Managing Consultants and Delivery Partners: Governance and Performance – Dubai, 15–19 Mar 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Conceptual · Practical mode: Case study

Introduction

Organisations spend heavily on consultants and delivery partners to accelerate strategy and major programmes, yet executives often find the outcome unclear, the scope growing and the capability leaving with the partner at contract end. The weakness usually lies in how the engagement is commissioned and governed, not in the partner alone. This Core Concept course equips executives to decide when to buy external capability, set outcome-based terms and hold partners to account. Participants judge cases from several sectors and leave with a Consultant and Delivery Partner Governance Charter.

Course Objectives

• Decide when to use consultants, contractors or strategic delivery partners, and which engagement and commercial model fits the need
• Set outcome-focused requirements and evaluation criteria that compare proposals on value rather than day rates
• Establish steering arrangements, decision rights and performance scorecards that keep partners accountable to executive priorities
• Judge integrity, dependency, security and commercial risks in partner arrangements, and direct proportionate safeguards
• Secure knowledge transfer and exit arrangements that leave lasting capability inside the organisation
• Approve a Consultant and Delivery Partner Governance Charter for an initiative in the organisation

Target Audience

• Executives sponsoring transformation or capital programmes that rely on external advisers
• Chief officers accountable for outsourced functions and managed services
• Heads of procurement and commercial functions governing professional services spend
• Heads of PMO and transformation offices overseeing multiple delivery partners
• Senior leaders chairing steering committees for partner-delivered initiatives

Course Outline

Day 1: The Case for External Capability

• Make, Buy or Partner Decisions for Advisory and Delivery Capability
• Consultant, Contractor and Strategic Partner Engagement Models Compared
• ISO 20700 Guidelines for Management Consultancy Services
• Executive Accountability for Outsourced Outcomes Under ISO 21505 Governance Principles
• Portfolio Review of External Advisory Spend and Dependency

Day 2: Sourcing, Relationship and Contract Frameworks

• Kraljic Matrix for Positioning Consultancy and Delivery Categories
• ISO 44001 Collaborative Business Relationship Life Cycle
• ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement Principles for Service Contracts
• FIDIC Client/Consultant Model Services Agreement Structure
• Fixed-Fee, Time-and-Materials and Outcome-Based Commercial Models

Day 3: Commissioning and Governing the Engagement

• Statement of Requirements and Outcome Definition for Sponsors
• Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Quality-Cost Weighting
• Steering Committee Charter and Decision Rights Using RACI
• Partner Performance Scorecard Using Balanced Scorecard Perspectives
• Knowledge Transfer Plan and Internal Capability Build

Day 4: Risk, Integrity and Problem Engagements

• Scope Creep, Change Requests and Commercial Leakage Controls
• Conflict of Interest and ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Safeguards
• Consultant Dependency, Lock-In and Key Person Risk
• Underperformance Escalation, Dispute Avoidance and Termination Options
• Data Security Obligations Aligned to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Supplier Controls

Day 5: Case Work and the Partner Governance Charter

• Transformation Advisory Case: Diagnosing a Stalled Consultancy Engagement
• Utilities Capital Programme Case: Delivery Partner Performance Review
• Sourcing and Engagement Model Selection for an Own Initiative
• Consultant and Delivery Partner Governance Charter Drafting
• Executive Panel Challenge and Charter Defence

Skills You Will Gain

• Strategic Sourcing Judgement
• Partner Governance
• Outcome-Based Contracting
• Supplier Performance Oversight
• Commercial Risk Awareness
• Capability Transfer Planning
• Executive Steering
• Strategic Relationship Management

Why Attend This Course

• Return to work with a Consultant and Delivery Partner Governance Charter for a live initiative, challenged by an executive panel
• Ask the questions that expose weak proposals, padded teams and scope that will not deliver the outcome
• Keep partners accountable through the steering committee without drifting into managing their work
• Compare experience with executives from other sectors and countries who depend on external delivery capability

Conclusion

External advisers and delivery partners add value only when the organisation knows what it is buying, governs the relationship and keeps the capability it pays for. This course moves from the decision to use external capability, through sourcing, relationship and contract frameworks, to commissioning, performance oversight and the integrity and dependency risks executives must judge. The final day turns that material into a Consultant and Delivery Partner Governance Charter that participants take back to their organisation, giving them a clear basis for every future engagement.