McGrath Consulting Group

What McGrath Consulting Group does

McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. is a private U.S. municipal consulting firm founded in 1997 by Dr. Tim McGrath, a former Fire Chief with more than 33 years of fire service experience. The firm specializes in two service lines: (1) Fire, EMS, and Police Consulting, including department audits, consolidation studies, master planning, budgeting, staffing and facilities analysis, GIS mapping, response-time studies, and community hazard preparedness; and (2) Human Resources Consulting, including compensation and benefits analysis, employee handbooks, performance evaluations, HR audits, policy and procedure development, assessment center testing, executive and general recruitment, training, and labor-management mediation. All services are delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of field-experienced consultants led by principals Tim McGrath, Ph.D. and Victoria McGrath, Ph.D., with the methodology centered on broad stakeholder interviews, tailored written reports, and implementation roadmaps. The firm is incorporated in Tennessee, maintains a mailing address in Jamestown, TN, and serves hundreds of municipal, county, educational, and library clients across the United States, with additional engagements in the Middle East (UAE).

The business operates on a project-based professional services model: engagements are won through formal written proposals, scoped to each client's environment, and delivered over multi-month to multi-year timelines with custom pricing disclosed only to the client. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting municipal procurement, supported by principal-led public speaking at industry conferences, a comprehensive website, and published articles and a trade book (Bathroom Reader for Fire Officers). The firm has no external investors, no funding history, and no parent company. A wholly-owned subsidiary, McGrath Human Resources, houses the HR consulting line. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the firm carries no patents, no technology platform, and no AI/ML capability. Customer concentration is low given the breadth of municipal buyers served, and the primary growth constraint is the project-by-project re-win cycle inherent to government consulting.

Name

McGrath Consulting Group

Legal name

McGrath Consulting Group, Inc.

Website

https://mcgrathconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McGrath Consulting Group is a private U.S. municipal consulting firm founded in 1997 that provides fire, EMS, police, and human resources advisory services to hundreds of cities, counties, fire districts, school districts, and libraries across the United States, with select international engagements in the UAE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Public Safety and HR Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL), Risk, Compliance & Internal Controls Consulting (BPAHACAJ), Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Public safety consulting
• Municipal management consulting
• Fire EMS audits
• Police department audits
• Municipal human resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Jamestown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements for municipalities including fire/EMS department audits, police department audits, consolidation studies, master planning, budgeting, human resources consulting, compensation studies, executive recruitment, and assessment center testing. Projects are tailored to each client's needs and include deliverables such as detailed written reports with statistics, findings, recommendations, and implementation plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McGrath Consulting Group is a municipal consulting firm that delivers project-based fire, EMS, police, and human resources consulting services to cities, towns, villages, townships, counties, states, school districts, and libraries. Engagements include department audits and efficiency studies, consolidation studies, master planning, budgeting, staffing analysis, facilities planning, GIS mapping, compensation and benefit studies, employee handbooks, performance evaluations, HR audits, executive recruitment, and assessment center testing, delivered via formal written proposals with on-site stakeholder interviews and tailored written reports.

