Smart Consulting Sourcing

One of our friends recently made a hilarious comparison between a blind consultant hunting and going to a restaurant and asking the chef to whip up a dish without telling them what you want. It might turn out delicious, but it's not exactly what you had in mind. The same goes for consulting.
An RFP is crafted to spare you the misery of embarking on a pointless crusade. Hence, if an RFP is an indispensable component of a consulting project, why even ask, "Do I always need consulting?" Well, while an RFP is an essential tool for consulting projects, it may not always be the first step.
The key is to identify the project scope, budget, and expertise required, and evaluate the approaches of potential consulting firms before deciding when to initiate the sourcing process with an RFP.
This podcast is your go-to guide for streamlining your search for the perfect consultant. Trust us, don't miss out!  

Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted RFP for consulting simply because a foolproof RFP could be your ticket to success for any consulting project.  If you're looking to bring in external expertise to help your organization tackle a new project or problem, taking the time to craft a comprehensive RFP can make all the difference.
Creating a clear and comprehensive RFP may be a daunting task, but it always pays off in spades by attracting the right consultants, clarifying your needs, and ultimately optimizing ROI from your consulting spend.
In this episode of our new podcast series, "How to buy consulting services like a pro," your favorite host Helene walks you through the benefits of writing an RFP for consulting, shares tips for crafting an effective one, and provides examples of successful RFPs. This guide will give you the tools you need to make the most of your consulting projects. So, get ready, grab a pen and paper, and tune in.

Have you ever wondered what strictly consultants bring to the table and how they can help your business achieve more success? If so, then this podcast is for you!
In the end, consulting is all about creating value. But measuring the value created from consulting is like examining the worth of a good joke. Is it the number of laughs it generates, the money it makes, or the satisfaction it brings to the audience?
It's hard to say, but you know it when you see it. And with the right consultant, you'll know it when you see the value they create for your business.
In this second episode of the series "How to buy consulting services like a pro," Helene delves deeper into what consultants bring to the table. From technical expertise to insights into organizational culture and politics, consultants can provide valuable data, benchmarks, methodologies, tools, and processes.

In this episode, Helene, your favorite host, takes a stab at this question – when to use consulting services from the perspective of end users: strategy leaders, operations leaders, and marketing leaders. She also looks at what procurement should know about it and how it can help address this need.
After all, consulting services are not commodities. If you’re buying consulting services, look for impact in return. Leaders need to focus on implementing successful consulting projects to ensure the best results. So, if you're ready to unlock the full potential of consulting services for your business, tune in and pick up some valuable insights for your next project.

Believe it or not, some people don't think reducing their consulting spend is worthwhile. They already added the cost to their OPEX and say it's just a drop in the ocean - but what about the maximum impact that could be achieved?
We at Consulting Quest want businesses to truly understand the value of optimizing ROI from their projects - and through our 15-episode "6-Levers Series", we show you how. From why optimize, how to optimize, where you may go wrong and what are the benefits of optimization - we cover it all!
So this is our final episode of the series - a recap to everything you need to know about maximizing your consulting ROI. Get ready for some real gems of knowledge! And remember: Don't wait around - get optimizing now! We may be passionate about consulting ROI and helping anyone who needs it. So if, while on your journey, you feel a little lost, don't worry! Just give us a shout out, and we'll be happy to have a chat. Happy optimizing!!

Consulting procurement is a complicated and challenging process, especially if you're looking to optimize the return on your investment. Thankfully, there are tools and methodologies available that can help you effectively manage your consulting spend and maximize your ROI.
The Consulting Sourcing Toolbox is one such resource that offers a comprehensive collection of tools and strategies designed specifically for consulting procurement. The Toolbox includes various tools to help you optimize your consulting spend.
Combining the right tools and methodologies, the Consulting Sourcing Toolbox can help you make the most of your consulting budget and maximize your ROI. In this episode of our 6-Levers Series, Helene discusses all four categories of consulting sourcing tools. Tune in.

You have to improve your Consulting Procurement capability to maximize the ROI of your spend. One way of doing that is using an easy-to-follow framework that we call, at Consulting Quest, "The Consulting Performance Scanner." This scanner will let you explore the three main dimensions of your procurement and dig up enough data to help you understand the patterns of your Consulting Spend, capture quick gains, and even gain support from your team members to jumpstart a self-funded journey, helping you to build the case for change. Join Helene in this episode of our 6-Levers Series to know about the principles of "Consulting Performance Scanner" and how to make the most of it.

Working to maximize the ROI of consulting spend requires a company-wide transformation. By combining strategies such as investing in the right projects, having a structured RFP process, and collaborating between business lines and procurement teams, organizations can achieve an average increase of 25-50% in ROI with potential savings or earnings in the hundreds of millions depending on the size. Transformation is essential for success - this episode offers tips on how to use the six levers to get started!

Everybody knows that when done correctly, consulting can have a major impact on a business. By now you know that our 6-Levers approach is intended to help consulting buyers make educated choices while buying consulting services.
Over the previous episodes, we explained the six levers in detail and how they can help to optimize the ROI of your consulting spend. And a major part of that ROI is related to the value and impact of consulting. You can say, these are the real benefits of using these six levers.
In this episode, Helene discusses the types of impacts you can expect from a successful consulting project. Simply put, by optimizing the ROI on consulting spend, a company can see improvement at all levels of work and this is one of the greatest impacts any company can achieve. Tune in to know about all these impacts in detail.

When it comes to better managing your consulting, it is a part of your transformation journey, and we all know that transformations are notoriously difficult. Leaders must work on improving consulting sourcing maturity to take their transformation efforts up a notch.
It entails a lot of work - but if done correctly, it can bring huge advantages to the table, which include cost savings and cost avoidance benefits as well as many other intangible benefits.
And that constitutes our sixth and last Lever to optimize the ROI of your Consulting Spend: "Improving your Consulting Sourcing maturity."
In this episode of our 6-Levers series, Helene shares with you what organizations can do to achieve this maturity. Tune in.