The IDeA is the de facto consultancy for local government because it is owned by the LGA (local government association). That also means they aren't wholly independent of the LGA's political issues and policies.It's a great place to be if you're interested in public sector and performance improvement work. Naturally, a lot of work is driven by CPA, but IDeA consultants also have a head start on Civil Service on being able to offer consultancy on the Capacity Reviews.From dealing with IDeA, there are some good consultants - generally some of the brighter people in the public sector. However, it can all be a bit incestuous with people going between working for local councils and the IDeA - there are few people with external or "business" experience - for all the "performance focus" and "forward thinking", I am not convinced of how culturally open it really is to work for.Tip for the top: those in the biz pronounce IDeA as the initials I.D.A. ("eye-dee-ay") rather than "idea" (as in "that's a good idea").
