Procurement - use of consultants: guidance
Guidance for public sector organisations on the use of consultancy procedures when procuring professional services.
Annex C - Post-project review template
Purpose
In order to ensure that the SG buys consultancy services as effectively as possible, it is necessary to take every opportunity to further refine and improve our processes. This template provides a minimum set of considerations for gathering “lessons learned” from every consultancy purchase we make. For major investments, users should refer to the Scottish Public Finance Manual (Major Investment section) and the client guide to construction projects.
This template is as important to due diligence as the original justification or Business Case and its completion should involve senior staff from the project team. The template has two parts. The first relates to the project as a whole, including, but not limited to those tasks performed by the consultants. The second part relates only to the consultants’ performance.
Using Annex C
Business areas should use this document, alongside the original Business Case (or other type of justification) to inform their understanding of the reasons they buy consultancy and the factors that contribute to project success, project failure or any variation in predicted spend, timelines or resources. Business Cases and Post-Project Reviews will also be used to support reviews of the types of external resource we purchase, to seek alternatives (like recruiting those types of skills that we buy regularly) and to review and continue to improve the SG’s use of consultants.
Individuals involved in the review
The number of people involved in the review will depend on the scale of the project but should involve at least the people listed in the table below. For small projects, one individual may fulfil several of the roles listed.
Individual |
Description |
Minimum role during the review |
|
Senior Responsible Owner |
The most senior individual in the Directorate who had ultimate responsibility for the project. |
To sign-off the completed review |
|
Project Manager |
The staff member that was responsible for monitoring the consultants activity. |
Present throughout the review |
|
Impacted Staff |
Any staff member whose work or position is affected by the project itself and/or by its recommendations. |
Input to questions regarding communication, lessons learned and what would be done differently next time. |
|
External Stakeholders |
Any external individual or organisation that is affected by the project itself and/or by its recommendations |
To provide input to questions regarding communication and lessons learned
|
Contact
Email: scottishprocurement@gov.scot