Carrying It Out
Hiring Consultants

A Simple Checklist for Hiring Consultants

Source:
Preparatory Training Workshop for the Aleppo Action Area Two. City of Aleppo and Deutsche Gellschaft für Technische Zusdammenarbeit (GTZ). Aleppo, April 1999.

• What would they contribute: would they offer a new skill or new way of doing things?

• What are your expectations: are the consultants really expected to provide reassurance and confidence in what staff are currently doing?

• Of the several sources, from where should consultants be chosen?
  • private firms
    • universities
      • other projects
    • other local experts
      • international experts

• Do they speak your language? An advantage but not a necessity?

• Should they have previous experience locally? If they are expected to contribute to details, yes. They need not - and perhaps should not - have local experience if they are expected to bring new, innovative ideas, unencumbered by the accepted way of doing things.

• Are they willing to work with a local counterpart?

• Are the consultants willing to train local staff so that they can continue to benefit from their input?

• What type of consultant do you want? Technical consultants are often less appropriate at imaginative, general solutions but can response better to given situations. Conversely, non-technical consultants can provide more imaginative, general solutions that do not require a specific solution.