Needs Assessment

• What do you want to achieve?
• What’s your budget?
• Has your organization agreed on the necessity to hire a consultant?
• Who are the internal stakeholders?
• What are your project deliverables?
• What is your time frame?
• What are your selection criteria for a consultant?
• What decision-making process will you employ to hire the consultant?

Sourcing and Screening

• Use networking and research to find several possible consultants
• Interview your top leads, either by telephone or face-to-face
• Require all consultants to propose on the same core project deliverables while still inviting alternate approach suggestions

Questions to Ask Consultants You Plan to Hire

• What experience do you have in the areas in which I am interested?
• How many years of relevant experience do you have?
• Can you provide references about your work?
• How will I assure that the work is completed in a timely and complete fashion? and that the terms of our contract will be met?
• What will the consultant need from me and my organization to complete the assignment successfully?

Complete All Steps of the Hiring Process

• The stakeholders need to agree on the need for a consultant, and on the consultant hired.
• Your contract must cover all details of deliverables, fees, timeframes, expenses, confidentiality, cancellation, and copyright.

Contracting

This may be a letter of understanding or a formal contract, depending on the project. But be sure to spell out each of these items:

• Deliverables
• Timeframes
• Fees and payment schedules
• Expenses and their approval process
• Checkpoints for evaluation
• Cancellation
• Confidentiality
• Copyright

Stay Involved

• Set regular meeting times with the key personnel.
• Use your consultant’s time wisely, to focus on the work he or she has been hired for.
• Provide regular evaluation sessions.

Don’t Withhold Information

• Give the consultant the benefit of everything you know and access to all important information.
• If you have concerns about confidentiality, spell them out up front, perhaps by having the consultant sign a confidentiality agreement.
• Help the consultant understand your organization.

Avoid “Scope Creep”

• Keep new requests to a minimum—or be prepared to expand your budget.

Don’t Kill the Messenger

• The consultant’s final report may involve work for your staff, actions that aren’t fun to carry out, or conclusions you won’t like.
• Don’t base your evaluation of the report, or consultant, on your feelings. Instead, keep in mind that the unpalatable suggestions may be the only way to end some long-term problems.

Related Articles:

A Simple Checklist for Hiring Consultants
http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/upgrading/issues-tools/tools/hiring-consultants.html

How to Hire a Consultant
http://www.planning.org/consultant/consult2.html

What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)
http://www.westwood-dynamics.com/articles_by_roberta/landmines_ahead.htm

Consultants: A Boon to Organizations
http://www.lindenbergergroup.com/art_choose_con.html

This article was written by ICON Member Judith Pratt, PenUltimate, www.judithpratt.com.