That's a good question. Much has been written about the use of outside consultants.
There are various categories of outside consultants, but I think we have to remember one thing.
In my department, Public Works and Procurement Canada, for example, most of the outside consultants are engineering, architecture and construction firms. They help us with projects, such as the major projects we have here at the Parliamentary Precinct. They are also responsible for decontaminating contaminated sites. Outside management consultants account for a tiny portion of all government contracts.
In addition, I can tell you that the number of contracts with outside management consultants at Public Works and Procurement Canada has dropped by 36% from one year to the next.
At Shared Services Canada, there has been a 75% reduction. They represent a very small portion of contracts with consultants. As I said, they are much more often for architectural, engineering and consulting engineering work, that is to say major infrastructure work, such as the work we are overseeing at the Parliamentary Precinct.
Ms. Reza, I don't know if you'd like to add anything to that, because you've worked on this a lot.