How to Hire a Consultant

I recently met with an organization that wanted to hire my firm to conduct their strategic planning process.  In meeting with the executive director, he showed me the organization's previous plan.  

What followed was a conversation that I hear about all too often.  The previous consultant had not completed the scope of work.  The organization was left with an incomplete plan and spent funds on a plan that was of no help to them.  

Unfortunately, this happens with unscrupulous consultants.  By no means am I saying that consultants should not be trusted.  As in any field, there are a few bad apples. Most of us got into the consulting world to help organizations such as yours. 

Here are few tips for those of you thinking of hiring a consultant. 

1.  Check references.  Don't take the consultant's word that they know what they are doing.  Ask for references and check them.  Ask the references about the consultant's work style, meeting deadlines, budget/ hourly rate, etc.,. Consultants vary widely in their skills and abilities. Some are at the top of their field, while others have more recently jumped on the consulting bandwagon. 

2. Check the compensation scale. A major mistake many organizations make is hiring a consultant without checking the going rate in the industry. You need to do some research to find out the pay range for the services you require before overpaying.

3. Conduct a thorough hiring interview.  Many nonprofit organizations make the mistake of hiring a consultant without an interview.  We do this with all part time and full time employees, why not with a consultant? If a consultant is involved in the future of your organization, it is imperative that you conduct a comprehensive interview. 

The Denver Foundation has some great sample interview questions.  These questions can be adapted to your particular organization and project.  http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness.org/sample-interview-questions-propsective-consultants

4.  Describe scope of work and timeline.  Nothing is worse than hiring a consultant who then disappears for 2 weeks to work on another consulting gig, putting your project on the back burner.  Make sure your timeline and deliverables (products that will be delivered to you) are clearly spelled out in the contract. 

5.  Set up a payment plan with deliverables.  Any ethical consultant will agree to a payment plan.  Payments are usually tied into deliverables.  An initial payment might be just enough to get the work started.  Future payments are then tied to work products that must be submitted in order for payment to be processed.  A final payment should be tied to the completion of the project.