The PSC

What The PSC does

The PSC (The Public Service Consultants Limited) is a UK-based specialist management consultancy founded in 2006 by Russell Cake (originally operating as 2020 Delivery), headquartered in London with 50-100+ employees. The firm works exclusively on UK public services transformation across five practice areas: Strategy, Finance & Innovation; Digital, Data & AI; Transformation; Space, Aerospace & Defence; and Learning & Skills. Clients include multiple NHS trusts, the Home Office, the Government Digital Service, the UK Space Agency, Cancer Research UK, and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero.

The company's core offerings combine strategic advisory with hands-on delivery, anchored by its proprietary D5 methodology (Define, Discover, Design, Deliver, Digest) and a complementary toolkit (Problem Definition Sheet, Issue Tree, Hypothesis Tree, Workplan Boat Chart). Productized service lines include the Space Domain Awareness practice with the Monitor your Satellites digital service for the UK Space Agency, the Universal Care Plan NHS App integration, and a capability-building programme of 12+ accredited training courses covering project delivery, digital service design, AI, and Carbon Literacy. Notable documented outcomes include £200m in efficiency savings for an NHS trust, £73m improvement in a health system surplus, £1.3bn in financial improvements via a schools buying strategy, a 40% reduction in 30+ minute ambulance handovers, and training delivered to 4,000+ public sector employees.

The PSC operates a professional services revenue model on a project-based, multi-year contract basis, with fees quoted per engagement scope rather than a published rate card. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise engagement with senior public sector leaders, with no reseller or self-service channel. The firm holds ISO 9001 certification and Civil Service Learning accreditation, is privately held with no disclosed parent company or external institutional investment, and is led by co-founder Russell Cake, COO Catherine Mulcahy, Chair Dr Kathy McLean, and Senior Partner Dr Antonio Weiss.

Name

The PSC

Legal name

The Public Service Consultants Limited

Website

https://thepsc.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The PSC is a UK-based specialist management consultancy that helps public sector organizations transform services across healthcare, central government, education, and space sectors via advisory, digital delivery, and accredited training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategy and Transformation Consulting: Project-based consulting engagements with NHS trusts, government departments, and public sector organizations addressing financial improvement, business cases, clinical models, and transformation programmes.
2. Training and Capability Building: Civil Service Learning accredited training programmes and mentoring services delivered to public sector employees. Course formats include in-person, virtual, and blended delivery.
3. Space Domain Awareness Services: Specialized consulting and data services for the UK space sector, including satellite tracking, hazard analysis, and orbital intelligence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The PSC is a UK management consultancy that helps public sector organisations improve financial sustainability, deliver digital transformation, run complex programmes, and build internal capability. Its five practice areas are Strategy, Finance & Innovation; Digital, Data & AI; Transformation; Space, Aerospace & Defence (including the Monitor Your Satellites service for the UK Space Agency); and Learning & Skills, delivered as bespoke consulting engagements, structured training courses and downloadable analytical tools.

