When to use a consultant and what the consultant does depends on your overall goal and where you are in the process of getting there. Here are some things to consider:

The process:

The general process and steps involved in vendor selection for Contingent Workforce Management (CWM) solutions include:

Defining the overall CWM program
Defining and agreeing on the business drivers and objectives
Understand the roles of and relationships between people, processes, and technology
Select the service provider for task and/or program management (MSP)
Select the technology (VMS)
Plan and implement the solution
Review the result

It is important to realize that these steps are severely inter-related and should be followed in this order. For example, without having clear objectives it is not possible to find the right overall solution. Also, keep in mind that technology is really the enabler of a solution, not the solution itself. Without a complete process review and process improvement criteria you cannot do a quality evaluation of the many technology offerings available. The VMS industry is relatively new…it is important to avoid the practice of simply automating poor processes or those which are not applicable to your situation.

The involvement:

Consultant involvement can range from pure consulting to process management and task performance and can be applied at different points in the process. In general, the more your consultant is involved the more he or she can contribute to your success. How you utilize your consultant depends on where you are in the process, your timeframes, and the availability of qualified internal resources (knowledge and time).

In this context "Pure consulting" involves applying specific expertise (both process and subject matter) in an advice and counsel manner. Examples include reviewing already completed process reviews and improvement recommendations for validation or providing additional ideas, or providing input and guidance into creating the RFP and evaluation criteria.

Moving toward the other end of the spectrum involves your consultant in more activities, such as:

· Conduct the business assessment
· Help with management justification

· Facilitate all the process steps

· Create the RFP

· Create the evaluation framework

· Administer the overall RFP process

· Interpret vendor questions and
coordinate vendor informational forums

· Design requirements for and
coordinate vendor demos

· Help provide a “so what” viewpoint
to vendor responses, presentations,
and referrals

· Participate with team in evaluation
process

· Create a summary report at the end

During the entire process, your consultant should:

Provide guidance and best practice/current industry viewpoints
Bridge the relationships between user, service provider (internal or external) and the technology
See and overcome obstacles to success
Balance the needs of all stakeholders
Keep project on track, within agreed upon parameters

The expectations and level of involvement must be clearly laid out for and understood by both you and your consultant in order to avoid confusion, ineffectiveness, or inefficiencies in the effort you are undertaking.

Consultant characteristics:

To operate successfully from the expertise and objectivity perspectives, your consultant should:

Understand the Contingent Workforce Management industry as a whole
Be familiar with current available solutions and trends
Be familiar with the vendor community for services and technology
Have “done it before”
Have the business experience to see things from your perspective
Understand the different drivers for different stakeholders
Be able to be independent and unencumbered with any resale, referral, or marketing agreements with vendors

© 2010 by Brian Korsmeier - You are free to print or distribute this material as long as you include this copyright statement or attribute the contents to the author. Please let me know if you include any of these statements in any of your documents.