As clients from time to time use our services...I thought it might be interesting to write a piece of advice, totally unbiased of course, that might assist anyone looking to use consultants in acquiring the best option.

What questions would you consider as best practise if / when you were to hire a consultant?

Here are my starters for ten.

~ Be clear on your organisation objectives
~ Be clear on the link between the project under consideration and those higher objectives
~ Be clear on exactly what, where, when and why you need help
~ Take an inventory of knowledge and skills internally before going outside
~ Determine who would oversee the project internally and involve them as early as possible
~ Prepare a clear brief & have someone outside your team read through it to sense check it
~ Work out a precise budget of time, resources, materials, equipment, facilities and money
~ Draw up legal contracts and terms as well as Service Level Agreements
~ Insist upon financial transparency with the potential supplier(s)
~ Test the potential supplier's culture & values through talking to current clients

Maybe most importantly...

~ Do more than interview the potential suppliers ~ interviews are very poor means of recruiting talent of any kind.

What questions would you consider as best practise if / when you were to hire a consultant?