How Folq Is Transforming the IT Consultancy Market with Transparency and AI by Petar Vojinovic

Published on: September 15, 2025
Writer

The consultancy market is evolving rapidly, and Folq is at the forefront of making it more transparent and efficient. In this interview with SafetyDetectives, Hanna Blisten, Head of Content and Communications, explains how Folq connects clients with quality-assured IT and digital consultants, streamlines the hiring process through AI and automation, and builds a thriving community that empowers both clients and consultants.

What inspired Folq’s mission to create a transparent, self-service marketplace for quality-assured consultants across IT and beyond? 

The idea originally came from observing how the consultancy market worked in IT and digitalization. Large consultancy firms controlled access to the largest clients, while smaller consultancies and independent consultants had limited opportunities. They often lacked framework agreements or direct client relationships and were therefore dependent on intermediaries who set the terms.

At the same time, large consultant buyers were becoming more competent. They had over time built strong internal tech teams and increasingly looked for individual consultants to integrate with their own staff rather than hiring full external teams. Traditional consultancies were slow to adapt to this, creating room for brokers to scale. Yet brokered hiring made outcomes dependent on the broker’s judgment, and many clients and consultants reported poor matches.

A transparent marketplace where buyers could get directly in touch with skilled, quality assured  consultants felt like the right answer. We started building the marketplace, our user base (of clients and consultants) and our business in parallel. 

Folq rapidly gained traction in the consulting market, with +90% average growth in the years 2018-2022. Still – along the way –  we learned that a fully self-service model works best when our user in the buyer organisation has the mandate, competence, and time to run it. This is not always the case, especially with larger buyers bound by strict procurement processes. To make sure that our marketplace would offer a broad variety of assignments for our consultants, we evolved to a hybrid model: in addition to facilitating self-serviced consultant hiring, we established a small, skilled sales team that offers to run the process on behalf of the client. Our sales team takes use of the marketplace tools and AI support; shortlisting the best candidates before presenting them to the client. AI is built-in in our product and helps with speed and relevance; people always make the final call.

Transparency has always been core to our model. Our pricing model is fixed – meaning that both client and consultant know the hourly rate and Folq’s margin. Clients can also follow and, if they wish, take part in the matching and selection process in our software. Also, because we’re not tied to any consultancy bench, our only commitment is to present the best available consultant for each assignment.

How does Folq’s vetting process ensure that only trusted talent is matched with clients, and what unique value does that add?

Quality has been essential from day one. All of our +2500 consultants are screened through a combination of 2 or more of the following: CV reviews, written and/or oral interviews, reference checks, code tests. Over time, about 20% of registered consultants are added to our consultant base. This quality assurance is essential for the self-served user experience for our clients; the can be sure that with Folq, they will only find premium consultants. 

In addition, our AI based tools and processes helps us, and the client, to quickly identify the most relevant candidates and summarize their strengths and potential gaps against the requirements for the assignment. We don’t allow AI to make decisions; it supports our people and our clients in making better ones. 

With consultants keeping 90–95 % of their hourly rate, how do you balance competitive pricing with sustainable operation of your platform?

Our model is lean and scalable. We have a small but highly skilled sales team, supported by a compact marketing and back-office organization. By using AI and automation extensively, we can handle a high volume of assignments and administrative tasks with few people.

The low margin makes us attractive to top consultants, which in turn strengthens our offer to clients. And because we keep our operations efficient and scalable, we can deliver sustainable growth while maintaining competitive pricing.

How does Folq automate administrative tasks and simplify the booking process to help both clients and consultants focus on delivering value?

We use AI and automation to take friction out of the process. On the matching side, our tools quickly identify the most relevant candidates and allow meaningful competence assessments and comparisons up against the client’s requirements. Our sales team, or the client themselves, then makes the final selection, ensuring personal and cultural fit.

For clients, this means they only need to describe their need once. Within a few days they will be presented with 1–3 carefully selected, quality-assured, and available consultants. They can also run the process themselves, or follow the process in our marketplace software if they want full transparency.

We also handle ongoing administrative tasks, like adjustments in hourly rates or extensions of assignments, on behalf of both client and consultant, so they can focus on the work itself. In addition, we provide insight and statistics on market trends like development in prices, demand for specific expertise etc. to both clients and suppliers, which is helpful for the next time they want to hire or sell a consultant. 

What role do your meetups and community-building efforts play in strengthening the Folq consultant network?

Our consultants are a mix of independents and employees from small and mid-sized as well as larger consultancies. Their needs for professional and social communities differ, so we offer different formats. We run webinars for both clients and consultants, focusing on knowledge sharing and professional development. We also host get-togethers for consultants who are in assignments that create a sense of belonging.

For many independents, Folq becomes not only a source of assignments but also a place where they can connect with like-minded people with similar motivations and day to day challenges.  For consultancy firms, our events are a way to showcase their expertise and connect with peers. In addition to meeting with our consultants and consultancies in person, arranging webinars and meeting places and sharing valuable insights on the market development, we are always available to them via slack, phone or email. 

As demand for IT consultants grows, how does Folq adapt its marketplace to meet evolving needs across industries and geographies?

The demand for IT consultants is increasing, but the rise of AI is already reshaping how development work is done. This will affect what kinds of expertise clients need, how large their teams should be, and how they want to engage with consultants in the future.

We are doing in-depth research to understand these shifts; both what changes are already happening and what clients and consultants believe the future will look like.

We strongly believe our model is well positioned for the future. By bringing together the consultant market in one place, and combining excellent matching with human expertise, we can quickly adapt to changing needs. Our focus remains on growing the consultant base, strengthening quality assurance and matching processes, and building strong relationships with buyers. In a constantly changing environment, we are convinced that adaptability and transparency will remain relevant.