Belgian railway companies SNCB and Infrabel spent a combined €612 million on consultation fees between 2020 and 2022.
This figure, revealed by Médor, accounts for both "strategic" and IT consultancy expenses. Data made available by Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) and SNCB only referenced the former (€44.6 million) but Médor highlights the fact that the latter has soared as both operators have digitised their systems in the past few years.
This process has made private contractors essential to the industry. However, "steps are being taken to optimise internal skills and expertise, limiting the reliance on external consultants," Infrabel stated. It added that consultants are only used for "one-off missions".
Similarly, Gilkinet believes that upcoming funding will enable both SNCB and Infrabel to prioritise "the use of in-house labour rather than subcontracting." However, outsourcing will continue whenever expertise is needed, particularly when it concerns IT.
In 2023, Het Laatse Nieuws estimated that there were 340 consultants contracted by the two rail companies, but Médor believes that the actual number is significantly higher.
Recurring theme
In July, it was revealed that SNCB managing director Sophie Dutoudoir hired Hamid Aghassi, a close friend, as a consultant to the railway operator. Aghassi amassed €4,200 a day – €22,000 a month – over a period of two years (2018-2020). This means that he earned €200,000 more than Dutuodoir herself.
In response to accusations of unfairly favouring personal contacts, Dutuodoir explained that "it’s the most normal thing in the world to put specialists in specific fields in contact when an urgent problem arises."
Extravagant consultancy fees have cropped up in other official bodies too. Between 2018 and 2022, the Brussels Public Regional Service (SPRB) and several other public interest organisations paid at least €107 million to consultancies including Deloitte, KPMG, EY and PwC (known as the 'Big Four').
A journalistic investigation sourced this figure from openbudget.brussels – an organ created in 2018 to improve transparency in public spending. However, participation in the register is not compulsory. Payments may therefore be higher than what is currently recorded.
