How strong is Bain in the Operations Area (Procurement, Supply Chain, etc.)?

Not particularly strong, but there is some expertise. It is not difficult for Bain to hire experienced practicioners in that field, so there are probably a handful of partners/principals that really know about that field. Also, given the strength in Private Equity (which leads to a lot of restructuring and optimization projects), Bain is likely to have critical mass in those areas.

Having said that, it is not the best place to join if you want to become an expert in those fields and are joining as an analyst. Bain values generalists and therefore you will not focus on a single industry or practice before you reach manager (or even principal) rank.

Hi there,

I would say they're good, not great. Bain is a strategy consulting firm. As such their main focus is less on the operations/implementation-side of things.

That said, the advantage of working at MBB is you can generally chart your own course and stay more flexible for a longer period of time than with more specialized firms.

Finally, remember that "losing pitches" means nothing! Mckinsey loses pitches. BCG loses pitches. That's just the nature of the business!

Accenture and BIG4 are very strong in this area in UK and DACH region.

Speaking as a Bainie here, clearly we have better practices than the ones you mentioned. In my geography, McK and ATK take the lead in these areas. 

As mentioned before, bain's career track is pretty generalist. That said, there are a few engagements every once in a while - it is always important to state your priorities to the staffing manager.