How do I get into the DTA pool of consultants?
This is a rolling process and there are no deadlines.
Identify > Invite > Assess > Promote > Manage > Review > Feedback
In the first instance we are identifying and inviting those individuals and organisations who have worked for and with the DTA already, along with others who put themselves forward.

What is the assessment process?
Our invitation will include detailed information and guidance about the assessment process. We aim to make it rapid but rigorous.
We will definitely need your CV, a short biography and references. And we will need to talk to you, either in person or in a dedicated phone interview.

What is a skillset analysis?
We’re looking for knowledge and expertise but we also want people who will be good consultants. We will be assessing skills using a model adapted from Sir John Egan’s ‘Skills for Sustainable Communities’ review, which focuses on generic skills like communication, strategic thinking, brokerage, teamworking, and so on.

If I get into the pool am I guaranteed work?
No. There is no guarantee at all. But we will generally not use consultants who have not become associates by undertaking the assessment to join the pool.

How much will I get paid for consultancy work?
There are likely to be three levels of payment – for ‘associates’, ‘specialists’, and ‘support roles’ and these rates are negotiated on a contract by contract basis. Our clients vary enormously, from central government, to small community groups, and the fees the Pool charges vary as well.
Fees will be payable for ‘delivery days’, including preparation and write-up time agreed within the contract. All associates will be asked to make available up to one further day of their time per year without pay to attend briefing, training or review sessions, although we will aim to ensure that most communication is by telephone, email and internet.
We will pay all reasonable travel expenses but will not pay fees for travel time if this is not spent in working on the project.

What if I find the work myself but would like the DTA consultancy’s help in delivering it?
We welcome our associates making suggestions for contracts we might be able to help to win, deliver and manage. We will negotiate with you a one-off Finder’s Commission of 10-15% of the contract surplus, in addition to fees for any consultancy days which you provide to the project.

How often will the pool be reviewed?
The pool of associates will be dynamic and constantly under review. As part of monitoring and maintaining quality, we will actively seek feedback from clients and co-associates.
We will also have a formal review process once a year. Drawing on the views of clients and associates, this will explore the impact of the consultancy and how it has benefited clients, development trusts, the DTA regionally and nationally and, ultimately, local communities.

What kind of consultancy work will we do?
We are building on a very special kind of expertise. There is a substantial demand for support around community assets and enterprise as key elements of community regeneration.
The consultancy aims to make this expertise available in order to achieve better outcomes for community regeneration. Its impact will be measured in those terms: how has our support changed the quality of outcomes on the ground? Sometimes this impact will be directly visible at local level; other impacts may be in the form of better strategic thinking, avoiding burn-out in senior staff, or more effective programme management, but we will always ask what difference it makes to communities and neighbourhoods.

Can I publicise the fact that I’m a DTA associate?
Yes. We hope that you will, and that you will find it helps. Just as the development trusts feel like they’re part of a family, so consultancy associates will be networked together and promoted externally. We will be clear about our assessment and rating systems with clients and potential clients so that it becomes a benchmark for quality and rootedness in the field.

Can I bid against the DTA for contracts?
For people who are already undertaking consultancy, or would like to, being in the DTA consultancy pool should be seen as a useful extra avenue. For those who have the skills but not the time to waste on ‘pitching’, it should be a real boon. The DTA Board has explicitly recognised that “there will be occasions where DTA products and consultancy will compete with products offered by DTA members” but that “we should not be deterred from pursuing this path”. Equally, our associates are, of course, completely free to compete against us for any particular contract.