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IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D Strategic
Consulting Services 2016 Vendor Assessment
Alan S. Louie, Ph.D.
IDC MARKETSCAPE FIGURE
FIGURE 1
IDC MarketScape Worldwide Life Science R&D Strategic Consulting Services
Vendor Assessment
Source: IDC Health Insights, 2016
Please see the Appendix for detailed methodology, market definition and scoring criteria.

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IDC OPINION
In our continuing coverage of this space, it is clear that strategic consulting service providers have
continued to grow in both experience and capabilities, resulting in more options for sponsors looking
for competent service providers. In addition, as the industry has focused on externalization strategies
to deliver increased agility and cost savings, preferred service providers are increasingly delivering a
full suite of BPO and ITO solutions in support of strategic consulting efforts. Further, as the boundaries
between the life sciences and healthcare continue to blur, strategic consulting service providers are
increasingly being asked to develop and implement strategies that link or connect data and processes
between the two industries. The demand for strategic consulting services in the life science industry
continues to grow as companies transform themselves in pursuit of long-term sustainability. From a
strategic consulting perspective, transformation initiatives are taking many forms such as traditional
high-level management consulting, organizational transformation, application rationalization,
operations optimization, and infrastructure optimization. Each of these efforts typically requires
strategy development and implementation support from specialist service organizations with relevant
experience. Selecting the right vendor can help organizations efficiently and effectively transform their
organizations, while selecting the wrong vendor often results in wasted resources, lost time, and
potential damage to future success. Like other service areas (i.e., BPO and ITO), strategic consulting
services have experienced double-digit annual growth over the past five years, with significant
expansion beyond traditional service providers as major IT service providers have built industry-
specific expertise and started to expand beyond their IT services strengths to begin to provide more
comprehensive service offerings. Overall, successful strategic consulting service providers are
growing in a variety of ways, including through the expansion of existing client relationships, expanded
offerings (especially through direct support of strategic guidance implementation), and new clients
(especially in expanding the midtier market and with nontraditional entities [e.g., precompetitive
industry consortia]). As expected, premier life science companies routinely engage with a number of
different strategic consulting service providers to most effectively address the diverse strategic
consulting needs present within the organization. Because of the complexity of the life science R&D
market, it is clear that strategic consulting service providers vary widely in the relative strengths of their
offerings. While there are routinely multiple vendors with sufficient experience to compete for RFIs,
RFPs, and other service requests, it is important for companies to shrink the broad list of prospective
vendors to a short list of three to five finalists based on a balanced scorecard that accurately captures
specific company requirements and needs. Successful selection of a single or limited number of
preferred service provider(s) depends on careful consideration of key criteria. Building on contributions
from 13 major life science R&D strategic consulting service providers (including both premier vendors
and the emerging new vendors in this space), this study examines the life science R&D strategic
consulting vendor landscape today with a view toward expected growth over the next three to five
years. This is the third of three documents (BPO, ITO, and strategic consulting) examining services
outsourcing in the life science R&D space. When evaluating vendors, the key criteria that IDC believes
life science companies should consider include:
 Breadth of life science R&D strategic consulting services offered; the depth of related platform,
project, and/or transformational initiative experience; and the number of prior related
engagements the vendor has successfully completed
 Geographical footprint and global delivery capabilities (typically associated with strategy
implementation), level of priority and focus by the vendor on the life science R&D sector, and
the vendor's pace of investment in related life scientific and/or technology-specific areas

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 Depth of business-related, industry-specific knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge
to improving specific client performance and success
 Foundational service capabilities (where applicable), corporate financial stability, and the
ability to accommodate different types and sizes of life science clients
 Diligent vetting of customer references to examine vendor capabilities surrounding project
management, technical skills, account management, and overall value delivery to clients
IDC MARKETSCAPE VENDOR INCLUSION CRITERIA
IDC frequently has unique visibility into vendor selection processes within life science companies
through clients and contacts in the industry. For a vendor to be considered for inclusion in this study,
the vendor's services must have been significantly evaluated for the potential to engage clients within
the target IDC MarketScape space. Further research and due diligence were then conducted to narrow
the list of vendors to only those that IDC views as legitimate contenders for future deals within the
pharmaceutical R&D space. The 13 life science R&D strategic consulting vendors selected to
participate in this study were:
 Accenture
 Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
 Cognizant Technology Solutions
 Deloitte
 HCL Technologies
 IBM
 iGate
 Indegene
 Infosys
 McKinsey
 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
 Wipro
Note that BCG, IBM, iGate, and McKinsey declined to respond to the study RFI. As active vendors in
the space, it was decided that the companies should still be included in this study. As a result, the
assessments for these companies were based completely on IDC primary research data, public data
available to IDC, and the best estimates of IDC analysts.
ESSENTIAL BUYER GUIDANCE
Strategic consulting services in the life science industry are increasing and expanding in importance as
the life science companies continue to transform themselves in pursuit of long-term sustainability. With
BPO, IT outsourcing, and external partnerships and collaborations increasingly the norm, strategic
consulting services are evolving to incorporate new business best practices and expanding
organizational footprints while concurrently optimizing both cost and organizational agility. While some
general pressures exist for life science companies to consolidate their vendor ecosystem into a limited
number of preferred providers, the high-profile nature of strategic consulting has somewhat limited

