so, based on the announcements by Osborne/Laws this morning, is anyone out on site at a public sector client hearing whispers of specific projects facing the axe? ps please don't spin into a PA is doomed routine - there's already a perfectly good thread for that...

PA isn't doomed, as you say, but it will go through some very hard times over the next few years. The loss of the ID Cards project has already been a big blow to the company.

PA and Capgemini have been milking the quango QCA, whose budget was slashed and will possibly be stripped back further next round - good news for the taxpayer

Taxrebate - nice attempt at trying to prevent what is an interesting and topical thread becoming the same boring boring boring boring boring digs at PA.Lots of companies and independent contractors make lots of money out of government-related contracts. When new governments come in some things go away but are usually followed very quickly by the pet projects of the incoming government. That's the way of the world. It is called business.To those who lurk on here waiting to spit out their venom, I am not in PA, or Cap. Even if I was, surely even you can see that saying the same two or three things in every single thread that appears is boring.

the quangos are the softest targets, and are unsophisticated buyers of consultancy, so it should be relatively easy to identifiy and chop worthless initiatives - but they don't have huge budgets. the real prizes must be at the DWP and HMRC, but they will be far harder to unravel... there must be people on here who are out there - any news?

one large SI has already started moving staff away from Public Services / Government and there is expected shrinkage of about 15%. Any more than that would be catastrophic. Other than DWP and HMRC, the Borders Agency (or watever they're calling it now) is another - IRIS and e-borders - and the NPIA (formerly PITO) employs tons of contractors. Easy to slash if necessary.

I think it will be easier for the SIs to flex than for the advisory firms, as the lower tiers at least of their pyramids are sold on technical expertise, which is redeployable, rather than sector skills, which are more of a challenge...

What complete nonsense! All you numbskulls on this forum don't realise is that public sector (local, regional or central) are just nonsense process mapping, non-value-adding endless IT implementations sterile work. The skills, the expertise, the insight you develop are infinitesimally minute. In fact if you don't believe me, ask the consultants that work for the firms that rely on public sector jobs how they feel about working there. It's all cr*p, tiresome, thoroughly boring and intellectually stunting.zb

You is talking nonsense ZB. I have worked for PA on lots of public sector jobs, and they is well easy. No stress. So what if you earn less? It’s easy money, and you get home by 6 every night and “work from home” on Fridays, so its only every 4 days per week.

Unfortunately ZB you are not as knowledgeable as you think. I work on a manufacturing project (funded by government) doing interesting and varied work in a number of small, medium and blue chip companies. You really must keep taking the tablets before you start ranting your process mapping chant......