Approach

Successful consulting projects in the public and nonprofit sectors depend on several factors, including effective project management techniques, relevant programmatic expertise, and proven functional expertise. We offer our client all of these characteristics.

Civic Pointe Group's enduring commitment to, and vast experience with, serving the public and nonprofit sectors has enabled us to refine our approach.  

Our management review checklists provide a structured, yet flexible approach for evaluating managerial practices based on objective standards.  Our initial planning confirms stakeholder objectives. Our detailed work plan and data requests ensure prompt service. Our proven management techniques, including a clear definition of project milestones, the early diagnosis of those areas offering the greatest return and continual client feedback, ensure useful results. Our frequent status updates keep every client apprised of relevant issues. Our continual client feedback, combined with our accessibility, minimizes unanticipated issues. 

We help find the right answers, in part because we ask the right questions, such as:

• Strategic - What opportunities, risks and uncertainties are most mission-relevant?
• Operational - How can services and processes be more efficient and effective?
• Organizational - How should business units and inter-agency relationships be restructured or realigned?
• Resource - How should staff, facilities and technology be best deployed?
• Financial - How should revenues, costs, assets and debt be restructured or altered?
• Action - What are the most promising strategies and tactics for improvement?

By helping clients address these questions, we provide the impetus for deliberate and enduring change. Ultimately, this approach helps identify the most feasible solutions and build a consensus for implementing those solutions.

We bill on a lump sum basis for discrete, measurable tasks or on a time and materials basis for less clearly defined projects.

To promote more productive, long-term client relationships, we also offer a simple retainer contract.  This enables us to provide services up to a certain dollar amount each year, and in accord with an approved rate schedule.   This has several benefits for our clients, such as:  

• There is no obligation to use our services until our client issues a task order;
• We are on call to provide immediate service, including counsel on urgent matters;
• We improve our ability to meet client needs quickly and efficiently; and
• We are better able to discount our standard professional rates.

We render progress billings on a monthly basis or upon the completion of deliverables, whichever occurs first. We bill professional fees at the negotiated hourly rates and out-of-pocket expenses at cost. Unless the scope of work is changed, the amount billed will not exceed the lump sum fee.

In any event, Civic Pointe Group is very competitive, especially considering our extensive experience. In the final analysis, we are confident that the value of our work will far exceed its costs.