Unfortunately consultants have to read between the lines and understand what the real motivations are. Of course, on paper the goals are to produce functional, profitable products, that are cost effective and easy to maintain in the long term. Sure, what it is important to realize that just as them being a contractor the layers or middle managers are also contractors in a way and you just sub-contract for them. They have internalized the incentive structure where they get paid to do work. To look busy. To find a lowest bidder and so on. And, this is important, they found a way to not get punished if they fail to deliver a product as promised. This goes all the way to the CEO.

One can land in the middle of such a situation but what they don't realize that it took decades probably for this kind of incentives and constrains to be internalized. Some industries have this dysfunction in them them more than others. Hoards of "consultants" (read temporary, project based workers) know and understand this. They feed on the bottom of this dysfunction. That is why they over promise just to get the job and then they have strategies to mitigate when it doesn't happen.

Over time crazy and dysfunctional people aggregate together and push the rational and normal people out. It is like the "birds of a feather" idea.

There is a choice to be made, do you want to make money in such an environment at the expense of being infected (affected) by it and becoming a part of this system or do you find something else?