Information technology (IT) is a component that influences organizations´s performance and its effective application constitutes a challenge due to the speed associated to technological changes and the amount of financial resources and expertise of human resources required for its implementation. One of the strategies adopted by organizations to meet the needs of IT is to outsource all or part of the provision of IT services. The objective of this study was to describe the essence of the meaning of advisory experience according to the perception of professionals who provide IT consulting services. To achieve this purpose, a phenomenographic research was conducted in order to allow a group of fifteen consultants working in a regulatory public institution freely put its experience on the provision of IT consulting services. The data analysis resulted in the identification of the themes Acting Area Significance, Competency Advisory Conformation, Services Valuation and Advisory Predisposition related to IT consulting. The meanings attributed for these subjects allowed to propose a description of the essence of this kind of experience. The relevance of the research lies in the fact that, typically, the outsourcing analysis emphasizes the outsourcing contractual relationship established between the contractor and the contracted company and recognizes the consultant as only one of the resources needed to provide the service without considering the peculiarities inherent to the advisory activity.