Stronger client relationships begin when both clients and service providers understand the pressures behind each other’s decisions.
I remember sitting in my office reviewing proposals for a digester cleaning project. I had written the specifications myself. I spent a lot of time on them trying to strike the right balance between protecting the agency and being fair to contractors. I wanted to reduce risk where I could, make expectations clear, and make sure whoever performed the work would be fairly compensated.
Then the proposals came in.
They were long. Detailed. Multi-page responses that required careful attention to get through properly. I was one of three reviewers, and we were scoring based on a rubric. I wanted to make sure I evaluated each proposal as fairly and completely as possible, capturing everything each submission was trying to communicate. At the same time, I was aware that the other reviewers might interpret things differently from me, and that those differences could ultimately influence the outcome.
But as I worked through them, one thought kept coming back: This is going to be expensive. And right behind that: There’s a good chance this project won’t even get approved after all this effort. From where I sat, it didn’t feel like it should be that complicated. The operations group understood the project. The scope was defined. We just needed someone to execute.
Then I switched sides.
The first shift
One of the first things that stood out to me in consulting was how much effort goes into a proposal before it’s ever submitted. There were mandatory job walks that required coordination and time. There were internal discussions about scope, approach, and staffing.
And then there was the challenge of figuring out what the budget should actually be. That part surprised me the most. Because the budget wasn’t just about how long the work would take. It was about the level of service we thought was needed for a successful outcome. And there’s always something.
The part I didn’t fully understand
When I was on the public side, I knew there were risks. I tried to reduce them in the specs wherever I could. But what I didn’t fully understand was how much risk still remained, and how much that drives everything.
Even with a well-written specification, there are things no one controls completely. Unknown conditions. Coordination challenges. Stakeholder changes. Schedule pressure. Those don’t show up neatly in a scope. But they have to be accounted for.
The other thing I didn’t fully appreciate was the amount of effort behind each proposal and the reality that there’s no guarantee it leads to work. You can put together a strong team. A clear approach. A competitive fee. You can feel like you’re the right fit. And still not win the work.
I remember the first time that happened to me. I was out with my wife at an ice cream shop when I saw the email come through. We had put real effort into the proposal. I thought we had a good shot. We didn’t get it. And before I could catch myself, I said a few things out loud that probably didn’t belong in an ice cream parlor.
It caught me off guard; not just because we lost, but because of how invested I had become in something that, at the end of the day, wasn’t guaranteed. That was a new experience.
Seeing it differently
Looking back, I don’t think my perspective on the public side was wrong. But it was incomplete.
What I see now is that a lot of the friction between public agencies and consultants doesn’t come from bad intent or poor performance. It comes from a difference in perspective.
On the public side, you’re trying to:
- Manage budgets
- Reduce risk
- Ensure fairness in procurement
- Justify decisions internally
On the consulting side, you’re trying to:
- Interpret incomplete information
- Price uncertainty
- Commit resources without guaranteed return
- Balance multiple competing efforts at once
Both sides are working toward the same goal. They’re just carrying different pressures.
What I’d tell both sides
For those in the public sector:
Have a little more appreciation for what goes into a proposal.
It’s easy to focus on the final number, but behind that number is a significant investment of time and effort with no guarantee it pays off.
It’s also worth recognizing that consultants are absorbing risk in ways that aren’t always visible.
And when you zoom out, consultants are often more flexible than they appear. You get access to technical expertise without long-term obligations, something that’s not always easy to replicate internally.
For consultants:
Clarity matters more than you think.
The best proposals I’ve seen are the ones that are easy to follow. They connect directly to the evaluation criteria. They make it clear how the team, the approach, and the fee align with what the owner is asking for.
Reviewers are often working through multiple detailed submissions. The more clearly you present your case, the more likely it is that your strengths are actually recognized.
A change in perspective
The biggest change for me wasn’t technical. It was perspective.
The work didn’t necessarily get harder, but it got broader. There’s more context behind every decision than I used to see.
And if there’s one thing I carry with me now, it’s this: Most of the disconnect between public agencies and consultants isn’t about capability. It’s about not fully understanding what the other side is dealing with.
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Jon Dahl, PE is a resident engineer at Ardurra. Contact him at jdahl@ardurra.com. |
