Management should consider sourcing external consultancy support in the following instances:
- To access specialist skills to manage a particular impact or issue not currently available within the site team; e.g. livelihood-restoration programme, Site-Induced Migration Plan;
- To demonstrate that an independent approach has been used, e.g. to assess impacts through a Project-level , to conduct evaluations of programmes, to verify credibility of monitoring data; and
- To support the social performance team during a resource-intensive phase where demands on the team exceed current capacity e.g. during project construction phase.
The following points should be used as a guide to help achieve the best outcome possible when working with consultants:
- Make sure the scope of work is clear, both in terms of activities that the consultant will undertake and the deliverables, including time-scales.
- Work alongside the consultant as much as possible to share company-specific information and context to ensure the consultant’s work is targeted, and to provide guidance to the deliverable is value-adding for the business.
- If consultants are carrying out external stakeholder engagements, make sure that the team has a set of approved key messages for how they introduce their scope of works and/or provide community relations support. The presence of an Anglo American community relations representative will allow relationship consistency through opening and closing the meeting. However, in some cases, communities may speak more freely without the presence of a company staff member.
Consider at the outset which positions will be accountable for reviewing and providing feedback on consultant reports, as well as which positions will be accountable for considering and implementing recommendations arising from the assignment.