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consolidation efforts in this area. Where appropriate, savvy IT service providers are actively and
aggressively working to expand their offerings to include strategic consulting capabilities, typically in
areas adjacent to vendor service strengths.
In IDC's view of the strategic consulting ecosystem, key attributes that life science companies are
looking for in their service providers include:
 Traditional management consulting expertise and experience
 Deep life science industry and/or technology-specific knowledge (where appropriate) in the
area of interest
 Practical understanding of application, platform, framework, and infrastructure best practices
where needed
 Operational experience in the area of interest as appropriate
 Understanding of the life science business at both company and tactical levels
 Access to industry-adjacent best practice knowledge where appropriate
 The ability to deliver both strategic guidance and direct implementation support for the project
of interest
 Strong referenceable clients
At the next level, additional factors that life science companies may consider during their vendor
selection include:
 The ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders (including competing service
providers) to drive transformation initiatives, regardless of organizational boundaries
 Experience and knowledge from adjacent industries
 Internal agreement on the relative importance of quality versus cost in the selection of a
service provider
 The ability to deliver a unified service capability over multiple service or geographical areas
 The potential to seamlessly expand services delivered across BPO, ITO, and strategic
consulting as part of preferred vendor relationships
 Compatible corporate cultures
 Historic corporate relationships that could impact vendor selection
VENDOR SUMMARY PROFILES
This section briefly explains IDC's key observations resulting in a vendor's position in the IDC
MarketScape. While every vendor is evaluated against each of the criteria outlined in the Appendix,
the description here provides a summary of each vendor's strengths and challenges.
Accenture
Established in 1989, Accenture has been serving the life science industry for the past 29 years and is
headquartered out of Dublin, Ireland. The company has offices and operations in more than 200 cities
in 55 countries around the world. Although Accenture does not report revenue by industry, IDC
estimates that Accenture derives roughly 5% of its revenue from the life sciences, and we further
estimate that 30% of this revenue comes from R&D-focused engagements. Accenture employs

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approximately 373,000 people worldwide, including 13,000 people dedicated to its life science practice
for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2015.
After a close evaluation of Accenture's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in
the Leaders category within this IDC MarketScape. The company has a historically strong presence in
life science R&D, including a wide portfolio of BPO, ITO, and strategic consulting service offerings; an
increasingly diverse customer base; and significant success in engaging life science companies.
These capabilities and the company's strong commitment to growing and expanding its capabilities
and experience in this area will routinely position Accenture as a formidable competitor in RFPs and
RFIs it responds to in the strategic consulting and broader R&D IT services market.
Strengths
Accenture has extensive experience working with life science companies across all three sections of
the industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. Building on an aggressive growth and
acquisition strategy, Accenture has diversified significantly beyond its traditional big pharma focus and
has grown its presence among emerging and midtier life science companies in recent years, including
adding significant regulatory compliance services capabilities from its acquisition of Octagon Research
Solutions. Accenture's customer base is well represented across North America, Europe, and
Asia/Pacific. Accenture also has a considerable number of delivery centers located across these three
regions as well as in Latin America. Relative to other vendors discussed in this study and based on
feedback from customer references, Accenture received high marks as a knowledgeable, unbiased,
high-quality service provider willing to work side by side with company teams while asking the right
questions and capably filling project knowledge gaps.
Challenges
Accenture has a strong history of delivering strategic consulting services to the life science industry.
With deep relationships in place and growing capabilities, Accenture is well positioned to continue to
expand its influence in the industry. With outsourced services increasingly available to life science
companies of all sizes and types, Accenture should continue to expand and customize its offerings to
make the company more attractive to companies of all sizes, which should allow the company to
continue to grow its influence in the industry. From a service offering perspective, strategic consulting
services positioned for further development by Accenture should include its predictive modeling,
regulatory compliance, and mobile platform services.
BCG
Founded in 1963, BCG has been serving the life science industry for more than 35 years and is
headquartered out of Boston, Massachusetts. The company has 85 offices in 48 countries around the
world. Although BCG is a private company and does not report revenue by industry, IDC estimates
that the company derives roughly 5% of its revenue from the life sciences, and we further estimate that
30% of this revenue comes from R&D-focused engagements. BCG employs approximately 12,000
people worldwide.
After a close evaluation of BCG's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. BCG has been a strategic consulting service
provider to a wide variety of industries worldwide since its inception. The company actively competes
with life science companies for strategic consulting projects as it has particular strengths in both
business strategy and performance optimization. IDC estimates that BCG generates most of its life
science revenue from top-tier life science companies, although the company also works with midtier

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companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. In recent years, BCG has expanded its
capabilities beyond its traditional high-level strategic services to deliver more tactical consulting
services, allowing the company to begin to provide a more complete consulting offering. With these
increasingly comprehensive capabilities, BCG is beginning to gain traction in delivering services
beyond its historically strategic focus.
Strengths
BCG has extensive experience working with life science companies across all three sections of the
industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. With separate biopharmaceutical and medical
device practices, BCG has a wealth of traditional strategic consulting capabilities covering the full life
science value chain. BCG continues to be well situated as a key global strategic consulting service
provider with particular strengths in helping to deliver business transformation. Relative to other
vendors discussed in this study, BCG received high marks for its business insights and understanding
of how to effectively expand into new markets and geographies.
Challenges
BCG has a strong legacy of helping senior management create viable strategies in changing business
ecosystems. This continues to be an ongoing challenge in the life science industry today, which should
help BCG continue to grow its presence in the industry. With its added focus on operational support
consulting services, BCG is beginning to face traditional BPO and ITO competitors head on. While
experience and pricing will likely be a differentiator for broader client engagements, BCG is also facing
increased competition from competitors that are increasingly growing their own strategic consulting
capabilities. From a service offering perspective, strategic consulting services positioned for further
development by BCG should include the continuation of expanding its capabilities in helping its clients
to work across traditional industry boundaries to expand business opportunities.
Cognizant
Established in 1994, Cognizant has been serving the life science industry for almost 22 years. The
company, headquartered out of Teaneck, New Jersey, has over 100 delivery and operations centers in
50 countries. IDC estimates that Cognizant derives roughly 30% of its revenue from combined
healthcare and life science efforts, and we estimate that 35% of life science efforts focus on R&D-
related engagements. Cognizant employs more than 219,300 people worldwide, including more than
16,000 people dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of Cognizant's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in
the Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. The company is particularly strong in
delivering analytics, organizational change management, and process optimization strategic consulting
services. The company's broad portfolio of life science–specific strategic consulting services makes
Cognizant a consistently strong competitor in providing these capabilities to top-tier and midtier life
science companies as an alternative to traditional strategic consulting service providers.
Strengths
Cognizant has extensive experience working with life science companies across all three sections of
the industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. Roughly 90% of Cognizant's life science
customers are large corporations with revenue over $1 billion, and the remaining 10% are primarily
midsize companies. The majority of Cognizant's customer base is spread across North America and
Europe, and the company has a considerable number of delivery and operations centers located

