Define the work before comparing firms.
A signed contract may create costs before collections arrive. Ask the advisor to work from the actual contract, expected delivery, and financing needs rather than simply projecting last year’s results upward.
Why the operating context matters.
For consulting firms, the brief needs to explain project fees, utilization, and subcontracted delivery. Show the candidate how fees are earned and how the delivery team is paid.
Use that context to request a contract-growth planning and reporting brief. Identify the decision still open, the date it becomes binding, and which existing advisors are already responsible for part of the work.
Prepare a decision-ready record list.
- Project profitability
- Contracts
- Contractor ledger
- Signed contract
- Delivery budget
- Collection terms
Mark each item as available, incomplete, or held by another professional. Ask the candidate what it needs before quoting or performing analysis. A record gap should become an assigned task with a deadline, rather than an assumption that the information is complete.
Interview the person who would do the work.
- Which reports will be used to distinguish growth from cash available to owners?
- Which contract assumptions enter the review?
- Who updates the cash forecast?
- What changes would require additional analysis?
- Which information is missing, and who will obtain it?
- What are the complete fees, exclusions, and support dates for this work?
What a useful proposal should settle.
Request a named professional, the records reviewed, a defined output, implementation assignments, support dates, and the complete fee. Ask which work requires a separate engagement with a preparer, attorney, administrator, or specialist. Match every important deadline to a responsible person.
Compare the answer with the work you actually need. An impressive firm name or a broad service description cannot settle scope. If the proposal is unclear, record the open question and ask for clarification before engaging.
Your scope comparison worksheet
Use public business context here. Keep tax returns and private financial records for a secure process agreed with your advisor.
Download the comparison worksheet (CSV). Notes stay in this page while it is open and are not submitted by this form.
Research the provider as well as the proposal.
Browse sourced firms, review credential checks, and use the proposal comparison tool. This brief supports hiring research; it does not establish that any strategy applies or that every firm covers this work.