09 October 2006 | Rebecca Ellinor

The OGC has published guidance to help purchasers get the most out of using consultants.

Delivering Value from Consultancy identifies good practice and behaviour that can help make a success of consultancy projects. It includes a common set of principles for both parties to use for reference throughout an assignment.

Representatives in the public and private sector jointly developed the guidance through the Professional Services Forum.

As reported in SM'sTransformation of the Public Sector supplement (October 2006), there were more than 15,000 management consultants in the UK public sector in 2005. It has been estimated that spending on management and IT consultants will top £70 billion between 1997 and 2009.

OGCbuying.solutions has recently refreshed its framework and can supply consultants with expertise in finance, ICT and other areas. In addition, the London regional Centre of Excellence, which supports councils in the capital with procurement, is working to help local authority buyers who purchase consultancy services to cut spend by 10 per cent.

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