When To Fire A Consultant

On today’s show we are talking about when to fire a consultant.

You hire consultants for specific expertise in a narrow domain. These folks are supposed to be subject matter experts in their area. There can be upwards of twenty of these consultants involved in a major project.

The consultants we most often associate with a project include

1. Architectural
2. Environmental
3. Geotechnical
4. Civil
5. Wind
6. Noise
7. Mechanical
8. Structural
9. Elevator
10. Electrical
11. Planning consultant
12. Window washing design
13. Building envelope
14. Mature tree consultant
15. Appraiser
16. Ground water or riparian rights
17. Heritage
18. Traffic studies
19. Landscaping design
20. Energy efficiency
21. 3D rendering artists

All of these people are subject matter experts and could have specific deliverables to your project.

That’s a lot of people to manage who ultimately don’t work for you directly. These experts are working simultaneously for multiple clients, on multiple projects. Some of their other clients have their own schedule deadlines and there is no guarantee that you will come out on top of a priority decision is made. Usually the hiring process for these consultants is based on referrals. The architect can often be a primary source of introductions to these consultants. If there is a pre existing working relationship, that can often be a strong endorsement of a particular consultant.

When there are so many specialized disciplines, the odds are that you will eventually encounter someone you will need to fire. How and when to make that decision is critical in a project. 

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Host: Victor Menasce

email: [email protected]