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Partnering with a Professional
Services Firm Evaluation
Checklist & Scorecard
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 |
www.ajoconnor.com
Page 2
Factors to consider when selecting and evaluating service providers:
You’ve decided to partner with an external firm to deliver Executive Coaching, Team and Leadership
Development for your organization. Question is, how to select the best provider that’s a strong fit for
your culture and needs? What factors should you consider in the evaluation process?
The decision can be a difficult one, given the
broad range of options available - from solo
entrepreneurs to the Big Four; from training
organizations and boutique consulting firms to
large staffing/outplacement providers; from
generalists to specialists. There are many
factors to consider, recognizing that the
ensuing partnership demands a transference of
trust involving your company’s most valuable
asset…your leaders. Nothing less than a
strategic partner who can demonstrate
experience, competence and results is worthy
of the risk.
A 2009 research report by RainToday
addressed the question of how buyers buy
professional services. They found that the most
common way buyers initially identify and
learn about service providers is via referrals,
namely referrals from colleagues or other
service providers.
The Selection Process
According to the study, the factors most important in the company’s decision to choose a service
provider, was the overall value the provider can deliver, followed by industry‐relevant or
need‐specific experience, overall costs or fees, and the reputation of individual consultants
(see chart above).
The Evaluation Process
Once you’ve identified and shortlisted reputable service providers
that meet your key criteria, what factors should you consider
when evaluating each one?
We’ve compiled our list of critical factors and selection criteria into
an evaluation checklist and scorecard to assist you in this process.
The successful use of strategic partners ensures a greater return
on your investment and reduces the time spent on selection,
vendor relationship management, initiative reporting and service
delivery processes.
How Clients Buy: 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing & Selling from the Client Perspective. RainToday.com and Wellesley Hills Group
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 |
www.ajoconnor.com
Page 3
Evaluation Criteria Checklist
Start by identifying the most important criteria you will use to select a partner. Think about what you're
trying to accomplish both short-term (your immediate needs) as well as the long run. To assist, we’ve
organized seventeen recommended criteria into three categories (Strategic Fit, Delivery Performance
and Thought Leadership) and these are detailed on the following two pages. You may wish to add to, or
amend these, based on your specific needs, goals and objectives.
Instructions: Rate each factor in terms of importance using a 5 point scale where 1 is very low; 2 is
low, 3 is moderate, 4 is very important and 5 is extremely important. Use 0 for not applicable or
unimportant and 0.5 where you’re undecided between two ratings. Enter your importance rating to the
column in the table below, or directly to the scorecard spreadsheet that accompanies this checklist.
Criteria Questions
Import-
ance
(1-5)
Str
ate
gic
Fit
Organizational
Level
What level(s) within your organization will be served? How well
does the engagement/provider match? For executive coaching,
ask for a breakdown of assignments completed by level.
Geographic
Location
In what geographic locations will services be required? Are
services required locally, nationally and/or globally? How does
the provider’s reach match your location needs?
Cultural &
Business
Acumen
How critical is indepth working knowledge and experience of
geography, culture and business acumen for each location or
engagement? How effectively does the provider match cultural
and business needs? Is there a culture match? How is each one
like you? Different?
Company,
Industry &
Functional
Experience
How important is company, industry and functional business
experience? What direct company experience, industry
experience and functional departmental experience exists?
Credentials Am I getting the best? Will the credentials be credible among
leaders with whom the provider will be interacting? What
accreditations, training, certifications, depth of experience do
delivery consultants/coaches possess?
Breadth &
Depth of
Expertise
Will you need solutions in multiple areas? How broad is each
provider’s service offerings and capabilities? How long has each
one been providing these services? What are the areas of
specialization?
Overall
Financial Value
What are the overall costs or fees? What are the cost benefits?
How would you assess the overall value the provider can
deliver?
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 |
www.ajoconnor.com
Page 4
Criteria Questions Import-
ance
(1-5)
Deli
very P
erfo
rm
an
ce
Engagement
Process
Is there a consistent, documented process based on best
practices in the industry? What are the provider’s best
practices? How effectively can the provider guide you to an
optimal solution(s)?
Confidentiality What level of confidentiality is observed during and post service
delivery - at the individual, team and organization level? What
are the provider’s policies in this area?
Relationship
Management
Is there a single, easily accessible, efficient point of contact for
follow up? What is the frequency, nature and quality of
communications? What level of trust and commitment does each
provider engender? How flexible, adaptable, reliable and
responsive is each provider?
Status and
Reporting
Are there formal communication checkpoints engaging all key
stakeholders including leaders, their managers, and potentially
multiple levels within human resources?
Contingency
Management
Is there capacity and are there backups and contingencies in the
event of changing/expanding requirements, escalation of
events, or disaster? How scalable is the provider’s operation?
Success
Criteria &
Delivery
Metrics
Are engagement and developmental objectives documented,
tracked and progress measured? How effectively does the
provider measure engagement success? Are there published
metrics and metrics in place for return on investment?
Criteria Questions Import-
ance
(1-5)
Th
ou
gh
t Lead
ersh
ip Best Practices What mechanisms are in place to ensure that industry current
best practices and leading trends are incorporated to the
provider’s services?
Ongoing
Development
What commitment and requirements does the provider have for
the continued development of its professionals?
Process
Improvement
How does the provider incorporate its own learnings into quality
and process improvement?
Use of
Technology
How is technology used to speed/support learning integration,
global delivery and client communication?
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 |
www.ajoconnor.com
Page 5
Evaluation Scorecard
To help you evaluate providers, use our scorecard to assess each provider (see pages 6-7).
As you can see from the example
on the right, you’ll get a visual
representation of how each
provider measures up against
your most important criteria.
In addition to entering your
importance and evaluation
ratings, you can also amend any
of the criteria.
Instructions: Contact AJO if
you would like us to email this
spreadsheet (shown on pages 6-
7) to you.
Additional Resources
AJO Scorecard For Evaluating
Professional Services Firms - An
excel spreadsheet where you can
enter importance scores and ratings for each of the seventeen criteria outlined on pages 3-4. As you
enter ratings, the chart provides a view of how closely each firm matches your most important criteria.
Ten Trends in Coaching and Leadership Development - Ten trends are covered in a series of six
blog postings on AJO’s website. Each posting includes several additional resources.
How Clients Buy: 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing & Selling from
the Client Perspective. RainToday.com and Wellesley Hills Group research report. Download an
excerpt from this link, or ask AJO if you’d like to learn more about this study.
About AJO
As a professional services provider, A.J. O’Connor Associates invests in developing sound practices and
differentiating itself through high quality, flexibility and breadth of service offerings. Our tenured
consultant team brings global industry experience, proven programs, accelerated development and
exceptional results to support your needs. AJO has worked with a wide range of companies in terms of
size, scale and industry. This checklist and scorecard have been developed based on our considerable
experience in the selection and delivery process for over 28 years.
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 | www.ajoconnor.com
Page 6
Contact AJO if you would like us to email this spreadsheet to you.
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 |
www.ajoconnor.com
Page 7
Copyright © 2011, A.J. O'Connor Associates | p 973 539 3006 | www.ajoconnor.com
Page 7
Contact AJO if you would like us to email this spreadsheet to you.
