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Why hire a consultant?

There are many reasons why you should hire a consultant.  According to Bob Nelson and Peter Economy in "Consulting for Dummies", ISBN: 0764550349 the following list contains some of the most compelling reasons:

Consultants are experts: This is one of the main reasons why organizations hire consultants.  Many people in an organization may be able to take on an assignment, but none can do the job as quickly and efficiently as an expert who every day lives and breathes the issue to be addressed.  The end result of hiring a consultant is an overall saving in time and money - often with better results than if the assignment were performed in-house by the organization's own employees.

Consultants are independent: When an organization hires a consultant, it is hiring an independent contractor, not an employee.  Consultants work closely with their clients, but consultants do not require the kind of direct supervision that employees performing comparable tasks do.  And the client controls payment - an especially popular point for the people that hire consultants.  If a consultant does not perform in accordance with the terms of the contract, a client can by all rights withhold payment - or stop using that consultant.

Consultants have dedicated time: Time may be a precious element among an organization's staff.  A person or group may be assigned to a project and then later taken off the project because of conflicting priorities.  A consultant, on the other hand, can focus on the task until the work is completed.

Consultants are a flexible resource: Most consultants make themselves available to their clients - especially their best clients, on a moment's notice.  If an organization had to hire someone new to take on an assignment, it could take months to place ads, perform interviews and reference checks, make a final selection, and bring a new employee on board.  On the other hand, if the organization wants to hire a consultant, all someone needs to do is pick up the phone and call.

Consultants are not a long-term commitment: When an employee completes a special project, an organization may find itself scrambling to place the employee in another position within the organization.  When a consultant completes a special assignment, he or she simply goes away.  There is no two-week notice, no termination, no lay-off, no severance pay, no nothing.  Consultants do develop long-term relationships with clients but only when the client desires such a relationship.

Because the price is right: When you tally up the costs of bringing in a consultant as opposed to hiring an employee to perform the same task, going with a consultant may be more cost advantageous.  An organization does not have to pay health insurance, vacation time, 401(k) plans, or other benefits when it hires a consultant.