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Working with Latham Consulting Group

Each consulting firm has somewhat different business practices, therefore, we have set ours forth in the following sections.

Initial Consultation

Typically, one of the administrative or physician leaders of the group invites us to consider a problem. The consultant of our firm whose expertise is most applicable to the client situation will respond to the inquiry.

Experience shows that a successful consulting project is built on a clearly defined assessment of the situation. Initial consultations (either by telephone or on-site) seek to establish the nature and extent of problems and determine whether and how we can contribute to their resolution. We only accept assignments where our services will add value and where the assistance required is within our areas of expertise. We always conduct initial consultations in confidence and without obligation.

Specific Proposal

If it is mutually agreed that Latham Consulting Group can contribute to a solution, we prepare a proposal that outlines our understanding of the situation; proposes an approach and detailed tasks; and describes staffing, qualifications, timing and professional fees. The proposal establishes the scope and limits of the assignment for both parties, and guides the project's course. Whenever possible, we discuss an initial draft of the proposal with the client to confirm our understanding of the problem and the client's expectations of us.

Project Implementation

Upon completion of our work, we normally prepare a written report of our findings and recommendations. If agreed to as part of our proposal, a briefing presentation to discuss our findings and offer opportunities for questions and answers will be provided.

Because we cannot serve a client under terms or conditions that might impair our objectivity, independence or integrity, we reserve the right to withdraw from the assignment if conditions develop to interfere with the successful completion of the assignment.

Arrangements for Our Services

Professional charges are based on an agreement when the project is begun, and are generally stated as a single sum or tight range of sums for professional fees.

The client always has the right to terminate the assignment on written notice. In such case, the client has no liability for charges beyond those incurred on his or her behalf through the date the termination notice is received by us.

Out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of our clients are billed to the client in addition to professional charges. Under ordinary conditions, these expenses typically range from five to twenty percent of professional charges.

Naturally we will keep fees and expenses to a minimum, consistent with achieving the objectives of the project. Detailed expense records are maintained at our office and may be inspected if desired.

Financial Arrangements

Projects are undertaken under any of several kinds of arrangements.

"Fixed fees" may be charged where the project and required work can be accurately determined by us in advance. This is the most common type of arrangement.

"Not-to-exceed" charges are based upon professional time actually spent up to the "not to exceed" limit. Such arrangements are most suitable where the assignment itself can be clearly described but the amount of time required cannot.

"Phase and Retainer Contracts" are used when the project is long and complex and each phase can be defined only when the preceding phase has been completed, or when there are a number of projects needing attention and a specific level of support is required.

Retainers are customary in all Latham Consulting Group engagements and their terms and conditions are outlined in the original proposal. Retainers serve at a clients authorization for Latham Consulting Group to schedule the project, commit resources on behalf of the client, and commence project implementation.

Staff Effort

Staff are on the client's premises only when necessary. Staff consultation, writing, analysis and related work will typically be done at the offices of Latham Consulting Group.

Timing

The approximate duration of a project is identified in the initial proposal, and may be from several days to more than a year. Since many engagements include on-going assistance in implementation, the project may be on a continuing basis.

Client Participation

We achieve the best results for clients when their personnel actively participate in the team effort. While the need for client involvement does vary with a project's sensitivity and other aspects of the project, its value is great on most engagements.

Active client participation exposes our consultants to a range of competing views, increases the consultants' objectivity, helps ensure that realistic solutions are considered, and increases the likelihood of successful implementation.

We typically rely on client personnel to provide internal statistics and data. Frequently, client team members also participate in data analysis. However, the consultant plans the projects, structures the data gathering and analysis, and develops recommendations.

Implementation

We consider a project successful when our recommendations produce measurable, valuable results for our client. Accordingly, we are available to assist in implementation of our recommendations. In many cases, clients request that we develop implementation plans and manage or monitor the activities.

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