why engage a consultant?

Specialist skills - Managers benefit from engaging a professional management consultant when they need specialist services not otherwise available within their organisation.

Wide experience - Management consultants can offer managers the benefit of their experience across a broad range of organisations and industries in a wide variety of situations.

Independent advice - An independent consultant has no vested interest in any specific outcome other than what will best meet the client's needs.

Extra resources - Sometimes the specialist services are needed for urgent tasks when staff who would normally do the work are unable to assist because of other work commitments.

See the range of projects we have conducted in the project gallery...

How to find a consultant ...

There are many ways to find a consultant.

Referral - Ask your colleagues for the names of consultants they have successfully worked with.

Advertisement - If the job is large and your budget allows it, put an advertisement in the Tender section of a newspaper calling for submissions or expressions of interest. If you want to attract consulting firms from around Australia, advertise in some of the major state daily papers as well as a national newspaper.

Invitation - Contact a small number of management consultants who offer the type of service you are seeking, and invite them to meet with you, or to submit a proposal or expression of interest. You will find management consultants listed in the Yellow Pages.

Do a search on the Internet using more than one search engine and several search words.

Your choice should take into account the track record of the consultant. Skill, knowledge and experience in management consulting may be more important than having technical expertise in your particular industry.

See the range of projects we have conducted in the project gallery...

Managing the contract ...

When you commission a management consultant, she or he should initially spend time with you to agree on:

• Objectives and approach: what it is you want done and how the assignment will be conducted.
• Deliverables: what you will be provided with at specific stages of the assignment (interim reports, meetings etc) and at the end of the assignment (final report, Board presentation etc).
• The study team: which people will be working with you (the names, qualifications and experience of the consultants who will be assigned to the job). The consultant who will be your main contact on the team.
• The time frame of the assignment, including milestones marking completion of agreed stages.
• Liaison & reporting: a timetable of meetings with you to report on progress.
• The cost and payment schedule.

All these details should form part of the contract, which can be be in the form of a letter plus project proposal plus your brief or terms of reference. Or your firm may have developed a standard contract for consultancies.

You may also want to consider other issues such as intellectual property rights and confidentiality agreements (for commercially sensitive projects).

See the range of projects we have conducted in the project gallery...

On the job ...

Review & implement: The consultant may work closely with you and your staff and implement agreed changes along the way.

Skills transfer: The consultant can pass on her or his knowledge and expertise to people within your organisation as an integral part of the assignment. You feel confident with the recommended changes and have closer control of the project.

Independent review: Alternatively you may prefer that the consultant analyses your needs and provides you with a complete report and recommendations for you to implement at a later stage.

See the range of projects we have conducted in the project gallery...