Product overview

McGrath Consulting Group is a consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of municipal public safety and human resources consulting services. The core offerings are organized into two main service lines: (1) Fire/EMS/Police Consulting Services including department audits, consolidation studies, master planning, budgeting, staffing, facilities planning, GIS mapping, vehicles/apparatus analysis, response times analysis, community hazard/disaster preparedness, and community safety programs; and (2) Human Resources Consulting Services including compensation and benefit analysis, employee handbooks, performance evaluations, HR audits, policies and procedures development, assessment center testing, executive and general recruitment, training, management/labor mediation, personnel records management, and compliance services. Additional offerings include public speaking presentations and the Bathroom Reader for Fire Officers publication. All services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team of consultants with decades of field experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire/EMS Department Audits & Efficiency Studies Comprehensive department audits tailored to each client's situation, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to enhance organizational public safety services in a cost-effective manner.
• Police Department Audits Independent efficiency studies covering facility planning, internal affairs, personnel management, law enforcement accreditation, communications, staffing, and records management.
• Consolidation Studies Analysis of department consolidation opportunities including administrative, functional, geographical, merge, operational, and full consolidation options to improve service while practicing fiscal responsibility.
• Master Planning Strategic planning services examining organizational opportunities and challenges over a 5-20 year horizon, including SWOT analysis and mission, vision, value, and strategic planning document development.
• Budgeting Services Fiscal reviews in public safety and human resources covering budget development, personnel costs, capital equipment, apparatus replacement plans, and alternative funding analysis.
• Facilities Planning Review of existing facilities and planning for future needs including EOC, communications centers, fire stations, and police stations with detailed recommendations on location, size, and ADA compliance.
• GIS Mapping Services GIS mapping services for municipalities including standard of coverage analysis, response time analysis, fire station planning, community risk mapping, and volunteer/equipment deployment spatial analysis.
• Compensation & Benefit Analysis Compensation studies including external market analysis and internal equity analysis, generating competitive compensation systems to attract and retain qualified employees.
• Employee Handbooks Development of employee handbooks that promote consistency in personnel administration, minimize misunderstandings, and document fair employment practices and compliance with employment laws.
• Performance Evaluations Creation and development of performance management systems linking organizational goals to department and employee goals, including supervisor/employee training.
• Human Resources Audit Comprehensive HR consulting services including efficiency studies, market comparisons, and master planning for recruitment, training, compliance, and labor relations.
• Assessment Center Testing Systematic testing process evaluating supervisory, leadership, and management potential through job simulation exercises observed by trained assessors.
• Executive Recruitment Regional or national search services for qualified executive candidates, from job description creation through assessment center process.
• Personnel Records Management Advisory services on personnel file contents, security measures, and compliance with federal, state, and local laws requiring specific employee information maintenance.
• Compliance Services Comparison of organization data and policies with national standards including FLSA, FMLA, NFPA, OSHA, EEOC, and FEMA to prioritize implementation of recommendations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Historically, the hard dollar savings generated by McGrath recommendations significantly exceed the expense of the study

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PFM Group: PFM Group is a larger financial and management advisory firm serving state and local governments with budgeting, financial planning, and management consulting services — overlapping McGrath's municipal budgeting and HR consulting work but with a broader portfolio.
• BerryDunn: BerryDunn provides management consulting, audit, and technology services to state and local government clients, including public safety studies and HR consulting — a larger firm with overlapping municipal consulting capabilities.
• ICMA (International City/County Management Association): ICMA is the leading professional association for municipal/county managers and provides consulting, training, and technical assistance to local governments — a broad incumbent in the municipal management consulting space.

Direct peers

• Management Partners: Management Partners provides management consulting to city and county governments, with deep specialization in public safety (police, fire, EMS) audits and efficiency studies — the closest direct peer to McGrath's core fire/EMS/police consulting line.
• Raftelis: Raftelis specializes in management and financial consulting for water utilities and local governments, including rate studies, organizational assessments, and compensation studies — a comparable niche public-sector consulting peer with overlapping HR/management offerings.
• CPS HR Consulting: CPS HR Consulting delivers human resources consulting exclusively to public-sector clients, including compensation studies, classification reviews, and HR audits — directly comparable to McGrath's HR consulting service line.
• Evergreen Solutions: Evergreen Solutions is a public-sector HR and management consulting firm offering classification/compensation studies, organizational reviews, and HR audits — directly comparable to McGrath's municipal HR practice.
• MGT of America: MGT of America is a national consulting firm focused on state and local government, providing management studies, organizational reviews, compensation/classification studies, and public safety consulting — closely mirroring McGrath's combined public safety and HR offering.
• Matrix Consulting Group: Matrix Consulting Group provides management and operational studies to cities, counties, and special districts, including police/fire studies, compensation/classification work, and organizational reviews — directly comparable boutique competitor.

Emerging players

• Fitch & Associates: Fitch & Associates specializes in fire and EMS consulting, including service delivery reviews, staffing analyses, and master planning — a niche peer that overlaps McGrath's fire/EMS consulting line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 McGrath Consulting Group