Working with Consultants and Brokers, A Guide for Big Guys and Little Guys 
Excerpts of an article by Steve Saunders, PLANTS SITES & PARKS

Mr. Saunders' article provides some pointers and advantages of working with consultants.

He says Matsushita Avionics Systems (MAS), a manufacturer of in-flight entertainment systems, saved $7 million on one relocation project during 1999 by using a consultant.  The consultant, a real estate broker, had worked with MAS for approximately ten years on other projects.  One can readily understand that when client and consultant work together for a long period, a fact indicating mutual satisfaction and benefits, a high degree of trust could be developed, trust that could be mutually  profitable.

Steve Scruggs, president of Corporate Services Group, Grubb & Ellis, is quoted as saying, "Another way of asking the question 'should I use a consultant' is 'do I want to save money?'"  He also advises giving your consultant as much information as possible to facilitate obtaining maximum benefits from the consultant. 

Some clients have been known to provide consultants they hire with as little information as possible!  Clients should establish consultants they hire can be trusted to maintain confidential information.  Providing poor input makes the consultant's job more difficult and can lead to wasted funds and poor results.  Intelligent clients should know better than to withhold information from their consultants and then later blame the consultants for poor results.

The article observes "the greater the need for confidentiality, the more useful a consultant will be.  Consultants can make inquiries under their own letterheads without identifying client companies."  A very good point!

The author also observes hiring consultants must be proving beneficial because they are being utilized more these days than ever before.

Today it is well known that strategic partnerships can be very beneficial to all involved.  The article describes an example where the principals are striving for a strategic alliance so seamless that it will be difficult to distinguish between employees and suppliers and independent contractors.  Of course this is very desirable as long as rules enforced by the IRS are observed.  Clients don't want to accidentally make their independent contractor consultants employees in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service.

For the complete article, consult the August/September 1999 issue of PLANTS SITES & PARKS.