Capital Ambition

Consultancy and Professional

Services Procurement Project
March 2010

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

The picture in London

London local authorities spent an estimated
320m on consultancy and professional
services in 2007/08.

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

Common challenges in managing

consultancy spend
purchase and use are fragmented across local
authorities;
often hidden under outsourcing / project costs;
often booked as agency staff and vice versa;
often booked under professional fees and audit;
organisations do not categorise it.
World class services for a world class city
www.capitalambition.gov.uk

Help to manage consultancy spend

The Consultancy and Professional Services Procurement Project
provides five free products / services to help local authorities:
improve results from the purchase and use of consultants;
target a 10% reduction in expenditure;
tighten the commissioning process;
support rates negotiations;
allow comparison and transparency;
allow for sharing of reports and knowledge.

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

Five free consultancy products / services

1.

The Consultancy Commissioning Toolkit

2.

A Guide to Buying Consultancy

3.

The Buying Consultancy Services Workshop

4.

The Consultancy Brokerage Model

5.

The Consultancy Knowledge Centre

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

1. The Consultancy Commissioning Toolkit

practical guidance and resources to review:
the approach and procurement process;
the management and evaluation of commissioning
consultants.
the toolkit provides:
best practice guidance;
example documents e.g, project initiation document.

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

2. A Guide to Buying Consultancy

supplements the Consultancy Commissioning Toolkit;
pragmatic guidance to focus on and identify the
results needed;
recognises that many purchases are relatively small
e.g, up to 75K;
helps to develop an audit trail for each purchase.

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

3. Buying Consultancy Services Workshop

one day interactive workshop focusing on:
skills to commission & manage consultancy assignments;
how consultancy services are specified, tendered and
commissioned;
commercial benefits and service enhancements.

in-house workshop (800+VAT to train 15 officers).

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

4. The Consultancy Brokerage Model

a central point internally for commissioning consultants;
determines and challenges the need for consultants;
helps to:
minimise the effects of fragmented practices;
control purchases and save cash;
improve results and solve problems;
develop and use collective capability.

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

5. The Consultancy Knowledge Centre (CKC)

a secure web-based database;
capability to share information on completed assignments;
each organisation uploads and maintains its information;
information includes:
project durations and overall costs;
project scope and approach;
consultants commissioned and final recommendations.
World class services for a world class city
www.capitalambition.gov.uk

Summary
The Consultancy and Professional Services
Procurement project offers five free products/services
to help reduce spend and improve results from the
purchase and use of consultants.

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk

Further information

For more information on the Consultancy and Professional Services

Procurement Project, visit the London Councils website:
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/capitalambition/projects/consultandproprocurement/

Other useful links

Local Government Professional Services Group - http://www.ogc.gov.uk/lgpsg.asp
ProClass - the local government-owned procurement classification standard
http://proclass.nationaliep.gov.uk

World class services for a world class city

www.capitalambition.gov.uk