Selecting a professional service provider from the short list

Abstract

Going from the short list to winning the contract is critical to a professional service provider, yet relatively few studies have investigated selection criteria used in this last stage of the selection process. This paper presents a qualitative study that examined the dynamics of the selection process, identified decision criteria which business and organizational clients use when selecting a professional service provider from their short lists, and investigated ways in which client firms assess competing professional service providers on intangible attributes, e.g. personal chemistry. Clients who had recently awarded a contract to a firm in the “built environment” industry (e.g. an architectural and engineering firm) were sampled. Their responses to open‐ended questions provided rich data that revealed factors considered in the selection of a professional service provider in the final presentation/interview stage and yielded insights into nuances of the selection process. Managerial recommendations for getting from the short list to the contract are presented.

Citation

Day, E. and Barksdale, H.C. (2003), "Selecting a professional service provider from the short list", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 18 No. 6/7, pp. 564-579. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620310492428