# The $63 million price of DEI consulting deals

> Accenture just paid $25 million to close a federal discrimination case, making three big consultancies in one year.
- Title: The $63 million price of DEI consulting deals | Shortify
- Summary: Accenture just paid $25 million to close a federal discrimination case, making three big consultancies in one year. Diversity targets written into federal…
- Keywords: dei, consulting, accenture, government contracts, legal settlements, business, technology, million, price, deals, Business Insider
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/accenture-settles-trump-dei-discrimination-case-justice-department-deloitte-ibm-2026-9
- Author: Polly Thompson
- Published: 2026-09-15T10:53:32.4+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: dei, consulting, accenture, government contracts, legal settlements, business, technology
## Accenture pays $25 million
The consulting firm settled Justice Department allegations that it broke antidiscrimination rules attached to its federal contracts. The DOJ announced the deal on Monday.
## What the DOJ alleged
Prosecutors said Accenture weighed race or sex in hiring and promotion decisions from 2017 to 2026, including giving promotion candidates extra visibility for advancing demographic goals.

> extra visibility
## Monthly demographic scorecards
Leaders inside Accenture Federal Services allegedly got monthly breakdowns of the race and sex percentages in their units, and used them to guide hiring.
## No admission of liability
Accenture says it follows the law and settled to avoid a long fight. IBM and Deloitte also denied wrongdoing in their own deals.

> We are pleased to put this matter behind us to avoid the costs and resource demands of prolonged litigation.
## Three firms, one playbook
IBM paid $17 million in April, Deloitte $21.5 million in August, Accenture $25 million now. All three were pursued under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative launched in May 2025.
## The squeeze goes beyond DEI
Agencies were told in March 2025 to review spending with ten major consultancies. Accenture's CEO said procurement slowed, and the stock is down roughly 40% since.
## Key takeaway

Diversity targets written into federal contract work are now being treated as False Claims Act violations, and the bills are landing in the tens of millions.