Product overview

The PSC is a management consultancy offering professional services across five practice areas: Strategy, Finance & Innovation; Digital, Data & AI; Transformation; Space, Aerospace & Defence; and Learning & Skills. Their service portfolio includes advisory consulting engagements, digital product development (including the Space Domain Awareness offering and Monitor your Satellites service for UK Space Agency), and a structured capability building programme with 12 courses including Delivering Fast Effective Projects (D5 methodology), Digital and User-Centred Projects, Problem Structuring and Analytical Thinking, AI Applied, and Carbon Literacy in the NHS. They also provide downloadable analytical tools (Problem Definition Sheet, Issue Tree, Hypothesis Tree, Workplan Boat Chart) and produce content through The Next 20 podcast series. The portfolio spans from strategic advisory through to practical training delivery and digital product engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy, Finance & Innovation Consulting Bespoke strategy, finance and innovation consulting for NHS and public sector clients, covering NHS Financial Improvement, Business Cases, New Clinical Models, and Innovation in Healthcare Delivery. Targets senior NHS and public sector leaders and includes documented outcomes such as £200m efficiency savings and £73m surplus improvement.
• Digital, Data & AI Consulting Consulting service helping public sector organisations deliver digital transformation, including digital strategy, user research, service design and digital product development (e.g., GOV.UK PaaS, Universal Care Plan patient-editable access on the NHS App).
• Transformation Consulting End-to-end transformation consulting covering major programme delivery, healthcare performance improvement, quality improvement, lived experience involvement and leadership development for complex public sector programmes.
• Space Domain Awareness Service Comprehensive orbital intelligence service providing five years of UK-specific satellite data, hazard and collision analysis including re-entry modelling and fragmentation risk assessment for UK Space Agency, satellite operators, defence and academic users.
• Learning & Skills Capability Building Programme Civil Service Learning accredited training and capability-building programmes for public sector organisations, including Delivering Fast Effective Projects (D5), Digital and User-Centred Projects, Problem Structuring and Analytical Thinking, AI Applied: Essentials for Public Services, Leadership in VUCA Environments, and Carbon Literacy in the NHS. Reached 4,000+ public sector employees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in 30+ minute ambulance handovers
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Virginia Mason InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal improvement partner collaborating with The PSC to deliver a £1m national knowledge-transfer and capability-building programme for 50 NHS mental health trust teams, commissioned by NHS England. The partnership combines Virginia Mason Institute's improvement expertise with The PSC's public sector consulting capabilities.
• CGI's Borealis CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CGI's Borealis coalition, a group of organizations collaborating to support UK space capability. The PSC connects academia, government, and industry to strengthen UK space domain awareness solutions.
• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaborator with UK Space Agency on space surveillance and tracking services. The PSC has developed the Monitor Your Satellites service and holds five years of UK-specific satellite data for the agency.
• upReachminorOthersCharity partnership supporting undergraduates from less-advantaged backgrounds to access and sustain top graduate jobs. Part of The PSC's social value commitments.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Capita: UK-listed outsourcing and professional services firm with deep public sector contracts across central government, NHS, and education. Overlaps with The PSC's public sector transformation and digital service delivery offerings, though Capita operates at much larger scale.
• McKinsey & Company (UK Public Sector Practice): Global management consultancy with a long-standing UK public sector practice advising NHS England, central government, and major departments. Competes for the same transformation mandates as The PSC but with vastly larger bench and global methodology libraries.
• Deloitte UK (Public Sector): Big 4 firm with a substantial UK public sector practice covering NHS transformation, digital government, and defence. Competes head-to-head with The PSC on major transformation and digital mandates while offering broader portfolio capabilities.
• PwC UK (Public Sector): Big 4 firm with one of the largest UK public sector consulting practices, serving NHS, central government, and local authorities on digital, finance, and transformation. Overlaps with The PSC's NHS financial improvement and digital transformation offerings.
• KPMG UK (Public Sector): Big 4 consultancy with a significant UK public sector advisory business spanning healthcare, central government, and local authorities. Provides advisory and digital services comparable to The PSC's strategy, transformation, and digital practices.

Direct peers

• Baringa Partners: UK-based consulting firm with a public sector and energy practice advising government clients on transformation, digital, and policy. Overlapping client base and similar emphasis on specialist UK expertise versus global generalism.
• Newton (Antaea): UK-headquartered transformation consultancy with deep NHS and public sector engagement, known for operational improvement and embedded delivery work. Directly comparable in target customer base (NHS trusts, government departments) and operating model of working inside client teams.
• PA Consulting: UK-based consulting firm with a strong public sector and digital transformation practice serving NHS, central government, and defence clients. Closely comparable to The PSC in its blend of strategy, digital delivery, and capability-building across UK public services.
• Tribal Group: UK-headquartered education and public sector consulting and software firm serving schools, academies, higher education, and government departments. Directly comparable to The PSC's education segment and broader UK public sector practice.
• Carnall Farrar: UK healthcare-focused consultancy advising NHS organisations, integrated care systems, and health-focused government bodies on strategy, transformation, and performance improvement. Closely comparable in NHS specialism and transformation orientation.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thepublicserviceconsultants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wearethepsc
• Xx.com/wearethepsc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The PSC