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across both of these regions as well as in Asia and Latin America. Relative to other vendors discussed
in this study, Cognizant was recognized for its understanding of its client's business needs, strong
client team leadership, ability to rapidly staff projects to minimize business disruption, and ability to
deliver high-quality services to its clients.
Challenges
While Cognizant has already begun to expand its offerings beyond big pharma, there is a continued
opportunity for the company to grow its client base in the emerging and midtier space. In addition, with
rapid industry growth in Asia/Pacific, Cognizant should be able to leverage its strong R&D services
portfolio to grow its presence in this market. From a service offering perspective, strategic consulting
services positioned for further development by Cognizant should include predictive modeling, mobile
platform development, and translational research strategic support capabilities.
Deloitte
Established in 1845, Deloitte has been serving the life science industry for over 27 years. The
company, headquartered in New York, New York, has offices in more than 150 countries. While IDC
estimates that Deloitte derives approximately 4% of its revenue from the life sciences, we also
estimate that 20% of the company's healthcare and life science revenue comes from R&D-focused
engagements. Deloitte employs more than 210,000 people worldwide, including approximately 5,000
people dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of Deloitte's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Leaders category within this IDC MarketScape. Within the strategic consulting space, Deloitte is
particularly strong in delivering high-level management consulting, organizational change
management, and R&D operating model design and development for its clients. As one of the
industry's pioneering service providers, Deloitte is consistently a strong competitor in providing
strategic consulting services to a broad spectrum of life science industry clients.
Strengths
Deloitte is an experienced vendor providing its services across all three sections of the industry:
pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. IDC estimates that while more than 60% of Deloitte's
clients are large corporations with revenue over $1 billion, the company has a substantial presence in
the midtier biopharma space and ongoing efforts with smaller biotechs. Deloitte's customers are
spread across North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific, with North America representing slightly more
than 50% of the company's industry services. Deloitte has a number of delivery centers located around
the world, with major centers in the United States, India, and China. Relative to other vendors
discussed in this study and based on feedback from customer references, Deloitte's deep experience,
strong industry knowledge, transparent methodology, business acumen, and strategic mindset all help
to differentiate the company from its competitors.
Challenges
With its large and highly diversified client base, Deloitte should be able to increase its influence in the
industry by growing its existing client relationships as well as by adding new clients. With its strong life
science R&D service offerings, Deloitte will benefit by expanding its innovation-based, industry-specific
service offerings to expand its presence within client companies. From a service offering perspective,
strategic consulting services positioned for further development by Deloitte should include predictive

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modeling, technology-based 3rd Platform (especially mobility), and outsourcing/CRO management
strategic consulting services.
HCL
Established in 1991, HCL has been serving the life science industry for more than 12 years. The
company, headquartered out of Noida, India, has offices in 31 countries. IDC estimates that HCL
derives over 11% of its revenue from the life sciences, roughly 36% of which comes from R&D-focused
engagements. HCL employs more than 103,700 people worldwide, including more than 8,700 people
dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of HCL's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. Within the life science R&D strategic consulting
space, HCL is particularly strong in delivering analytics, process optimization, and regulatory
compliance strategic support services to its clients. With its targeted focus, HCL is aggressively
growing its services to the industry with the goal of becoming a full service resource to its growing life
science client base.
Strengths
HCL has extensive experience working with life science companies across all three sections of the
industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. Nearly all of HCL's life science customers are
large corporations with revenue over $1 billion, with a significant base of customers spread across
North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. HCL also has a considerable number of delivery centers
located across these three regions as well as in Latin America. Relative to other vendors discussed in
this study, HCL was recognized for its industry knowledge, differentiating resources in emerging
regions, and ability to work across the full clinical life cycle.
Challenges
As an experienced global service provider to the life science industry, HCL has historically focused its
efforts on top-tier clients with revenue above $1 billion. As the industry continues to expand through
external collaboration, there is a significant emerging opportunity from the emerging and midtier sector
of the industry. HCL has an opportunity to grow its strategic consulting services by leveraging its
strong ITO client relationships with existing top-tier clients and creating offerings specifically targeted
toward emerging and midtier life science companies. From a service offering perspective, strategic
consulting services positioned for further development by HCL include its predictive modeling and
organizational change management support services.
IBM
Established in 1911, IBM has been serving the life science industry for more than 42 years and is
headquartered out of Armonk, New York. The company has offices and operations in more than 175
countries around the world. Although the company has not reported revenue by industry, IDC
estimates that IBM derives roughly 1% of its revenue from the life sciences, and we further estimate
that 10% of this revenue comes from R&D-focused engagements. IBM employs more than 377,000
people worldwide, including more than 2,500 dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of IBM's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. IBM's shift away from traditional IT and move
toward Watson and cognitive computing is an important strategic move that remains early in its
adoption in the life sciences. While highly promising, it remains to be seen whether IBM Watson will

