Consultancy of the Year Award:
Business Sense
Clive Harridge,
Director, Entec UK Ltd and RTPI Vice President
This award represents a fantastic opportunity to showcase your company and the work that you do, suggests Clive Harridge.
So you think that your consultancy is the best? Well, enter the consultancy of the year award and bathe in the glory when you win. Above all, entering the award makes sound business sense-read on to find out why.
Entries are now being invited for the award and the deadline is 30 September. To merit an award you must be able to demonstrate exemplary good practice in planning and the provision of high-quality planning services - what planning consultancy does not claim to provide these? Other criteria include the application of pioneering approaches, the achievement of high-quality and imaginative solutions, a commitment to professional ethics and activities and securing client satisfaction – all the stuff of everyday life as a planning consultant.
Size does not matter. The competition is open to practices of all sizes – small consultancies and sole practitioners as well as large companies. The judging is based on defined criteria and these are applicable and achievable whatever the scale of business.
So what are the business benefits? Well, there are many including enhanced company status and free promotion. Shortlisted firms will be profiled in the pages of Planning and there will be a full-page report on the winner in the awards brochure.
Since Entec won the 2004 Planning Consultancy of the Year Award our planning business has blossomed. This is of course not just due to winning the award. We have also done some good work for our clients. But winning has definitely made a difference. For a start it has helped build client relationships. The clients that we invited to act as our referees were genuinely flattered, shared our delight in winning and were very pleased that their own projects were showcased.
Winning the award has helped us to win work with new clients who were not previously familiar with Entec. Staff recruitment has also been helped, particularly of more junior staff who used the award to differentiate between consultancies. As a team of more than 30 planners in a multi-disciplinary company of more than 600 staff, winning the award has helped to raise the profile of the planning team and further supported our position as one of the best performing parts of the company.
So entering the award should be a no brainer – the
business benefits are there for the taking. Since I will be president of
the RTPI next year,
Entec will not be entering so the field is open and the competition has been
reduced by one. I look forward to presenting the award to the winner next year.
Best of luck with your entry.
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