Buying Professional Services: How to get value for money from consultants and other professional services providers (Economist)

Buying Professional Services: How to get value for money from consultants and other professional services providers (Economist)

by PeterSmith (Author), Fiona Czerniawska (Author)

Synopsis

This book is based on four premises: *Public and private sector organisations are spending huge amounts of money buying professional services, and most are doing it badly, without strong procurement processes or an adequate understanding of the marketplace, resulting in wasted money and disappointing outcomes. *Even among those organisations that do use formal procurement processes and techniques, many are applying them inappropriately and therefore achieve similarly poor results. *Many professional services firms don't understand how the increasing application of professional procurement processes could affect their business model, client engagement and ultimately their profitability. *While they are working together, both professional services providers and their clients too often behave in ways that reduce the potential benefits to both parties. Using real examples from a range of private sector firms, government departments and from the professional services firms themselves, this book explores the world of professional services procurement. Aimed at a broad audience which includes all those who both use and provide professional services, it sets out to show how they can work together much more effectively to their mutual benefit.

$48.58

Quantity

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Economist Books
Published: 14 Jun 2010

ISBN 10: 1846683254
ISBN 13: 9781846683251

Author Bio
Fiona Czerniawska is a leading commentator on the consulting industry, and the managing director of Source (www.sourceforconsulting.com), which provides information about the management consulting market. She spent more than 15 years as a management consultant, primarily working in the areas of marketing and strategy, and now speaks, lectures and writes extensively on the consulting industry and related issues. After Oxford University, she obtained a PhD from the University of London, and an MBA (with distinction) from Kingston Business School. Her books include The Intelligent Client and Management Consulting in Practice: Award-Winning International Case Studies. She is also the co-author of Business Consulting: A Guide to How it Works, also published by The Economist. Peter Smith is an expert on purchasing and supply chain issues, and Managing Director of procurement Excellence, a specialist consulting firm. He has advised UK public sector organisations such as the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence, and international businesses such as Barclays and Reuters. Before moving into consultancy, he was Procurement Director for the UK's Department of Social Security and the NatWest Group, as well as holding senior purchasing positions at Dun & Bradstreet and Mars. He studied Maths at Cambridge University, and is a Fellow and past President of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.