consultancy

IPA/kənˈsʌltənsi/
KK[kənsˈʌltənsi]IPA/kənˈsʌltənsi/

consultancy — noun

  • consultancysingular
  • consultanciesplural

1. a business or organisation whose main purpose is to give expert advice to other

1.nounB1
Definition

a business or organisation whose main purpose is to give expert advice to other companies, organisations, or individuals in a specific area of work — such as management, information technology, or marketing.

Example

The management consultancy helped the retailer improve its supply chain.

collocation: management consultancy

Ezra joined an IT consultancy after working as a system administrator for six years.

collocation: IT consultancy

Common collocations
  • management consultancy
  • marketing consultancy
  • IT consultancy
  • financial consultancy
  • engineering consultancy
  • recruitment consultancy
  • design consultancy
  • consultancy firm
  • run a consultancy
  • set up a consultancy
  • hire a consultancy
  • work for a consultancy
  • external consultancy
  • independent consultancy
Synonyms
  • consulting firm

    essentially interchangeable, though slightly more formal in tone

  • advisory firm

    broader term that can include legal or financial advice, not necessarily management consulting

  • advisory agency

    less common; often refers to smaller or specialist advisory businesses

Grammar Patterns

[field] + consultancy

consultancy + that-clause

Usage Note

This sense is a countable noun, so you can talk about one consultancy or several consultancies. The type of expertise often appears before the word — for example, design consultancy, recruitment consultancy, or legal consultancy.

Common Mistakes

She works as a consultancy at a bank.
She works as a consultant at a bank.
a consultancy is a company; a consultant is the person who works for one.

2. the work or profession of providing paid expert advice to organisations, usually

2.nounB2
Definition

the work or profession of providing paid expert advice to organisations, usually as an independent specialist working on a project basis rather than as a permanent employee of the client.

Example

Constanza does freelance consultancy for several tech companies while finishing her PhD.

collocation: freelance consultancy

The IT team brought in a specialist to provide consultancy on their network security.

collocation: provide consultancy on

Common collocations
  • consultancy work
  • consultancy services
  • consultancy project
  • consultancy assignment
  • consultancy contract
  • do consultancy
  • provide consultancy
  • offer consultancy
  • freelance consultancy
  • pro bono consultancy
  • consultancy fee
  • consultancy role
Synonyms
  • consulting

    slightly more general and can be used as an adjective ('consulting work') or a gerund ('she does consulting')

  • advisory work

    broader; can include informal advice that is not paid or project-based

  • freelancing

    overlaps in meaning but is not limited to expert advice — freelancing can cover any self-employed work

Antonyms
  • in-house employment

    being a permanent employee of a single organisation rather than providing external advice

Grammar Patterns

do + consultancy

provide + consultancy

consultancy + work

consultancy + services

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable, so it does not take a or an — do not say 'a consultancy' when you mean advisory work. To refer to individual pieces of work, use consultancy services, consultancy projects, or consultancy assignments.

Common Mistakes

He offered three consultancies to the startup.
He offered three consultancy services to the startup.
consultancy is uncountable when it means the activity; use consultancy services or consultancy projects for multiple instances.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms describe organisations that provide expert services, but they differ in scope. A consultancy is the most neutral and widely used term for any business selling specialist advice — it pairs naturally with a field name (management consultancy, design consultancy). A consulting firm suggests a larger, more formal organisation, often a multinational like McKinsey or BCG. An advisory firm is broader and can include legal, accounting, or financial advice that goes beyond pure management consulting. An agency usually implies creative or communications services: a marketing agency redesigns a website, whereas a management consultancy redesigns a business strategy. For everyday use, consultancy is the safest choice; choose consulting firm for high-end strategy work and agency for creative or advertising services.

consultancy ↗consulting firmadvisory firmagency ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • consultancy and advisory services
  • management consultancy sector

Prepositions

  • in (consultancy in digital marketing)
  • for (consultancy for small businesses)
  • on (consultancy on tax matters)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

The word consultancy traces back to the Latin verb consultare, meaning 'to deliberate, take counsel, or ask for advice.' This passed into Old French as consulter and then into Middle English as consult in the 1500s. By the 1800s, consult had given rise to consultant for a person who gives professional advice. The noun consultancy — meaning first the position of a consultant, then the company itself — emerged in British English around the early 20th century, particularly in engineering and management fields. Its modern use exploded after the 1950s with the rise of large management-consulting firms.