PE Backed Consulting Rollups Accelerate

Consulting firms are moving fast—major rollups like CFGI’s acquisition of BAO and CohnReznick’s $103 million Aldrich deal are redrawing the map, fueled by private equity giants Apax, Carlyle, and CVC. The play is clear: buy sector expertise, expand geographic coverage, and pack in adjacent revenue streams like wealth management and valuation. For boutiques and mid-sized firms that lack these capabilities, the squeeze is coming. The cross-sell game is on, and the clock is ticking—watch for results within the next few quarters as integration, partner retention, and billing rates reveal whether these bets pay off.

But here’s the catch: operators aren’t waiting. Redwood Logistics flipped the script by buying JBF Consulting and launching a standalone advisory arm, giving clients rapid access to tech strategy and AI guidance—but also raising eyebrows about downstream conflicts of interest. Meanwhile, Carenet Health’s back-to-back acquisitions signal a full-stack push into healthcare AI, but the real test will be whether promised outcomes like lower admission rates materialize on deadline. Add in LinkedIn’s new paid consulting features and a surge in AI-driven backend demand—think data center power use jumping 24% annually—and it’s clear the industry’s fundamentals are shifting, fast.

Featuring insights from McKinsey, BCG, and Public Radio Tulsa.

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