Choosing the right partner

Step 5 appointment

In headhunting many offers are made subject to references. There are many Brussels examples where disastrous appointments were made because references were not followed-up, and what people claimed to be true turned out about their career histories to be inaccurate or even false.

So before appointing a public affairs firm which may involve handling sensitive issues for your organisation, it is only reasonable to talk to other clients that have worked with your chosen partner. However, as BestinBrussels shows the names of many firms’ clients and the longevity of their relationships speak for themselves.

Before formally appointing your public affairs firm it is important to have at least one more face-to-face meeting, and only reasonable to get into the detail of how they will implement and deliver on your objectives. It may also be necessary to request further written budget details and proposals.

Once you have buy-in from your internal stakeholders, you may also need to unleash your Procurement Department on the unsuspecting winning firm. From the consultants’ side, discussions with Procurement Officers can be a depressing budget-bashing exercise, however, from your perspective they can provide important insurance, and along with the legal department, deal with contract management.

Once all the boxes have been ticked, you should seek to finalise the contract as soon as possible with your chosen partner, so the financial, legal and working relationship is clear.

We wish you the best of success with your new chosen Partner!

How important are the following criteria to select your consultancy? (From 0 not being important to 5 being critical)

POLICY EXPERTISE
4.41
PERSONALITY FIT/CHEMISTRY WITH THE TEAM
4.06
CONNECTIONS WITH DECISION-MAKERS
4
SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
3.98
TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS/CASE STUDIES
3.67
SENIORITY OF THE TEAM/ADVISORS
3.65
VALUE FOR MONEY
3.61
CREATIVITY
3.57
REPUTATION
3.49
MULTI-MARKET PRESENCE/NETWORK
2.63
AWARDS
1.1
Source: TRENDS IN PURCHASING PA SERVICES - Grayling Public Affairs Survey 2017
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