PSA software for a management consultancy in London in 2026

The verdict in three sentences

A management consultancy of 70 consultants in London that only learns how profitable its engagements were at year end is flying blind: unbilled overruns, underused consultants, mispriced proposals. An off-the-shelf PSA (Professional Services Automation) tool costs 20 to 50 GBP per user per month, while a custom build costs 40,000 to 100,000 GBP delivered in 3 to 4 months. Each point of utilization is worth about 160,000 GBP of annual revenue for a firm this size, so moving from 68% to 78% pays for itself very quickly.

What the CFO cannot see without engagement management software

In many firms, time is logged in a spreadsheet on Friday evening (when it is logged at all), engagement budgets live in proposals and invoices are built from both at month end. As a result, the firm discovers a fixed-fee engagement burned 140% of its budget when the final invoice goes out. A PSA brings together the sales pipeline, resource planning, timesheets, expenses, invoicing and margin per engagement.

Off-the-shelf or custom PSA: 5-year cost for 70 consultants

Market PSAs are mature and well suited to standard firms. A custom build makes sense when the firm has unusual billing models (milestone fixed fees, capped time and materials, success fees, publicly funded programs), an existing ERP to respect, or profitability dashboards standard tools cannot produce.

For a nearshore or offshore reference point, Kolonell's 11/10/2026 grid places a mid-complexity app at 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (about 6,100 to 10,670 EUR) and a complex project at 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA or more (10,670 to 22,870 EUR or more).

The four modules that drive profitability

The first is resource planning, matching skills, availability and signed or probable engagements: this is what lifts utilization. The second is mobile time entry, with an automatic Friday reminder and manager approval. The third is budget tracking per engagement, with an alert at 80% of budget consumed. The fourth is automated invoicing (time and materials, milestone fixed fee, or mixed), which drafts invoices as soon as timesheets are approved and feeds the accounting ERP.

Mini case study

Emma, CFO of a 70-consultant management consultancy in London, bills an average day rate of 1,100 GBP, with 210 available days per consultant per year. Illustrative scenario: one point of utilization is worth 70 x 210 x 1% x 1,100 = 161,700 GBP of annual revenue. Moving from 68% to 72% in year one (an intermediate goal before 78%) adds about 646,800 GBP of revenue. With a 40% contribution margin on those extra days, the gain reaches 258,720 GBP, for a custom PSA at 70,000 GBP plus 18,000 GBP of yearly run cost: the project pays back in under 4 months.

FAQ

How much does a PSA for a consultancy cost in 2026?

Off-the-shelf PSAs cost 20 to 50 GBP per user per month, so 1,600 to 4,000 GBP a month for 80 users. A custom tool costs 40,000 to 100,000 GBP, then 1,000 to 2,000 GBP a month.

How long does rollout take?

Between 3 and 4 months for a custom build, including 3 to 4 weeks to migrate live engagements. Time entry can start from week 6.

Will consultants actually log their time?

Yes, if logging takes under 5 minutes a week on mobile and invoicing depends on it. Firms with a PSA routinely reach 95% of timesheets submitted on time.

Can the PSA connect to our accounting ERP?

Yes, approved invoices and analytical entries flow automatically to major accounting packages. Allow 5 to 10 development days per specific interface.

What utilization should we target?

For a management consultancy, 75 to 80% is a common target for analysts and consultants, closer to 50 to 60% for partners. The PSA tracks these targets by grade every week.

Let's scope your project. Tell us your headcount, billing models and current tools: we will propose a scope, an indicative budget and a rollout plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.