Blue Sky Consulting
Blue Sky Consulting Group is a private public policy and economics consulting firm serving California government agencies, non-profits, foundations, and private clients across eight practice areas including budget and taxation, health care, housing, and local government.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Blue Sky Consulting does
Blue Sky Consulting Group is a privately held public policy and economics consulting firm founded in 2005 by Tim Gage (former Director of the California Department of Finance and 24-year veteran of the California Legislature) and Matthew Newman (former Legislative Analyst's Office policy analyst and quantitative modeling specialist). The firm serves government agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, and selected private sector clients, with the overwhelming majority of engagement activity concentrated in California. Its work is organized across eight practice areas: Budget & Taxation, Economics, Education, Environment, Health Care, Social Services, Housing, and Local Government.
The firm's core technology consists of proprietary analytical and simulation models developed over nearly two decades. These include the first modern property tax forecasting model used by California's Legislative Analyst's Office, microsimulation models that estimate the economic incidence of Personal Income Tax, Corporation Tax, and Sales Tax changes, California-specific economic impact models drawing from state-level behavioral surveys, and a 5+ million property record split-roll tax simulation model. These models underpinned high-profile engagements such as the COVID-19 daily cashflow projection for the California State Controller, which helped the state avoid external borrowing, and the Bank of America matter that recovered nearly $200 million for state and local governments.
The firm's revenue model is professional services, delivered through project-based engagements and likely retainer arrangements negotiated individually with clients. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging the founders' deep networks in California government and policy circles. Marketing is executed primarily through thought leadership: publicly available project reports and analyses on the firm's website, and co-published research with major philanthropic partners including the California HealthCare Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, The California Endowment, and Arnold Ventures. The firm operates from Oakland, California, with a secondary Sacramento-area phone presence to support engagement with state-level clients.
Blue Sky Consulting firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Sky Consulting
- Legal name
- Blue Sky Consulting Group
- Website
- https://blueskyconsultinggroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Blue Sky Consulting Group is a private public policy and economics consulting firm serving California government agencies, non-profits, foundations, and private clients across eight practice areas including budget and taxation, health care, housing, and local government.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Sky Consulting industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Policy Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHACAI)
Keywords
Where Blue Sky Consulting is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blue Sky Consulting business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Public Policy Consulting Services: The firm generates revenue through providing specialized consulting services to government agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, and private sector clients across eight practice areas including budget and taxation, economics, education, environment, health care, social services, housing, and local government.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Blue Sky Consulting product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Sky Consulting Group is a public policy and economics consulting firm that provides non-partisan analytical tools and strategic advisory services to government agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, and private sector clients. The firm delivers services across eight distinct practice areas: Budget & Taxation, Economics, Education, Environment, Health Care, Social Services, Housing, and Local Government, leveraging subject matter experts drawn from senior levels of government, academia, and the private sector.
Product overview
Blue Sky Consulting Group is a public policy and economics consulting firm that provides analytical and strategic advisory services through eight distinct practice areas. The firm operates as a unified consulting service rather than a software platform, with experts specializing in Budget & Taxation, Economics, Education, Environment, Health Care, Social Services, Housing, and Local Government. Each practice area represents a distinct service offering staffed by subject matter experts with experience from government, academia, and the private sector.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Recovered nearly $200 million for California state and local governments in the Bank of America case
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Blue Sky Consulting
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Blue Sky Consulting technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Blue Sky Consulting partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- FST Technical ServicesmajorFST Technical Services acquired Blue Sky Consulting Services in April 2026. The acquisition was strategic, aimed at strengthening FST's position as a leading provider of high-quality building performance and compliance services. Both companies share a focus on quality, innovation, and long-term value creation, with the combination aimed at expanding capabilities for clients and partners. This acquisition suggests Blue Sky Consulting Services had been operating as a provider of Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Testing Services.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Blue Sky Consulting competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (Manatt Health): Manatt Health is a national health policy and strategic advisory practice within a major law and consulting firm. It directly competes with Blue Sky's Health Care practice for foundation, state agency, and Medi-Cal-related engagements, and shares the same model of deploying former senior government health officials on consulting engagements.
- Health Management Associates: HMA is a national healthcare consulting firm specializing in Medicaid, state health programs, and safety-net providers. Former Blue Sky team member Caroline Davis worked at HMA; both firms compete for the same California HealthCare Foundation and state health agency work.
- Charles River Associates: CRA is a global economics and management consulting firm with deep practice in public economics, antitrust, and regulation. Former Blue Sky principal Ann McDermott was a Principal at CRA; both firms serve government and foundation clients on economic analysis and policy consulting.
- Berkeley Research Group: BRG is a major economics and financial consulting firm with substantial public policy and state government practice. It competes for the same California public-sector consulting engagements and uses a similar model of deploying senior economists and former government officials.
- LECG (formerly known as LECG): LECG was a leading economics and financial consulting firm whose senior staff seeded much of California's boutique policy consulting talent pool (multiple Blue Sky team members came from LECG). It is the closest historical analog to Blue Sky's model and target market.
- Public Policy Institute of California: PPIC is California's leading nonpartisan policy research organization. Blue Sky team member Chris Weare was a Research Fellow at PPIC. Both organizations produce rigorous California-focused policy analysis for government and foundation clients, sometimes on overlapping topics.
Broad incumbents
- RAND Corporation: RAND is a large nonprofit policy research institution with deep California government and foundation relationships. It overlaps with Blue Sky on policy analysis and consulting for state agencies and competes for similar foundation research contracts, but at much greater scale.
Emerging players
- Nossaman LLP: Nossaman is a national law and policy firm with a strong California public policy and infrastructure practice. It competes with Blue Sky on transportation, water, and infrastructure policy consulting for California state and local government clients.
- Avalere Health: Avalere is a healthcare policy consulting firm serving payers, providers, and foundations. It competes with Blue Sky's healthcare practice on Medicaid, ACA, and state health policy engagements, particularly with foundation clients.
Regional players
- California Forward: California Forward is a bipartisan California civic organization focused on government performance and fiscal reform. Blue Sky team member Jim Mayer is president emeritus and senior fellow at California Forward; both organizations operate in the same California governance reform ecosystem and may collaborate or compete for foundation funding.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blue Sky Consulting social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Sky Consulting financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Sky Consulting leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
Blue Sky Consulting funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Sky Consulting M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Sky Consulting
What does Blue Sky Consulting do?
Blue Sky Consulting Group is a public policy and economics consulting firm that provides non-partisan analytical tools and strategic advisory services to government agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, and private sector clients. The firm delivers services across eight distinct practice areas: Budget & Taxation, Economics, Education, Environment, Health Care, Social Services, Housing, and Local Government, leveraging subject matter experts drawn from senior levels of government, academia, and the private sector.
Is Blue Sky Consulting a public or private company?
Blue Sky Consulting is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Blue Sky Consulting founded?
Blue Sky Consulting was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Blue Sky Consulting based?
Blue Sky Consulting is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blue Sky Consulting make money?
One revenue line is on record: public Policy Consulting Services.
Who are Blue Sky Consulting's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (Manatt Health), Health Management Associates, Charles River Associates, Berkeley Research Group, LECG (formerly known as LECG) and Public Policy Institute of California. RAND Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Nossaman LLP and Avalere Health. California Forward is listed as a regional player.
Does Blue Sky Consulting have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Sky Consulting.
What industry is Blue Sky Consulting in?
Blue Sky Consulting's product category is Public Policy Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAN, Public Sector & Policy Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHACAI, Data, Analytics & AI Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.