Should the partnership contract out all or an element of the audit?

The following should be taken into account when deciding whether to contract out work on the audit:

• Are the skills required to conduct the audit available locally?

Provided the necessary skills are available (including skills in project management and data analysis). It will always be preferable for the audit to be conducted within the partnership. This will maintain ownership of the project, utilise local contacts and knowledge and ensure the understanding of local crime problems.

• Can individuals with the relevant skills be given sufficient time to work on the audit?

For instance, if there is only one single individual within the partnership with sufficient knowledge of data analysis, it is unlikely that they could be freed sufficiently from their designated role to take on this work.

• What level of support does the partnership need for the audit?

It may be possible to carry out tasks such as data collection and analysis within the partnership provided appropriate assistance or support can be made available. Good consultants offer this type of support. It is best to contract consultants with the particular specialist knowledge you require for your needs e.g. demonstrable GIS expertise - through an IT firm, or in-depth understanding of local socio-economic conditions or a university; or known knowledge/existing contacts with your determined hard-to-reach communities if they are to be targeted - e.g. a local voluntary agency). Utilising this help should be considered rather than contracting out whole elements of the audit.

Back to Contracting