Search and Contract Management of Consultants

The unique character of international engineering projects means encountering unknown problems. When these are temporary and one-of-a-kind, quickly calling on outside experts is necessary. Even with recurring problem patterns, the proper interim specialist can lay the right groundwork until internal resources are developed.

Experts who save your firm money

Assembling a team in sectors like oil and gas has always meant drawing heavily upon outside consultants, but in other areas this is still not as prevalent. Yet, in many areas there are a number of good reasons for bringing the right outside specialists on board:

• Goal-oriented professionalism for completing the project:
  Consultants are focused on bringing the project to a successful conclusion and don’t have to concern themselves with internal operational disputes. They take a professional approach to their work and they live from references – this reason alone makes them less of a safety risk than permanent employees. As outside specialists they are not blind to the shortcomings of the company’s processes, and as professionals they can be quickly integrated and also complete their work more quickly.
• Flexible costs for outside specialist knowledge:
  Consultants charge higher daily rates according to their qualifications. But since they only work on call and for limited time periods, the fixed-costs for your business remain flexible. Hence, you only pay when you actually employ the specialist. Furthermore, the expenses for an equally skilled permanent employee – taking into account all aspects like additional training, vacation or social security – can quickly amount to significant sums that are only marginally lower than the compensation rates of an external specialist.
• Personnel flexibility regardless of budgetary restraints:
  For businesses, budget caps can pose a problem for personnel numbers, especially if companies are to remain flexible in the face of financial constraints. A sudden demand for specialists is not compatible with fixed personnel costs. The use of specialists – whether as freelance consultants or temporary workers – can create flexibility since you are purchasing services with your outlays.
• Testing new projects and lowering risks:
  Consultants also make it possible for small- and medium-sized firms to expand their businesses internationally. At the beginning of a project it is often unclear how things will develop. With an expert who is familiar with local conditions, approaches can be tested out with lower risks.
• Transferring knowledge to the core of the firm:
  Working together with a consultant also means the opportunity to channel new, outside knowledge to the core of the business – provided that the necessary structures have already been set up. 
• Bigger talent pool for your project team:
  A change has taken place in how qualified workers view themselves – especially for younger and mid-career generations: professional life no longer centres around exclusive loyalty to a company but on developing a unique career path of engaging projects. For top-qualified individuals, working as a consultant is not an emergency solution but a voluntary choice, and they can only be brought into your project as outside experts.

Looking for and managing your outside experts made easier

With our international recruiting we help you to find the right specialist for your project. With our choice of sourcing avenues we strategically combine three points: our own databank structures, new media and a network of consultants we have built up over many years of sustained teamwork. The following qualifications set the profiles of these consultants apart:

• Senior Level (min. 10 years working experience)
• From Supervisors to Managers
• International Experience (Construction Sites and Corporate Offices)

We also offer you the possibility to manage your external team member through us and can help you find the right contract solution for both sides - the consultant and you.