Information for Consultants

This section features several articles of interest to consultants.

"How to Write Effective RFP Answers" by Tom Sant offers tips on how to "persuade" rather than "tell" when responding to an RFP.

"Why I Left a Cushy Job to Be My Own Boss" by Thomas H. Roberts, gives insight into a planner's life after leaving a firm to start a private consulting practice.

"For What It's Worth" by Paul Thomas, suggests ways for consultants to set fees.

Two more articles offer advice about strategic planning for consulting firms. Hank M. Harris is the author of both articles: "Eight Problems With Your Firm's Strategic Plan" and "Business Plan or Strategic Plan: What's the Difference?"

Yet another article examines the issue of professional licensing. "Should Planners Be Licensed?" is by Joseph A. Pobiner.

Another in a series of articles giving advice to planning consultants, "Why Do All Consultants Look Alike in the Eyes of Clients?" by David T. Rogers tells consultants how to differentiate their firm from others.

This section also includes excerpts from AICP's Professional Practice Manual.

Choosing a Consultant
This is a revised and edited excerpt from Selecting and Retaining a Planning Consultant: RFPs, RFQs, Contracts, and Project Management by Eric Damian Kelly, FAICP. It is Planning Advisory Service Report No. 443, published by the American Planning Association, February 1993.