How to choose an EDI consultant

1. What is this service?

Consultants may work on strategy, organisational culture, policy, employee experience, research, audits, leadership, accessibility, workforce issues or other areas.

There is no single definition of an EDI consultant. Start with your outcome rather than searching for a generic ‘EDI consultant’.

2. When might you commission it?

• you lack specialist expertise internally
• you need an independent perspective
• an issue requires specialist knowledge
• you need additional project capacity
• you are developing an EDI strategy
• you want an independent review
• you need support implementing recommendations
• internal stakeholders need facilitation.

3. Before you commission

Ask:

• What expertise are we missing?
• Do we need advice, research, delivery or implementation?
• Why external support?
• Do we need an independent perspective?
• What outcome do we want?
• Who needs to trust the process?
• What level of lived, professional or sector experience is relevant?
• What will happen after the consultant leaves?

4. Define your brief

Specify:

• organisational context
• problem/opportunity
• objectives
• scope
• relevant groups
• stakeholders
• evidence available
• required methodology
• deliverables
• timescale
• budget
• reporting arrangements
• confidentiality requirements.

5. What to ask providers

• What comparable projects have you delivered?
• What did you learn from those projects?
• What would your approach be here?
• What would you need from us?
• How would you involve people affected?
• How do you handle disagreement or difficult findings?
• What will we receive?
• Who will actually deliver the work?
• How do you evaluate your work?
• Can you provide references?

6. How to compare proposals

Assess:

• relevant experience
• understanding
• methodology
• credibility of evidence
• stakeholder approach
• quality of proposed outputs
• project management
• availability
• value.

7. What good looks like

• understands your specific context
• asks intelligent questions
• does not assume the solution
• can explain methodology clearly
• is honest about limitations
• can translate evidence into practical recommendations
• can work with organisational complexity.

8. Things to watch out for

• one-size-fits-all methodology
• jargon-heavy proposals
• unsupported claims
• exaggerated promises
• reliance on personal authority rather than evidence
• unclear ownership of deliverables
• lived experience presented without explaining its relevance to the project
• a proposal that focuses more on the consultant than your problem.

9. What should you receive?

• inception plan
• evidence review
• stakeholder engagement
• findings
• recommendations
• implementation plan
• presentation
• resources/toolkit
• evaluation report.

10. After commissioning

Agree:

• project governance
• milestones
• access to stakeholders
• information sharing
• review points
• escalation route
• changes to scope
• final sign-off.