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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What is Which Consultant and how does it work
- Why was Which Consultant set up?
- What is unique about Which Consultant?
- What consulting skill and sevices does Which Consultant offer?
- What is Which Consultant's target market?
- Why should Consultants register with Which Consultant?
- Why should Buyers of consulting services register with Which Consultant?
- How complex is the registration process?
- What do I do if I want to have my details removed from the system?
- How much does the service cost?
- Does Which Consultant act as an intermediary between potential Buyers and Consultants?
- What happens if the customer is unable to contact the Consultant?
- What happens if the Consultant and the Buyer do not ultimately come to an agreement about a project?
- Does Which Consultant guarantee the standard of the Consultant's work?
1. What is Which Consultant and how does it work?
Which Consultant is an online marketplace that simplifies and accelerates the process of locating and buying consulting services.
Our services are founded on three databases. The Consultant Directory contains the detailed résumés / CV’s of consultants. The Project Board contains details of project opportunities from Buyers in the form Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) and Requests for Information (RFI’s). The Employment Board contains employment opportunities from Buyers seeking consultants for permanent and temporary positions in industry or professional consulting practices, as well as from Consultants seeking strategic partners to undertake joint assignments.
The databases are all searchable on-line. When looking for consultants, projects or employees / partners, you can either use a range of prescribed criteria for your search, or base it on key words. For example, suppose a company is looking for a marketing consultant in Toronto with particular expertise in creative design, who is familiar with the electronics industry and has more than 15 years of consulting experience. A search of the Consultants Directory system will return all the Consultants on the database matching those criteria. The Customer can then view the full résumés / CVs (less names and contact details) of those Consultants meeting the criteria above, enabling them to identify the best person for the job. On payment of a modest fee the Buyer receives the names and contact details of the selected Consultant(s) and contacts them to discuss the assignment.
The Project Board and Employment Board operate in a similar fashion. Through Which Consultant, organizations needing consulting services can quickly and easily identify resources for projects or other permanent / temporary positions within their organization, thereby saving them a significant amount of time and resources normally spent on searching for consultancies that have the necessary experience and qualifications to successfully undertake their projects or fill employment positions.
2. Why was Which Consultant set up?
As professional consultants ourselves, we have witnessed the difficulty organizations face in finding the right consultant and experienced the disproportionate investment consultants need to make to market their services. Much of this unproductive effort could have been avoided, if there had been an effective market place, such as Which Consultant, where Buyers and Suppliers of consulting services could “meet” with a minimum amount of effort.
3. What is unique about Which Consultant?
We are not the first nor the only online market place for consulting services. However, we are unique in offering a full range of services covering the procurement of consulting services via three separate databases: consultants offering expertise and experience, prospective projects, job opportunities.
4. What consulting skills and services does Which Consultant offer?
Which Consultant’s database of consultants provide consulting services across many disciplines and industries, as well as at different levels of skills and experience. Broad areas of disciplines include: accounting and finance, business strategy and management, engineering, education and training, human resources and organization, information technology and systems, manufacturing and operations, logistics, and marketing and sales.
5. What is Which Consultant’s target market?
Our primary target market is organizations located in Canada or doing business in Canada, across all industries in the private and public sectors.
6. Why should Consultants register with Which Consultant?
Which Consultant’s marketing activities brings the skills and experience of our Consultants to the attention of many thousands of businesses and organisations that require consultants, both in domestic and international contexts. Very few consultants have the resources to undertake marketing on such a wide scale.
By using Which Consultant, you are less dependent on the long and expensive process of cold-calling or relying on intermittent referrals to find new potential clients. The organizations that come to our website have immediate consulting needs.
7. Why should Buyers of consulting services register with Which Consultant?
Which Consultant will save Buyers of consulting services time and money by using our range of services. Buyers will no longer have to spend months researching existing consultancies in order to find a firm that is qualified to meet their needs. Also, because we do not charge our member consultancies commissions that can amount to thousands of dollars per project, you are more likely to receive the lowest fee quotations for your projects.
8. How complex is the registration process?
Registration is quick and easy. Simply complete the on-line registration form - which consists of a number of steps that mainly involve selecting items from drop down menus and tick lists. In addition, in the case of Consultants, we recommend that you attach an up-to-date copy of your résumé / CV in MS Word. Alternatively, if you are a Buyer, we recommend that you attach a copy of the project RFP or a detailed job placement advertisement.
9. What do I do if I want to have my details removed from the system?
You have absolute control of your registration and can access it at any time to amend / edit it or, if you wish, delete it entirely from our system. You can also ‘temporarily remove’ your registration if, say, you are not available for an assignment for a month or two. In those circumstances you will remain registered and your registration and CV will remain on the system but will not be returned in searches until you reactivate it.
10. How much does the service cost?
Our fees for all services are very low given the potential cost-savings or revenue generation. Where comparable services do exist in other countries, they are considerably higher. A full schedule of fees is provided under Pricing on the Services web page.
You can review all of our databases FREE OF CHARGE. Furthermore, access to the Project Board and Employment Board information is free to Consultants who are looking for project and employment opportunities.
11. Does Which Consultant act as an intermediary between potential Buyers and Consultants?
Buyers of consulting services are able to identify and obtain details of Consultants directly from our system. They contact the Consultant(s) themselves to discuss an opportunity. Which Consultant is not involved in any part of the process, unless there is a prior arrangement.
We do, however, offer to undertake searches on behalf of Buyers, checking Consultants’ suitability and availability for Buyers’ projects. This could also include ascertaining associated consulting fees and expenses (please see our Terms and Conditions document for full information).
12. What happens if the customer is unable to contact the Consultant?
If a Buyer directly conducts a search and purchases a Consultant’s contact details and, exceptionally, it is not possible to make contact, Which Consultant will attempt to effect the contact. If, for any reason, it proves impossible to do so, Which Consultant may, at its discretion, refund part or all of the fee paid by the Buyer, if no other consultants are suitable as replacements.
13. What happens if the Consultant and the Buyer do not ultimately come to an agreement about a project?
We cannot guarantee that contact between Buyers and Consultants will ultimately result in an agreement between them, or that any agreement or contract entered into by the parties will have a satisfactory conclusion. Fees are not refundable in these circumstances.
14. Does Which Consultant guarantee the standard of the Consultant's work?
Which Consultant does not verify the accuracy of information provided by Consultants, nor do we vouch for any Consultant’s professional competence. Buyers should make their own appropriate checks, seek references, etc. before entering into a contract with a Consultant.
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