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deliver to its potential in the life sciences, particularly so in changing how data is handled across the
increasingly growing life science/healthcare ecosystem. If successful, IBM Watson has the potential to
become a foundational presence, requiring strong life science IT service delivery across the industry.
Strengths
IBM has extensive experience working with life science companies across all three sections of the
industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. While IBM's traditionally strong strategic R&D
IT outsourcing services are in decline, the company's development of IBM Watson as a cognitive
computing engine is unmatched in the industry. IBM works with life science customers of all sizes and
has a strong base of customers spread across North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. Relative to
other vendors discussed in this study, IBM received high marks as a global thought leader with
foundational technical expertise and a renewed focus on emerging opportunities, including genomics,
cognitive computing, and next-generation IT.
Challenges
With its life science technology and infrastructure-based strategic services in decline, IBM has focused
on Watson and cognitive computing as its growth foundation for the future. With deep relationships in
place, IBM is seeking to grow opportunities with Watson among its existing client base and with new
prospective clients, including supporting collaborations across both life science R&D and healthcare
delivery spaces. While still early, IBM should further develop its Watson-based cognitive innovation
solutions and technology-based analytical frameworks to help both life science and healthcare
companies deliver near-term value to its clients.
iGate
Founded in 1986, iGate has been serving the life science industry for more than 27 years. With
completion of its acquisition by Capgemini in June 2015, iGate has become part of a much larger $14
billion services organization, greatly extends its reach, and positions itself to better compete with its
peers. Because of the acquisition, iGate was unable to directly contribute to this study. Building on
IDC's own models, it is estimated that iGate — a subsidiary of Capgemini — derived roughly 9% of its
revenue from the life sciences, of which 56% comes from R&D-focused engagements. Prior to the
acquisition, iGate employed more than 33,000 people worldwide, including more than 1,200 people
dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of iGate's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Contenders category within this IDC MarketScape. Within the life science R&D strategic consulting
space, iGate has continued to build its R&D portfolio of service offerings around its traditional IT
platform and analytics solution strengths while positioning itself as an alternative to the large service
providers. IDC expects that, in combination with Capgemini, iGate's performance in future IDC
MarketScape studies will dramatically improve.
Strengths
iGate has significant experience working with life science companies across all three sections of the
industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. With 30% of its revenue derived from
emerging and midtier life science companies, iGate is well positioned for expected growth in markets
outside of the traditional big pharma. Capgemini's broader size and global footprint should help iGate
to more rapidly build its global presence, building on a strong North American client base and growing
European and Asia/Pacific presence. Relative to other vendors discussed in this study, iGate received

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high marks for solid account management and constantly working to improve its client efforts
throughout its engagements.
Challenges
With its highly diversified client base, iGate should be able to increase its influence in the industry by
leveraging its union with Capgemini (including Capgemini's differentiated strategic consulting
capabilities), growing its existing client relationships, and continuing to add new clients. With
continuing globalization of the life science industry overall, iGate along with its newly accessible global
Capgemini capabilities and resources is well positioned to use its strategic consulting capabilities to
compete with the major competitors in the space. From a service offering perspective, iGate needs to
reconcile its strategic consulting offerings with Capgemini's and put forth a unified portfolio offering and
positioning for the market.
Indegene
Established in 1998, Indegene has been serving the life science industry for the past 16 years. The
company, headquartered out of Bangalore, India, has eight delivery centers located in the United
States (three), India (three), and China (two). Although Indegene is privately held, IDC estimates that
Indegene derives 94% of its revenue from the life sciences, with 30% of that revenue coming from
R&D-focused engagements. Indegene employs more than 1,200 employees, all of whom are
dedicated specifically to the life science industry.
After a close evaluation of Indegene's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in
the Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. Indegene has grown its presence
significantly in the R&D strategic consulting space since its positioning as a Contender in IDC
MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D Strategic Consulting 2014 Vendor Assessment (IDC
Health Insights #HI246518, February 2014). The company continues to be an emerging service
provider with strengths in analytics, predictive modeling, process optimization, and regulatory
compliance support services. The company's strong technical focus, combined with aggressive
investment for growth, should allow Indegene to continue to grow its presence in the industry over the
foreseeable future.
Strengths
Although a majority of Indegene's customers are large pharmaceutical companies, Indegene has
expanded its presence across all three sections of the industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical
devices. The company has further expanded its focus to include midtier life science companies,
continued to expand geographically, and has added new capabilities through both organic growth and
targeted acquisitions. Relative to other vendors discussed in this study, Indegene's strong technical
team and targeted R&D focus should continue to help differentiate the company from its competitors.
Challenges
With its growing global presence, Indegene should be able to increase its influence in the industry by
both growing its portfolio of strategic consulting offerings and focusing specific efforts toward emerging
and midtier life science companies. With its focused (and expanding) service offerings, Indegene will
also benefit by strengthening its technology-based 3rd Platform and organizational change
management strategic support capabilities. As the company grows, leadership should also consider
expanding the company's technical resources and begin to pursue more emerging industry strategic
areas of focus (e.g., outsourcing, collaboration, and patient engagement support services).

