Feds Paid Consulting Firm Accenture $208 Million to Manage COVID Program

The logo of Irish services and consulting company Accenture is seen at a temporary office during the World Economic Forum summit in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland, on May 25, 2022. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

The price tag to outsource one of Ottawa’s COVID support programs came to over $220 million, with $208 million going to multinational consulting firm Accenture Inc., according to an official document.

Export Development Canada (EDC), a crown corporation with the mission to help Canadian businesses abroad, had been tasked by the federal government early in the pandemic to manage the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA).