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National versus Local Consulting Firms

Having worked as an independent contractor, and as staff for local, regional, national and international environmental and engineering consulting firms, I’ve come to understand the benefits provided at each level. 

Some clients prefer working with smaller, local consulting firms over large national firms. Perhaps they cite that independent contractors or local consulting firms have more local knowledge, may have lower prices or quicker turnaround times. 

Having been with a large national firm for over 8 years, I have no doubt it is the best of all worlds.

National firms have the resources, backbone, coverage and flexibility of a large firm along with the benefits of a small firm – local inspectors with local knowledge.  In many cases the national group will be very competitive on both price and turnaround time, frequently more so than a smaller local firm, because they have greater flexibility of shifting resources around and commonly offer volume discounts. All without sacrificing quality.

As an independent contractor I had very little in overhead costs, but when my client called on me for a project outside my area I was lost and to make up for it, I charged more to cover travel.  Fitting it into my regular schedule would also push my delivery time out a bit.

Furthermore, the service list available with national groups far exceeds those provided by the independent, local or regional provider. 

With Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. clients are guaranteed:

  1. One contact person for all projects anywhere in the country.
  2. Local and regional knowledge
    1. We have major regional offices with in-house inspectors all over the country and when needed we use additional local inspectors. Our local veterans have been living and working in their respective regions for years.
  3. Consistency in reporting, timelines & fee structure.
    1. As a national group, we use both industry standards and our client’s specific requirement guidelines on each of their projects.
    2. The client doesn’t have to explain or experience a learning phase with each new inspector they work with when they use a national group.
    3. With the availability of the large staff, timelines aren’t missed. 
  4. Support after the fact.
    1. As a national group, we offer stability and we’ll be here down the road if and when needed.
  5. Diversity in talent with a national group gives us the edge on the independent, local and regional groups. 
    1. In addition to the coverage, we retain the best talent and most knowledgeable specialists in the industry.

Still not sure? Give me a call and let us prove it to you. I’d be happy to answer any questions. 800-419-4923.