PricewaterhouseCoopers 

Public Sector Practice

PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector Practice (PwC PSP) was 

formed in 2005 and is one of 17 business units of PwC. Key customers

are the U.S. federal government and state and local governments. 

Within PwC, this group is the only unit to serve this market. PwC 

PSP provides business advisory services, including risk consulting, 

management consulting and technology consulting. Headquartered 

in McLean, Va., PwC PSP employs nearly 1,100 people and reported 

a gross revenue of $265.5 million for fiscal year 2014.

Customer Engagement Proves Good 

for Business

• PwC PSP utilizes scores from the federal government’s Contractor 

Performance Assessment Reports to improve customer satisfaction. 

Thanks to its Engagement Management Process (EMP), scores 

rating PwC PSP as “exceptional” or “very good” increased from 

50 percent in fiscal year 2008 to levels at or near 100 percent 

for fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Additionally, the percentage of 

responders that said PwC PSP “needs improvement” decreased 

from 73 percent in fiscal year 2011 to zero in fiscal year 2014.

• Net Promoter System (NPS, a tool for measuring and comparing 

customer engagement and loyalty) survey scores have been 50 or 

higher in all markets since fiscal year 2012. These scores are equal 

to or better than NPS scores for some of the most respected 

companies in the country.

• PwC PSP uses its formal Pursuit process to systematically capture

business and engage customers. Pursuit integrates methods by 

which staff can better listen to potential, current and former 

customers at various points in each relationship. Additionally, 

Pursuit is integrated with the EMP to provide support and 

strengthen communication. Pursuit has helped increase active 

contracts from 290 to 1,050 over the past seven years and achieve 

a contract “win rate” for the practice that has been 11 percent 

better than a key competitor for the period fiscal year 2012 to 

fiscal year 2014.

• PwC PSP was one of the fastest growing consulting firms serving 

the federal government for the period 2011–2014.

Best Practices, Best Tools Keep 

Knowledge Flowing

• Knowledge management is the process of capturing, developing,

sharing and effectively using organizational knowledge. PwC 

PSP collects content through its Knowledge Gateway where it is 

reviewed by PwC PSP’s knowledge management team and 

competency leaders. It is then shared and transferred through 

an innovative web-based tool designed to help professionals 

2014 Award Recipient

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program • National Institute of Standards and Technology • Department of Commerce 

Highlights

• PwC PSP was one of the fastest growing consulting firms 

serving the federal government for the period 2011–2014.

• Thanks to its Engagement Management Process (EMP), 

scores rating PwC PSP as “exceptional” or “very good” 

increased from 50 percent in fiscal year 2008 to levels at 

or near 100 percent for fiscal years 2010 through 2014. 

Additionally, the percentage of responders that said PwC 

PSP “needs improvement” decreased from 73 percent in 

fiscal year 2011 to zero in fiscal year 2014.

• Strategic planning has helped PwC PSP address the 

challenges of decreased federal funding for contractor 

services and increased pressure for lower rates by 

competitors. Revenue results have exhibited continuous 

growth, from $41 million in fiscal year 2005 to 

$265 million in fiscal year 2014.

• The total number of staff certifications has steadily 

increased 424 percent from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 

2014. Certifications correlate directly with PwC PSP’s 

increasing revenue trends.
Baldrige Performance Excellence Program • National Institute of Standards and Technology • Department of Commerce 

2014 Award Recipient

PricewaterhouseCoopers 

Public Sector Practice

across the PwC network collaborate with one another. PwC PSP 

uses this internal collaboration system to find and share 

professional knowledge, exchange ideas, create insights and 

seek developmental opportunities. The tool received a 2014 

Gold Intranet Innovation Award from Step Two Designs, a global 

firm that annually recognizes intranet-related new ideas and 

approaches.

• PwC PSP utilizes a fully deployed process to embed learning 

throughout the organization. The practice’s Knowledge Gateway 

supports self-service learning and contains over 100,000 

documents to support knowledge transfer.

