffaele Fitto makes a provocative proposal: “The government currently spends an incredible 155 million euros on the structures for assessing, verifying and implementing national and community policies and today it relies on external advice from McKinsey to rewrite the Recovery. structures currently in charge of this are not useful, the government closes them and begins to allocate those resources for refreshments “.
And the senator of the Brothers of Italy, Andrea de Bertold he notes with bitterness that “between Dpcm photocopies, reimbursements slipping and now appointments to external consultancy companies this is really Count ter”.
But, in the ranks of the majority, the M5S – as the spokespersons of the deputies in the Chamber’s Constitutional Affairs Commission declare – he nevertheless invites to keep the role of Parliament “central” in the preparation of the plan and announces a parliamentary question to clarify further.
It should be considered, they underline, that “Italy is the only country that has foreseen a constant involvement of the Chambers. We expect clarity and for this reason we will deposit a parliamentary question in the next few hours that sheds full light on the matter and allows the government to dispel any doubt “.
To throw water on the fire, the Minister for Relations with Parliament Federico D’Incà: “The Mef has made it clear that the governance of the PNRR is in the hands of the competent public administrations and McKinsey has no role in defining the Recovery Plan. Now stop the controversy and get on with the work, it is not the time for further fractures”.
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