Sourcing consultants advise enterprise customers on the design and implementation of procurement strategies to solve the Sourcing Dilemma. Other sourcing consultants advise service providers on responding to the tactics of the enterprise customers’ consultants.
Variations on a Theme
Sourcing consultancies come in all sizes, organizational configurations and geographical footprints. Whether a one-person operation or a multinational with thousands of consultants, the sourcing consultant provides value by being a specialist in the current terms and deals in the marketplace. Some cover only outsourcing, but most are now covering both insourcing, outsourcing and shared services to meet the demand for full business process management.
Overlap of Lawyers and Consultants
Experienced lawyers active in outsourcing have the capability of acting as sourcing consultants. One major law firm in outsourcing provides enterprise customers with both consulting services and legal services. Mixing the role of advocate on business matters and advocate on legal matters may be a conflict of interest, but no litigation or disbarments on the subject are known in the industry generally.
Differentiating Factors
Sourcing consultants differentiate themselves by their experience, methodologies (to the extent there are any differences), basic non-consulting environment (if consulting is an adjunct to such activities as market research or the practice of law).
There may be other distinguishing factors that have a material influence on the suitability and success of consulting services. For a lawyer’s view on such factors, please contact us. We would be pleased to discuss your considerations and recommend consultants to help transform your sourcing strategy.