Complementing my answer to the parent, in my case, most of these pushes for consulting and hype stuff comes from other executives or stakeholders. I simply decide not to veto some initiatives, since they are not strategic.
Lord yes. Decision by committee and corporate guidelines. "X is a strategic partner" = can't be fired for 'partnering with them'. Even if it becomes a "why didn't anyone raise the alarm?!" it becomes "because everyone agreed to use them".