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Deloitte helps the federal government prepare the aid package for Swiss and Co. That comes at a proud price. But most importantly, how independent is the consulting firm that Lufthansa counts among its clients?
The crown pandemic halted the flight business. Now the Swiss urgently needs help.
The state is releasing billions to face the crown crisis. Nothing is more controversial than financial injections for the Swiss aviation industry. The Federal Council has decided to close liquidity bottlenecks in the companies involved. Parliament gave the green light to this. Loans worth 1.275 million Swiss francs are planned for Swiss airlines and Edelweiss, and another 600 million Swiss francs for companies related to flights such as Swissport and Gategroup. Credit guarantees are conditional. The money must remain in Switzerland, no outflows to parent companies abroad are allowed. And airlines have to follow a business plan with strict savings requirements.
The federal government did not have to tender the contract.
The aid package has brought together an “Aviation” working group led by Serge Gaillard, director of the Federal Finance Administration (EFV). But it is only now becoming public that the task force was also able to count on a well-paid group of consultants: the Deloitte testing company. Tax authorities confirm the relevant information. The consultants were hired “to conduct an in-depth examination of the financial aspects of the airlines and near-flight operations in Switzerland,” a spokesman said.
Deloitte was brought on board by the federal government in the second week of April. The mandate costs the taxpayer CHF 1.62 million. For Deloitte to be in the crowns, the company did not have to prevail in a public tender; although the order volume clearly exceeds the relevant threshold of CHF 230,000. The federal government awarded the contract by hand; Due to the crown pandemic, it makes an exception clause: the acquisition is so urgent that it was not possible to carry out a regular award procedure. The law allows this to be done in case of unpredictable events.
The financial administration does not comment on the details of the mandate. Research shows: On the one hand, Deloitte examined airlines and near-flight operations for the federal government. On the other hand, the consulting firm helped develop the pillars of the aid package. This was controversial, not only because green left politicians had called for strict environmental regulations. But mainly because almost all the companies involved have foreign parent companies. Swiss and Edelweiss belong to the German Lufthansa. Meanwhile, Swissport and Gategroup are majority owned by Asian investors.
The federal government wants to keep airlines in the air, but also prevent their corporations from benefiting. The Federal Council and the “Aviation” working group determined that Easyjet Switzerland was not entitled to state aid. The low-cost airline should be able to meet the liquidity needs of its parent company. The EFV leaves open the question of why the federal government chose Deloitte’s services. A spokesperson for the consulting firm simply explains generally: “In our work, we combine experience from different disciplines with knowledge from different industries.”
Lufthansa is a Deloitte customer
Deloitte’s Swiss national company is legally independent, its parent company belongs to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s global network. Deloitte Germany is also involved in this, and this company in turn has Lufthansa among its customers. She assisted the aviation group with strategic questions and digital transformation. According to their own statements, a 75-person German team from Deloitte recently advised Lufthansa on its way to becoming the “leading customer-focused airline in the industry”. Deloitte’s Vienna branch once accompanied the acquisition of Austrian Airlines by the Lufthansa Group, which is now also seeking government help in Austria.
Deloitte Switzerland advertises, inter alia, with its “global network” offering “integrated organizations worldwide”. The question arises: does consulting in the service of the state obtain knowledge that could be valuable to network aviation clients? The federal government rejects this and refers to measures to prevent conflicts of interest. Deloitte’s independence has been contractually guaranteed, the EFV spokesman said.
When asked about customer relations in the aviation industry, Deloitte Switzerland buckled up. For confidentiality reasons, there are no comments on customer relationships. However, the company spokesperson emphasizes: “Independence is a central pillar of cooperation and mutual trust for us and our clients.” That is why it is contractually agreed and guaranteed to the client.
