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RELEVANT LINKS: <br />League of Minnesota Cities Handbook for Minnesota Cities 10/15/2018 <br />Expenditures, Purchasing, and Contracts Chapter 22 | Page 36 <br /> • Why do we need a consultant? Unless the council can draft a brief <br />statement (100 words or less) describing what the consultant will <br />accomplish, the council needs to discuss the issue further. <br />• Can members of the city workforce (officers or employees) capable of <br />performing the job? <br />• Do other alternatives to hiring an outside consultant exist? Alternatives <br />could include a citizen advisory task force; assistance from <br />neighboring cities, towns, counties, regions, special purpose districts; <br />or even tapping into the capabilities and interests of college faculty and <br />students. <br />• Can the council justify the decision to hire a consultant to city <br />residents? <br /> B. Selecting a consultant <br /> Many communities find the following suggested steps helpful when hiring <br />a consultant: <br /> • Outline briefly (100 words or less) the city’s needs and what the <br />consultant should accomplish. <br />• Prepare, obtain council approval of, and advertise an RFP. The <br />proposals should help determine a potential consultant’s interest and <br />qualifications (for example, the city may require previous experience <br />on similar projects). The proposal should contain an estimate of the <br />maximum compensation and a breakdown on how the consultant <br />arrived at the figure. <br />• Create a list of possible consultants and provide those identified <br />consultants with a copy of the RFP. Inquire with other cities about <br />consultants they have used and how well those consultants performed <br />(often, the city staff person who worked with the consultant can give <br />the best evaluation). Professional associations also often can provide <br />lists. <br />• Hold an informational meeting on the proposed project and invite all <br />proposed consultants. The meeting should only involve a discussion of <br />the proposed project to give council members and staff an opportunity <br />to observe the interested consultants. Consultants should submit their <br />proposals after attending the meeting. The city council, along with the <br />city staff involved in the project, should review the consultant’s <br />proposals and select three to interview. <br />• At the interview with the city council and its staff, each <br />councilmember should receive a rating sheet, a detailed summary of <br />each consultant’s qualifications and an overview of how each <br />consultant proposes to complete the project.