Information technology (IT) consulting services help design, develop and maintain the hardware and software components of computer systems. They are staffed by software developers and computer programmers, database designers and database administrators, project managers, application architects, systems analysts, and technical trainers. IT consultants may also employ data architects, data modelers, database analysts, quality assurance (QA) personnel or software testers, customer support technicians, and client technologies specialists. Information technology (IT) consulting services range in size from large, international companies with thousands of workers to smaller businesses that focus on specific geographic regions or areas of expertise. Most IT consultants are graduates of colleges or universities that provide for-credit coursework, degrees, or certifications in fields such as computer programming, network administration, or telecommunications. Sending a request for proposal (RFP) to multiple information technology (IT) consulting services is a standard business practice.