Hi there,
We’ve just published a follow-up to a series of stories looking at the way the federal and NSW government buys consulting services.
More on fees…
Today’s instalment shows KPMG has a rate card with the federal Department of Human Services which is up to 50pc more than NSW government’s capped rates (paywall).
An interesting aspect is the way the federal government and the NSW government set rates.
NSW has one set of maximum rates managed by the state Finance department.
The federal government uses a system of panels where maximum rates are negotiated with individual firms. There are about 120 panels across the federal government to deal with professional services such as consulting. KPMG is a member of about 60 panels.
Yesterday, three of the seven strategy firms that refuse to discount to the level mandated by NSW explained why they are worth it (paywall).
…and clerkships
My colleague Hannah Wootton also has an interesting story out today detailing the (many) hoops job hopefuls must jump through to get a summer job at a major law firm (paywall).
I’ve been through the graduate recruitment process twice - when I left uni for my first job, and again when I applied for a cadetship at The Sydney Morning Herald several years later. The process Hannah describes sounds even more lengthy and stressful.
On grad recruitment, I’m always a bit wary of aptitude/IQ tests as a selection tool. Practice can markedly improve an aptitude score. And I once sat the same test twice in a week during my initial round of graduate applications. (The two companies had used the same outsourced testing provider).
I opted out of the company running the second recruitment process because (a) I’d already been offered a job and was very much over the grad recruitment process and (b) I knew my score was completely unrepresentative of my actual skills.
Does reading Hannah’s story brings back memories of how you got your first professional job?
Cheers,
Ed.