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Infosys
Established in 1981, Infosys has been serving the life science industry for more than 13 years. The
company, headquartered out of Bangalore, India, has 85 offices and 100 development centers around
the world. IDC estimates that Infosys derives approximately 6% of its revenue from the life sciences,
roughly 10% of which comes from R&D-focused engagements. Infosys employs more than 193,000
people worldwide, including more than 5,000 people dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of Infosys' offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Contenders category within this IDC MarketScape. Within the life science R&D strategic consulting
space, Infosys is particularly strong in delivering process optimization and R&D supply chain strategic
support services to its clients. With its strong global focus, Infosys is actively growing its strategic
consulting services to strengthen its opportunities within the industry.
Strengths
While continuing to grow its efforts with top-tier pharmaceutical companies, Infosys has developed a
broader industry footprint that appeals to companies of all sizes. In contrast to many of its peers, the
company conducts more of its efforts in Europe than in the United States. With its extensive network of
delivery centers distributed around the world, Infosys is well positioned to provide its customers with
significant flexibility in sourcing their project engagements. Relative to other vendors discussed in this
study, Infosys was recognized for the value it delivers customers relative to cost, quality of its work,
and potential to move beyond tactical support services into more strategic contributions within an
organization.
Challenges
With the strength of its global delivery infrastructure, commitment to grow its life science business, and
breadth of service offerings, Infosys is well positioned to grow its strategic consulting capabilities and
should be competitive in all RFPs that the company competes for. Infosys should continue to gain
more experience in all of its strategic consulting offerings and grow its relationships with its core
clientele. From a service offering perspective, strategic consulting services positioned for further
development by Infosys include analytics, predictive modeling, and technology-based 3rd Platform
support services.
McKinsey
Founded in 1926, McKinsey has been serving in the life science industry for more than 32 years and is
headquartered out of New York, New York. The company has more than 100 offices and operations in
more than 60 countries around the world. Although McKinsey does not report revenue by industry, IDC
estimates that the company derives roughly 5% of its revenue from the life sciences, and we further
estimate that 30% of this comes from R&D-focused engagements. McKinsey employs more than
17,000 people worldwide, including more than 1,700 consultants with life science and/or healthcare
expertise.
After a close evaluation of McKinsey's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in
the Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. As one of the founding management
consulting companies, IDC estimates that McKinsey generates most of its life science revenue from
top-tier life science companies, although the company also works globally with midtier biopharma
companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. These capabilities and the company's

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strong reputation in the industry routinely position McKinsey as a strong competitor in high-level,
strategic consulting projects that the company competes for.
Strengths
McKinsey is a strategic consulting service provider to a wide variety of industries worldwide. The
company actively competes with life science companies for strategic consulting projects as it has
particular strengths in both traditional strategy consulting and operations management across the
complete industry life cycle. McKinsey has extensive experience working with life science companies
across all three sections of the industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. With a
presence in more than 60 countries, McKinsey has a strong footprint worldwide and the ability to help
its life science clients expand as the industry becomes increasingly global. Relative to other vendors
discussed in this study and based on feedback from multiple customer references, McKinsey received
high marks as a best-of-breed, high-quality strategic consulting service provider with thought
leadership covering the full product life cycle.
Challenges
McKinsey has historically been and continues to be a key advisor to companies worldwide. With the
expansion of strategic consulting to include more industry-specific and technology-centric efforts,
significant competition is continuing to arise from niche and IT-centric service providers within the life
science space. Through either partnerships or M&A, McKinsey should expand its strategic consulting
offerings to be able to deliver more comprehensive transformation solutions to its broad portfolio of life
science clients.
PwC
As one of the foundational players in the industry, headquartered out of New York, New York, PwC
established its pharma management consulting services practice roughly 32 years ago. Overall, the
company has offices and operations in 157 countries around the world. Although PwC does not report
revenue by industry, IDC estimates that the company derives roughly 7% of its revenue from the life
science industry, and we further estimate that 15% of this comes from R&D-focused engagements.
PwC employs more than 195,000 people worldwide, including more than 5,800 dedicated to its life
science practice.
After a close evaluation of PwC's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Leaders category within this IDC MarketScape. PwC is among the main service providers of R&D
strategic consulting and carries a legacy of strong strategic consulting services to the industry. The
company has a broad customer base, a strong global footprint, and significant success in engaging
and expanding its relationship with top-tier pharmaceutical companies. PwC is actively growing its
capabilities through an aggressive acquisition strategy and is a formidable competitor in all RFPs and
RFIs it responds to.
Strengths
PwC has extensive experience working with life science companies across all three sections of the
industry: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. More than 80% of PwC's life science
customers are large corporations with revenue over $1 billion, with a significant base of customers
spread across North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. Relative to other vendors discussed in this
study and based on feedback from multiple customer references, PwC continues to receive high marks

13. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 13
for underpromising and overdelivering, bringing industry-specific knowledge (instead of templates) to
engagements, and uniquely understanding industry needs from a business perspective.
Challenges
PwC has a long and deep history of delivering strategic consulting services to the life science industry
and beyond. With deep relationships in place, PwC is well positioned to expand its work both within its
existing client base and with emerging and midtier industry leaders. With industry transformation
increasingly impacting life science companies of all sizes and types, PwC should expand its offerings
to better capture projects with emerging and midtier companies, which should allow the company to
maintain its leadership in the industry. Working from a position of deep experience in delivering a
broad portfolio of comprehensive, industry-specific strategic consulting service offerings, PwC should
look to further expand its technology and therapeutics area-centric process optimization and strategy
capabilities.
TCS
Founded in 1968 as a division of Tata Sons, TCS has been serving the life science industry for the
past 27 years. The company, headquartered out of Mumbai, India, has offices in 46 countries. IDC
estimates that TCS derives roughly 7% of its revenue from its health and life science business unit
(half of which IDC estimates comes from the life sciences), and IDC estimates that roughly 40% of this
revenue comes from R&D-focused engagements. TCS employs more than 319,000 people worldwide,
with IDC estimating more than 10,000 people specifically dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of TCS' offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Leaders category within this IDC MarketScape. Within the life science R&D strategic consulting space,
TCS brings a full spectrum of capabilities, with particular strength in technology-based 3rd Platform
support capabilities and process optimization support services. TCS' strong technical focus, success
with life science companies, and broad service offering make the company a strong partner for
companies seeking a preferred vendor to address their strategic consulting needs.
Strengths
TCS has extensive experience working with life science companies across the three major industry
sectors: pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical devices. Nearly all of TCS' life science customers are
large corporations with revenue over $1 billion, although a small percentage of the company's
customers are midtier life science companies. Most of TCS' customers reside in North America and
Europe, with a few scattered across Asia/Pacific and Latin America. The company also has a
considerable number of delivery centers located across all four of these regions. Relative to other
vendors discussed in this study and based on feedback from multiple customer references, Tata
Consultancy Services received high marks for its foundational technical strengths and its ability to
deliver more strategic consulting and support services (in addition to its core BPO and ITO
capabilities).
Challenges
As an experienced global service provider to the life science industry, TCS has historically focused its
efforts on organizations with revenue above $1 billion. As the industry continues to expand through
external collaboration, there continues to be a significant opportunity to deliver TCS' strong analytical,
process optimization, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory compliance support services beyond the
company's traditional client base. From a service offering perspective, strategic consulting services

14. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 14
positioned for further development by TCS include expanding its predictive modeling, organizational
change management, and outsourcing/CRO strategy support services.
Wipro
Founded in 1945, Wipro has been serving the life science industry for the past 14 years. The company,
headquartered out of Bangalore, India, has offices in 57 countries. Wipro derives roughly 11% of its
revenue from its health and life science business unit (half of which IDC estimates comes from the life
sciences), of which 30% comes from R&D-focused engagements. Wipro employs more than 160,000
people worldwide, including more than 6,300 people dedicated to its life science practice.
After a close evaluation of Wipro's offerings and capabilities, IDC has positioned the company in the
Major Players category within this IDC MarketScape. Within the life science R&D strategic consulting
space, Wipro is particularly strong in delivering analytics, technology-based 3rd Platform, and process
optimization strategic support services, supplemented by a broad portfolio of solid life science R&D
BPO and ITO offerings. The company's global presence, growing portfolio of strategic support
services, aggressive growth strategy, competitive pricing, and strong customer focus have made Wipro
a strong competitor for technology-oriented, strategic consulting services in areas where the company
competes as well as a vendor that should be regularly on the short list in RFPs that the company
participates in.
Strengths
Wipro has extensive experience working with medical device companies, complemented by midlevel
experience with pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well. The vast majority of Wipro's life
science customers are large corporations with revenue over $1 billion, with a smaller contribution from
midtier life science companies. While more than half of its client base is in North America, Wipro does
have a significant client base across all regions of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Latin
America, with multiple delivery centers in each region as well. Relative to other vendors discussed in
this study and based on feedback from multiple customer references, Wipro received high marks for its
strong technical team, ability to deliver high value for the money, willingness to invest in emerging
areas, and collaborative approach to problem solving.
Challenges
As an emerging strategic consulting service provider, Wipro is well positioned for growth. As with other
vendors, Wipro will need to gain additional experience with its existing strategic consulting portfolio of
offerings as well as expand its strategic support capabilities. Wipro has a significant specific
opportunity to grow its strategic consulting services by building on its differentiated medical device
engineering expertise, leveraging its solid BPO and ITO client relationships with existing top-tier
clients, and creating offerings specifically targeted toward emerging and midtier life science
companies. From a service offering perspective, strategic consulting services positioned for further
development by Wipro include organizational change management, technology-based 3rd Platform
development, and outsourcing strategic support services.
APPENDIX
Reading an IDC MarketScape Graph
For the purposes of this analysis, IDC divided potential key measures for success into two primary
categories: capabilities and strategies.

15. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 15
Positioning on the y-axis reflects the vendor's current capabilities and menu of services and how well
aligned the vendor is to customer needs. The capabilities category focuses on the capabilities of the
company and product today, here and now. Under this category, IDC analysts will look at how well a
vendor is building/delivering capabilities that enable it to execute its chosen strategy in the market.
Positioning on the x-axis, or strategies axis, indicates how well the vendor's future strategy aligns with
what customers will require in three to five years. The strategies category focuses on high-level
decisions and underlying assumptions about offerings, customer segments, and business and go-to-
market plans for the next three to five years.
The size of the individual vendor markers in the IDC MarketScape represents the market share of each
individual vendor within the specific market segment being assessed.
IDC MarketScape Methodology
IDC MarketScape criteria selection, weightings, and vendor scores represent well-researched IDC
judgment about the market and specific vendors. IDC analysts tailor the range of standard
characteristics by which vendors are measured through structured discussions, surveys, and
interviews with market leaders, participants, and end users. Market weightings are based on user
interviews, buyer surveys, and the input of a review board of IDC experts in each market. IDC analysts
base individual vendor scores, and ultimately vendor positions on the IDC MarketScape, on detailed
surveys and interviews with the vendors, publicly available information, and end-user experiences in
an effort to provide an accurate and consistent assessment of each vendor's characteristics, behavior,
and capability.
Market Definition
For the purposes of this study, strategic consulting is defined broadly and includes:
 High-level management consulting and advisory services (including portfolio and other R&D
strategy development, new business model assessments and strategies, and globalization
strategy development and implementation)
 Operation and process optimization development and implementation services (including IT
framework development, outsourcing strategies, and organizational change management
support)
 Technology adoption and implementation strategy development (including mobile, cloud, big
data, and social communication strategy development)
Market Overview
The loss of major recurring blockbuster drug revenue to patent expirations has driven the life science
industry to rapidly transform itself over the past several years. Efforts at the forefront include:
 Increased focus on targeted therapeutics (niche blockbusters)
 Elimination of excess capacity
 A complete assessment of operations and processes across the industry life cycle in pursuit of
operational efficiency optimization and process excellence
With significant assistance from external strategic advisors, a major component of life science
company organizational change has been the shift to externalize noncore competencies to external
service providers. While much of this transformation has already been completed, companies are

16. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 16
continuing to optimize and fine-tune their vendor relationships as they further expand the list of
activities that can be effectively performed by partners. This shift has also driven concurrent
consolidation in the service provider ecosystem as companies increasingly look to a small number of
preferred vendors to perform the bulk of their outsourced activities. From the vendor point of view, the
increased outsourcing has created new growth opportunities to offer and provide these same services
to emerging and midtier life science companies.
As part of the drive to change, life science companies have recognized that the current approach to
new drug development will be unable to deliver sufficient new revenue to replace the revenue lost to
patent expirations. While a variety of new business models are being considered and evaluated,
companies are concurrently looking to better exploit both technology innovation and best practices
from outside of the industry. These efforts are being actively supported by strategic consulting service
providers. With a focus on technology, it is clear that this paradigm shift has been long in the making.
IDC's four pillars of technology innovation — IT clouds, big data and analytics, mobile platforms and
solutions, and social and unified communications — will play a major role in industry transformation.
While contributing in different ways, each of the four pillars is expected to directly contribute to both
strategic and tactical initiatives driving organizational change and will have near-term goals,
expectations, and defined ROI. The level of technology adoption varies widely depending on the use
case, with the degree of regulatory oversight, perceived risk, and the willingness to change as key
factors impacting adoption.
Strategic consulting service providers have supported the life science industry for more than 42 years,
delivering BPO, ITO, and strategic consulting services on a regular basis. The shift to externalize
efforts as well as the move to transform supporting infrastructure has provided new opportunities for
these vendors to expand their efforts with life science companies. As a result, life science–focused
service providers are growing rapidly and taking on more responsibility for strategic, IT, and industry-
specific information management activities on behalf of their industry sponsors. While decision-making
and risk-associated activities are expected to remain as core competencies within life science
companies, commoditized, strategic, tactical, and operational activities are rapidly becoming the
domain of a limited number of preferred service provider partners.
While strategic consulting services are well established within the life science R&D and broader life
science industry, there is continuing growth of strategic consulting services based on the ongoing
transformation of the industry from a strategic, operational, and process perspective as well as the
continuing expansion of the industry from both a life-cycle perspective (i.e., closer ties with academic
and peer partners and expansion into the healthcare space) and a geographic perspective. While
initially focused on traditional business transformation, M&A, and operational management, service
providers are extending their reach into both technology and knowledge management areas, with
strong industry-specific and company-specific expertise being brought to the table. With significant
science, technology, and IT knowledge components increasingly becoming part of strategic
engagements, traditional IT service providers are gaining traction in winning strategic consulting
engagements where operational and tactical knowledge and experience is relevant. Key R&D areas
where strategic consulting is expanding include analytics (including predictive model development and
process optimization dashboards), technology adoption and implementation (including mobile, cloud,
big data, and social communication strategies), and globalization and partner strategy and operational
management strategy development and implementation.

17. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 17
Strategies and Capabilities Criteria
Tables 1 and 2 provide key strategy and capability measures for the success of life science R&D
strategic consulting service providers.
TABLE 1
Key Strategy Measures for Success: Life Science R&D Strategic
Consulting Services
Strategies Criteria Criteria Definition Subcategories of Evaluation Criteria Weighting
Offering strategy The vendor's current
development of offerings will be
relevant and attractive to
customers over the next three to
five years.
Functionality or offering
road map
Current and planned offerings
are expected to match directly to
the current customer needs to
deliver maximum customer
benefit over the next three to five
years.
Breadth of offering; a range of
industry segments covered
4.00
Delivery model Current and planned offerings
will be delivered in ways that
match customer preferences for
resource allocation, cost agility,
and so forth over the next three
to five years.
Technical focus and appropriate
industry experience available to
effectively deliver services
1.00
Cost management strategy The cost structure for this
offering is competitive, yet
supports the flexibility required to
adjust to the pricing models that
customers will want over the
next three to five years.
Deployment model flexibility 1.00
Portfolio strategy The offering is developed and
delivered in ways specific to
industry-specific/company-
specific current and evolving
needs over the next three to five
years.
Breadth of general and industry-
specific strategic consulting
service offerings
3.00
Customer base The company is expected to
have a substantial customer
base over the next three to five
years.
A number of pharma customers,
a number of biotech customers,
and a number of medical device
customers
1.00
Offering strategy total 10.00

18. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 18
TABLE 1
Key Strategy Measures for Success: Life Science R&D Strategic
Consulting Services
Strategies Criteria Criteria Definition Subcategories of Evaluation Criteria Weighting
Go-to-market strategy The vendor's capabilities
maximize the connection
between offerings and
customers, including choosing to
target customer segments that
offer the greatest opportunity
over the next three to five years.
Pricing model The pricing model and the
related pricing options will be
aligned with customers'
preferences over the next three
to five years.
Pricing model and delivery
flexibility
1.00
Sales/distribution strategy The future sales/distribution
structure is aligned with the way
customers, especially those in
high-growth market segments,
want to buy over the next three
to five years.
1.00
Marketing strategy The vendor's marketing
organization is expected to be
aligned with the priority customer
segments and execute well over
the next three to five years.
4.00
Customer service strategy Service options for the vendor's
offerings will be aligned with
priority customer segments'
wants and needs over the next
three to five years.
4.00
Go-to-market strategy total 10.00
Business strategy Strategies to grow the business
are aligned with market trends
and future opportunities over the
next three to five years.
Growth strategy The company is knowledgeable
on the life science industry and
will be well informed on the
current and emerging market
needs and desires over the next
three to five years.
3.00

19. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 19
TABLE 1
Key Strategy Measures for Success: Life Science R&D Strategic
Consulting Services
Strategies Criteria Criteria Definition Subcategories of Evaluation Criteria Weighting
Innovation/R&D pace and
productivity
The pace of continued
investment is expanding the
company's life science R&D
offerings/capabilities over the
next three to five years.
3.00
Financial/funding model The company will generate,
attract, and manage capital well
over the next three to five years
to create and expand market
value.
1.00
Employee strategy The company is expected to hire
employees and organize itself
optimally to create market value
for customers over the next
three to five years.
1.00
Customer references Customers assess vendor
performance both now and in the
future.
2.00
Business strategy total 10.00
Source: IDC Health Insights, 2016

20. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 20
TABLE 2
Key Capability Measures for Success: Life Science R&D Strategic
Consulting Services
Capabilities Criteria Criteria Definition Criteria Weighting
Offering capabilities The offering's capabilities align well with the current market needs
and demands.
Functionality or offering road
map
Current offerings match directly to the current customer needs to
deliver maximum customer benefit.
4.00
Delivery model Current offerings are delivered in ways that match customer
preferences for adoption/consumption.
1.00
Cost management strategy The cost structure for this offering is competitive, yet supports the
flexibility required to adjust to the pricing models that customers
want today.
1.00
Portfolio strategy Current offerings are developed and delivered in ways specific to
the industry, matching varying company needs.
3.00
Customer base The company has a substantial customer base. 1.00
Offering capabilities total 10.00
Go-to-market capabilities Go-to-market capabilities maximize the connection between
offerings and customers such as delivery, partnerships, pricing,
distribution, marketing, sales, and service.
Pricing model The pricing model and the related pricing options are currently
aligned with customers' preferences.
1.00
Sales/distribution strategy The current sales/distribution structure is aligned with the way
customers, especially those in high-growth market segments,
want to buy.
1.00
Marketing strategy The vendor's marketing organization is aligned with the priority
customer segments and executing well.
4.00
Customer service strategy The vendor's customer-facing delivery skills and capabilities
satisfy market wants and needs.
4.00
Go-to-market capabilities total 10.00
Business capabilities Financial, employee, partner, and R&D management among other
capabilities are in agreement with the current market
opportunities.
Growth strategy The vendor is knowledgeable on the life sciences and is well
informed of R&D needs and wants.
3.00

21. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 21
TABLE 2
Key Capability Measures for Success: Life Science R&D Strategic
Consulting Services
Capabilities Criteria Criteria Definition Criteria Weighting
Innovation/R&D pace and
productivity
The pace of continued investment is expanding the vendor's life
science R&D service offerings.
3.00
Financial/funding model The company is generating, attracting, and managing capital to
create market value.
1.00
Employee strategy The company hires employees and organizes itself optimally to
create market value for customers.
1.00
Customer references The vendor has strong customer references. 2.00
Business capabilities total 10.00
Source: IDC Health Insights, 2016
LEARN MORE
Related Research
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D ITO Services 2016 Vendor Assessment (IDC
Health Insights #US40502516, February 2016)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D BPO Services 2016 Vendor Assessment (IDC
Health Insights #US40961616, January 2016)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D Risk-Based Monitoring Services 2015 Vendor
Assessment (IDC Health Insights #HI255628, April 2015)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D Strategic Consulting Services 2014 Vendor
Assessment (IDC Health Insights #HI246518, February 2014)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D ITO 2013 Vendor Assessment (IDC Health
Insights #HI245309, January 2014)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D BPO 2013 Vendor Assessment (IDC
#244934, December 2013)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science Drug Safety Services 2013 Vendor Assessment
(IDC Health Insights #HI239221, February 2013)
 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Science R&D IT Outsourcing 2011 Vendor Assessment
(IDC Health Insights #HI230026, August 2011)

22. ©2016 IDC #US41126416 22
Synopsis
This IDC study is the third of a three-part life science R&D IDC MarketScape series focused on IT
outsourcing. With a specific focus on strategic consulting in the life science R&D space, this study
seeks to compare major service providers with each other based on criteria that should be important to
life science companies when considering the selection of a strategic consulting partner to help provide
guidance for strategic, operational, and tactical transformation issues within the R&D space.
Alan Louie, research director of IDC Health Insights' Clinical Development, Strategy and Technology
research, noted, "Strategic consulting in the life sciences is more important than ever as industry
transformation moves forward. Beyond smoothing transitions and optimizing operational and business
performance, companies are actively breaking new ground and extending their world view. Partner
ecosystems are increasingly capable of delivering the complete process life cycle and have become a
critical component of life science corporate strategies for success. The selection of an optimal partner
ecosystem is key to developing and executing these increasingly externalized complex business
strategies. IDC expects that the dependence on external service providers will continue to grow as
organizations seek to navigate through increasingly complex global, regulatory, and operational life
science ecosystems. Leading vendors as preferred partners that understand their sponsor's business
almost as well as their sponsors and have the capacity to deliver superior services will be key to
helping their clients succeed, both now and in the future."

23. About IDC
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