Next Steps
Review your needs. Ask the following questions: What do you need a consultant’s help to accomplish? What are your long-term goals for your project/organisation? How can consulting assist?
Clearly outlining these answers now will save time down the line & keep your team focused on the task at hand. Discuss the project with your board. Get your board’s approval to hire a consultant before moving forward. Depending on the scope of your project, this could be a significant investment, so it’s necessary to have all of your key decision-makers on the same page from the beginning. Set some concrete guidelines. Define a few specific parameters for your project, including a general budget, a start date, & a tentative timeline. Share them with your board & with potential consultants. Research top providers/consultants who provide the particular service/s you need. Check the internet, ask colleagues at other organisations for recommendations, or find someone new. Once you have narrowed your choices to a few potential partners, move forward. Create a request for proposal (RFP). An RFP is a document that thoroughly details your project, its purpose, your needs, & the guidelines you have already laid-out. Review your candidates. Work with your team to compare & analyze your shortlist of candidates. Send frontrunners your RFP & offer to answer any additional questions they may have.
Review their proposals. Develop a basic scoring system for each key stakeholder to use when reviewing & ranking each proposal. Reach out to any candidates for additional context as needed. Weigh your options, & make your pick. You will then need to work out specifics & formally contract the consultant’s services.