Frequently Asked Questions
- Why should our jurisdiction pay a consulting firm to do projects that our staff is already paid to do?
First, while staff is certainly capable in many cases of handling these projects, it is usually a question of time. With local government budget reductions, most staff members have more than enough regular work to do and don't have the time for the research and analysis that these projects require.
Second, our firm is dedicated research and analysis for expense reduction and revenue enhancement. That is all we do. We have developed certainly analytical skills that allow us to focus quickly on opportunities, perform the analysis and make recommendations. We have years of experience and specific knowledge that allows us to successfully perform this research and analysis without much of your staff's time.
Third, your employees typically see how your jurisdiction functions whereas we visit hundreds of clients each and every year. This exposes us to many different ways to provide similar services and to learn about vendors your employees may not know about.
- The last time we used a contingent-fee consultant, it seemed like we pulled and copied invoices, faxed copies to the consultant and then had to re-file everything. Why should we pay a consultant if we have to do 90% of the work?
Unfortunately, there are consultants like that, and you have every right to be upset. Unlike those consultants, we actually like to talk with our clients in person, and we are willing to spend many hours driving to client locations to obtain the billing and invoice information that we need to complete the project. As our references will attest, we will pull the invoices ourselves, make our own copies and correctly re-file the information. We have years of experience that allows us to successfully perform this research and analysis without interfering with your daily operations.
- Why should I spend my time assisting a consultant when I have important management responsibilities to focus on?
You are absolutely correct about where your time should be spent. Our role as consultants is to obtain the information we need quickly and stay out of your way as much as possible. Other than pointing us to the files, you and your staff will not need to assist. We do not expect you to prepare any schedules like you would for your independent auditors. Our many references across North Carolina can confirm this for you.
- I'm extremely busy right now. Why should I take time to make a decision and then seek board approval?
If we never start, there will never be any savings or additional revenues. Moreover, if you wait until budget season to start this process, some revenues and expenses from prior periods may be lost forever.
- We constantly review our expenses so how could your firm save us any more money?
We understand that your employees are working hard and are always looking for ways to save money for your jurisdiction but they seldom have the breadth of experience that we have. In our work with 250+ local government clients, we have seen many different ways to accomplish the same task and we are able to compare among vendors and across jurisdictions.
If we willingly invest our time and confirm that your staff is doing a great job, we will confirm that to you in writing, providing you an independent, third-party endorsement. Or, as more frequently happens, we work with you to find additional savings for your jurisdiction and make you look good to your board.
- When do I pay since your firm works on a contingent-fee basis?
We must prove to your satisfaction that our effort resulted in additional revenues or reduced expenses before we can send you an invoice. You must actually realize the benefit and have it in your pocket before you pay us. Most jurisdictions do not budget anything for us. When we invoice, they move the funds from that area (expense or revenue) into professional services and pay us from there. If our research and analysis do not yield more money, you pay us nothing.
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