Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
Connections
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- involved in -
Accenture
In the "PLM" project (Product Lifecycle Management), the Accenture company was commissioned with advice and support according to the Federal Audit Office "under violation of the procurement guidelines". The committee came to the opinion that the responsible department head, General Erhard Bühler, has the overall responsibility for this. Katrin Suder was not directly responsible for this, but contributed to gaining access to the Ministry of Accenture Manager and contributed the award for the company. The report mentions that Erhard Bühler is friends with this Acccentency Managing Director and was the godfather of his children, and Suder was also friends with the manager and baptism.
On December 28, 2021, the Federal Ministry of defense civil action against Systemvertrieb Alexander GmbH (SVA) submitted to the Bonn District Court. SVA is said to have billed 631,049.56 euros too much. This sum corresponds to 2,654 consulting hours that have not been provided by the subcontracture Accenture.
In the course of the advisory affair at the Bundeswehr, accenture nepotism and possible fraud are accused. During the Bundeswehr advising in 2017, Accenture is said to have billed consultation hours for IT projects. This was initially not noticed because different authorities were involved in the corresponding framework contracts. Accenture is said to have billed at least 25,000 euros too much through the wrong invoices.
Accenture rejects the allegations of fraud because it was an accident and wants to refund the amount.
From February 2019 to June 2020, the 1st investigation committee of the Defense Committee determined the 19th parliamentary term of the German Bundestag, etc. Against Accenture and the management consultancy McKinsey. The committee came to the conclusion that accenture had been commissioned with advice and support in violation of the procurement guidelines.
Accenture rejects the allegations of fraud because it was an accident and wants to refund the amount.
From February 2019 to June 2020, the 1st investigation committee of the Defense Committee determined the 19th parliamentary term of the German Bundestag, etc. Against Accenture and the management consultancy McKinsey. The committee came to the conclusion that accenture had been commissioned with advice and support in violation of the procurement guidelines.
International management consultancy and IT service provider. Accenture achieved sharply increased sales with the BMVg during the relevant years; former McKinsey employees (e.g. Timo Noetzel) moved to Accenture and initiated business relationships with the Bundeswehr there.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Reporting/exposure -
Der Spiegel
Numerous media outlets have researched the affair, published details of contracts, sums and personal connections, thereby triggering public debate and parliamentary steps (special sessions, committee of inquiry).
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
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Ursula von der Leyen
From 2013 to 2019, von der Leyen was Federal Minister of Defense. At the center of the so-called consulting affair is the procurement practice and the extensive use of external consultants in their department.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Consulting firm / former employer of several participants -
McKinsey & Company
Global management consulting. Several key players in the consulting affair (including Katrin Suder, Gundbert Scherf, Timo Noetzel in early positions) come from McKinsey; McKinsey also received contracts from the defense sector.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Contract awards -
Bundesministerium der Verteidigung
During Ursula von der Leyen's term in office, the Federal Ministry of Defense awarded consulting contracts with McKinsey & Company worth tens of millions, which led to considerable political controversy.
German department in which the procurement and control practices of external consulting contracts were the subject of criticism and parliamentary investigation (including high expenditure, use of framework contracts and possible violations of procurement law).
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Federal internal IT service provider / central contract office -
BWI GmbH
Federal IT service provider for the Bundeswehr. In the affair, it was criticized that BWI's framework contracts were used to award extensive external consulting services, sometimes without sufficient control.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Testing and control body -
Bundesrechnungshof
Examined the BMVg's procurement practices and criticized the handling of consulting contracts; his reports drove public debate and parliamentary scrutiny.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
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Katrin Suder
Former McKinsey manager (long-time partner) and civil servant State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense from 2014 to 2018 (responsible for armaments, cyber/IT, among other things). Your appointment from the consulting industry and personnel decisions are the focus of the affair.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
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Timo Noetzel
Noetzel became known to the wider public in the wake of the Federal Ministry of Defense's consulting scandal from 2017, which involved the awarding of highly paid contracts to external consultants without respecting applicable award criteria. In this context, he was questioned in 2019 by the 1st Investigative Committee of the Defense Committee of the 19th electoral term of the German Bundestag.
From the end of 2017, the Federal Ministry of Defense negotiated contracts with the consulting firm Accenture, whose managing director was Timo Noetzel at the time. Within four years, Noetzel Accenture's sales with the customer Bundeswehr increased from 459,000 euros (2014) to around 20 million euros (2018).
Former McKinsey employee, later manager at Accenture; became known in the consulting affair through massive contract successes for Accenture at the BMVg and through his personal acquaintance with players in the ministry.
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Technical service provider / client subcontracting -
IABG
Technical-scientific service company; mentioned in media reports as an executing partner or partner in project awards from the BMVg (subcontractor relationships in the context of consulting contracts).
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Parliamentary inquiry -
1. Untersuchungsausschuss des Verteidigungsausschusses (19. WP)
Investigative committee set up by the German Bundestag, which examined procurement practices and personal connections in the context of the consulting affair and conducted witness interviews (including the interrogation of Ursula von der Leyen).
Berateraffaire bei der Bundeswehr
- Structural problem area -
Beraterverträge / Rahmenverträge (Konkrete Projekte)
Collective term for the large number of framework and project contracts (IT and consulting projects) in dispute involving large amounts of money; Examples discussed included: Projects like 'CIT Quadrat' or large-volume IT orders via BWI.