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City begins review of consultant management practices; staff to develop tools and training
Summary
The committee reviewed a staff work plan for developing best practices on consultant selection, contracting and project management. Staff said the project will include interviews, budget reviews, training and templates; an advisory from the auditor (Baker Tilly) is expected to supplement the effort.
The Policy & Services Committee on May 28 received a staff briefing on a citywide work plan to develop and implement best practices for consultant management, with the goal of improving decision-making, product quality and consistency across departments.
City Manager Ed Shikada introduced the project as a comprehensive effort to examine how consultants are selected, scope work, are managed through the life of projects, and how staff skills and organizational supports can be strengthened. "This is a comprehensive review of how we make decisions on consultant engagements and then how those engagements proceed," Shikada said. He said staff found few ready-made public-agency resources and sees an opportunity for Palo Alto to develop tools that could benefit other cities.
Staff described a six-step work plan that includes: (1) reviewing current practices and interviews with staff; (2) evaluating whether in-house staffing is a better long-term option versus consultant work; (3) documenting improvements and clarifying the role of city staff's "local knowledge" in consultant projects; (4) identifying skill gaps and training needs; and (5) producing workflow templates, dashboards, and structured training for project managers.
The work plan notes several challenges: depth of the consultant market in specialized areas; the effect of poorly defined scopes of work; staff turnover; and the fact that consultant work often involves controversial public projects. The city manager said he has asked the auditor to include consultant management best practices in Baker Tilly's upcoming advisory work so the city will have both staff and external perspectives.
Council members discussed objectives and practical implementation. Chair Bienker said the topic "boils down to expertise, efficiency and economy" and urged the city to protect public trust by clarifying how consultants are used. Council member Stone emphasized the need for consultants to present objective analysis and for clearer expectations that consultants adjust recommendations when council signals a different preference. Council member Liu asked for a clear definition of "consultant" for the project (examples given included architects, engineers, supplemental staffing and special studies) and whether the review would consider large capital-program consultants and recurring contracts such as audit services.
Administrative Services staff explained ongoing training for staff who write scopes and administer consultant contracts, and said a renewed focus on contract administration began about a year ago. Staff also noted that some consultant work is approved by council on a calendar-year basis; the work plan used calendar-year 2024 contract approvals as an initial sample for analysis.
Committee members generally supported the work plan and encouraged staff to limit new process overhead while producing practical tools. No formal committee action or vote was taken; staff intends to report further and present findings to the full council after the July recess as the project develops.