• PwC PSP senior leaders identify high-performing units/operations 

and then invite them to present their leading practices at partner/

managing director meetings. Leading practices also are deployed 

through internal systems such as the Knowledge Gateway and 

the annual Solutions Expo, a forum for staff to share and showcase 

innovative solutions, tools, marketing strategies and processes. 

Over 600 practitioners attended the fiscal year 2014 Solutions 

Expo, which featured more than 60 innovations and led to over 

$6.7 million in government contracts from related procurement 

opportunities.

Making Processes Run Smoothly at All Times

• Outcome measures for work and support processes are defined

and regularly reviewed. For example, contract closeout completions

verifying that obligations have been met and resultant payments

are accurate increased more than fourfold from 2012 to 2014. 

Demand management—making internal resources available prior 

to hiring and onboarding—has reduced onboarding costs by an 

estimated $2 million since 2012.

• PwC PSP senior leaders monitor key metrics to control overall costs 

and work with their operations leaders and the practice’s 

Quality Management Group to make decisions. Team members 

continuously assess quality to prevent defects, service errors and 

rework before dealing with clients.

• An extensive, well-deployed business continuity plan is used to 

prepare PwC PSP for emergencies and disasters. Multiple drills are 

conducted in each office, with exercises including both physical 

and hypothetical (with modeling of expected results) scenarios. 

Information on the drills and recovery scenarios is made available 

through the Knowledge Gateway.

Smart Strategic Planning: Practicing What 

They Preach

• PwC PSP has a systematic, four-step approach (observe, orient, 

decide, act) to strategic planning. Short- and long-term plans are 

developed and streamlined to enhance organizational agility.

 

• PwC PSP has four strategic goals focused on profit, workforce, 

customers and operations. These goals are aligned to strategic 

objectives, strategic advantages, strategic challenges, short- and 

long-term plans and performance projections/targets. Goals are 

developed with changes to services, clients and markets considered.

• Strategic planning has helped the practice address the challenges 

of decreased federal funding for contractor services and increased 

pressure for lower rates by competitors. Revenue results have 

exhibited continuous growth, from $41 million in fiscal year 2005 

to $265 million in fiscal year 2014.

Quality Workforce: Foundation for 

Building Success

• PwC PSP aligns its workforce into a framework that delivers value 

to clients while encouraging individual staff career and leadership 

development. A matrix structure allows staff to be aligned both 

vertically along sectors and horizontally based on competencies.

• In 80 percent of client engagements, PwC PSP teams with an 

external entity. For example, its Mentor-Protégé Program provides 

business exposure and opportunities for a limited number of small, 

veteran-owned, business-teaming entities. Each relationship 

requires a specific scope tailored for the protégé, a formal 

application and approval.

• Workforce policies, services and benefits are reviewed annually 

to help ensure that they continue to meet changing workforce 

needs. The Knowledge Gateway offers easy access to information 

on health, financial, work-life balance and professional 

developmental options.

• The total number of staff certifications has steadily increased 424 

percent from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2014. Certifications—

which correlate directly with PwC PSP’s increasing revenue trends

—have been earned in quality management, project management, 

information systems, information technology, certified public 

accounting and certified government financial management.

• Workforce turnover has decreased each year since fiscal year 

2009, from approximately 22 percent to 13 percent—a rate that is 

considerably better than the industry average of 20 percent.

For more information:

PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector Practice

1800 Tysons Blvd.

McLean, Va. 22102

(703) 918-3000

baldrige_info@us.pwc.com

http://www.pwc.com/publicsector

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

The Baldrige Program educates organizations of all sizes and 

from all sectors in organizational performance management and 

improvement. We also administer the Malcolm Baldrige National

Quality Award. Our key services are to identify and recognize 

role-model organizations, share best management practices, and 

help organizations achieve best-in-class performance levels. We are 

the only public-private partnership and Presidential award program 

dedicated to improving U.S. organizations. 

For more information on Baldrige, visit www.nist.gov/baldrige, 

call (301) 975-2036, or e-mail us at baldrige@nist.gov.