Working with Consultants

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to design and manage consultant solicitation
• How to select and contract with the best consultant for the project
• How to successfully manage a consultant-led project

MORE SESSION DETAILS

Do you work with consultants? Then this interactive session — structured around presentations and small group work — is for you! Participants will learn the ins/outs and dos/don'ts of project design; consultant solicitation, selection, and negotiation; project management; damage control; debriefing once the project is over; and myriad other useful topics to help make projects successful for all. This session will be useful to anyone who has hired and managed — or will hire and manage — consultants to help with planning work. Learn how to design planning projects for which consultant support is needed; understand the difference between sole source and competitive bid processes; differentiate between RFQs and RFPs; critically review a proposal; confidently choose the firms to shortlist; structure and conduct productive interviews; select the best firm to negotiate with and deal with the issue of subs; negotiate the contracting process; establish effective strategies for communication/coordination; manage scopes, schedules, and budgets; understand how problems happen, how to avoid them, and how to deal with them if they happen; and analyze and build on past experiences.