Five Steps In Selecting Your Consultant

STEP # 1 Identifying Candidates

• Input from peers & colleagues
• Query other organizations
• Contact professional & trade organizations
• Advertisements 

STEP # 2 Invite Candidates To Submit Application

• Develop your own application
• Encourage Curriculum Vitae attachment
• Provides for uniformity in comparison
• May discourage unqualified
• Application may itself disqualify

STEP # 3 Evaluate Application

• Quality of completion / presentation
• Compare credentials
• Compare client's responses following verification

STEP # 4 Interview Top 2 Candidates

• Ideally, interview in person
• Costs to be negotiated
• Encourage candidate to bring sample of work
• Interview should be preceded with tour
• Teleconference is alternative, but less acceptable
• Probe for philosophical orientation

STEP # 5 Negotiate For Agreement / Final Selection - Negotiate with first choice

• Fee based on scope of work
• Expenses
• Methodology
• Timing

If negotiation is unsatisfactory, move to second choice.

Successful negotiation results in selection.