It’s not uncommon for firms that need to do big layoffs to not hire consulting firms, and then screw up the layoffs (multiple rounds, bad severance, etc.) Ther

It’s not uncommon for firms that need to do big layoffs to not hire consulting firms, and then screw up the layoffs (multiple rounds, bad severance, etc.) There’s a certain class of work that is (1) really critical to get right the first time and (2) only done once a decade. That’s the type of stuff where it’s good to hire an outside firm - the outside guys go from company to company, doing this one rare thing over and over. Other examples might include M&A (eg divestitures), offshoring (eg standing up a factory in Mexico), or new market entry (eg launching a product in a brand new country).