Realising Long-Term Value - Building Trusted Consulting Partnerships Onshore

Author Introduction 

Big consulting engagements rarely fail on the pitch - they fail in value realisation. The difference between a good start and lasting impact is set in the first 90 days, when benefits are baselined, decision velocity is unlocked, and early wins are delivered to the people who matter. This article focuses on what executives and procurement leaders can do post-award to convert a signed statement of work into measurable outcomes - define benefits on day one, run a disciplined mid-point health check, keep intellectual property and know-how onshore, and embed a quarterly improvement cadence with local partners. If you want consulting that compounds value for your organisation and for Aotearoa, this is the playbook.

Outline

• The first 90 days - ensuring fast time-to-value with clear success metrics

• How mid-point health checks and feedback loops prevent surprises

• The multiplier effect - every NZ$1 spent locally recirculates into jobs and growth

• Building enduring relationships with local consultants

• How NZBCA Marketplace supports continuous improvement and future-readiness

Background

Awarding the contract is just the start. The real test of a consulting engagement is whether it delivers lasting value. In New Zealand, that means setting up the first 90 days for quick, visible wins, agreeing measurable benefits up front, and building trusted onshore partnerships that protect your organisation’s knowledge and capability. Done well, you not only move the needle on your strategic objectives - you also strengthen local talent pipelines and keep intellectual property within Aotearoa.

This article outlines a pragmatic playbook for the value realisation phase - what to do in the first 90 days, how to run effective mid-point health checks, using local partnerships for long-term performance, and how to embed continuous improvement without adding layers of bureaucracy.

The first 90 days - design for fast time-to-value

Start with benefits, not busywork. Before mobilisation, convert your business case outcomes into a living benefits register with named owners, baselines, target values, and verification methods. New Zealand Treasury’s Better Business Cases guidance is explicit - benefits management should be planned from the outset, governed through delivery, and reported as part of decision-making. Treat this as your single source of truth. (The Treasury New Zealand)

Make it measurable on day one. Translate strategic goals into operational metrics that your delivery teams can actually influence in 90 days. For example: cycle-time reduction for a core process, cost-to-serve per unit, first-contact resolution, or defect escape rate. Capture baselines before the first sprint. Where benefits rely on assumptions, document the assumptions and how you will test them within the first two increments. This keeps performance conversations focused on evidence rather than opinions. Guidance from the Auditor-General reinforces that benefits need clear objectives, relevancy, and feasibility - not just statements of intent. (Auditor-General NZ)

Put senior time where it counts. Ensure principal-level access from day one. Decision velocity in the first 4 to 6 weeks is a leading indicator of value realisation - avoid escalation chains that slow down scope clarifications and design choices. Lock in a cadence: weekly outcome reviews, fortnightly steerco, and a day-30 checkpoint with benefits owners to confirm baselines and agree early course corrections.

Publish a one-page value canvas. Summarise problems, desired outcomes, top three constraints, success metrics, and decision rights. Keep it visible to reduce thrash and avoid re-litigating scope.

Mid-point health checks - find and fix before it becomes expensive

Run a structured, independent check at the mid-point. A short, peer-style review against the original outcomes can surface early warning signs and unblock decisions. New Zealand’s Gateway Reviews are a good model - independent, time-boxed reviews at key lifecycle points to assess delivery confidence and likelihood of outcomes being achieved. Whether your programme is public or private, adopting the discipline of Gateway-style checkpoints at mid and late stages will materially reduce delivery risk. (The Treasury New Zealand)

What to examine at the mid-point:

• Are benefits tracking to the baseline and forecast, and are owners actively managing variances

• Is scope still tight, or have well-intentioned additions eroded focus

• Are decision rights clear, with senior time available when needed

• Is the delivery plan still the fastest path to outcomes, or do we need to pivot

Keep it corrective, not punitive. Health checks should lead to specific corrective actions - right-sizing scope, re-sequencing initiatives to pull forward value, agreeing change control on any new asks, and resetting risk mitigations.

The multiplier effect - why local delivery compounds value

Your consulting dollar can work twice. When you contract New Zealand-owned providers, more of your consulting spend recirculates through wages, local services, and taxes, supporting jobs, capability, and future innovation. The Government’s procurement system explicitly recognises economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits - known as broader outcomes - that agencies must consider in planning and contracting. Private sector organisations can apply the same principle to create wider value alongside commercial outcomes. (New Zealand Government Procurement)

Measure it, do not just state it. Frameworks like Local Multiplier 3 provide a practical way to estimate how initial spend circulates through local supply chains and employee spending. Using LM3 alongside your financial benefits gives boards a fuller picture of impact - not only direct savings or revenue uplift, but also the local economic stimulus generated by your procurement choices. (The Government Outcomes Lab)

Public sector context matters for many enterprise programmes. MBIE estimates the New Zealand public sector spends around NZ$51.5b each year procuring goods, services, and infrastructure - and is updating the Government Procurement Rules to better support economic benefits to New Zealand. For private organisations that partner with agencies or operate in regulated sectors, aligning with these expectations helps approvals and strengthens business cases. (mbie.govt.nz)

Keep intellectual property and know-how onshore

Long-term value is fragile if knowledge and IP drift offshore. Beyond commercial sensitivity, there is a strategic capability risk when solutions are designed or operated primarily outside New Zealand. The case for onshore delivery is stronger when you consider population and labour trends - in the December 2024 year there was a net migration loss of 47,100 New Zealand citizens, a reminder that building and retaining capability locally requires conscious effort. Keeping project knowledge, documentation, and improvement routines embedded in your teams protects continuity and resilience. (Stats NZ)

Practical policies to keep value here:

• Contractual clarity that IP created under the engagement is owned by your organisation

• Mandatory handover artefacts and joint delivery teams to internalise know-how

• Preference for local sub-contracting and secondments to grow internal capability

• Communities of practice to continue improvement beyond the project

Build enduring relationships with local consultants

Optimise for fit, not flash. Cultural fit, context, and continuity drive long-term outcomes. Local specialists understand regulatory nuance, stakeholder expectations, and operating constraints. New Zealand’s procurement practice already encourages increasing access for New Zealand businesses - enterprises can leverage this by giving local specialists a clear path to compete, then holding them to measurable, transparent outcomes. (New Zealand Government Procurement)

Run on a partnership cadence. Post-implementation, keep a quarterly rhythm focused on outcomes rather than deliverables. Topics should include: performance against the benefits register, user adoption trends, root-cause analysis of incidents, and a short list of improvement experiments for the next quarter. If your partner rotates people, ensure knowledge retention through overlapping transitions and shared repositories.

Practical checklist - 10 moves that lock in long-term value

1. Confirm your benefits register, owners, baselines, and verification methods before mobilisation. (The Treasury New Zealand)

2. Publish a one-page value canvas and review it weekly in the first month.

3. Ringfence principal consultant time for early decisions and scope clarifications.

4. Agree a 30-60-90 day plan that pulls at least one benefit forward into quarter one.

5. Schedule a structured mid-point health check with independent reviewers. (The Treasury New Zealand)

6. Use change control to prevent well-meaning scope creep that dilutes benefits.

7. Embed knowledge transfer and onshore IP ownership in your contract.

8. Track a small set of outcome KPIs alongside delivery burn, and report monthly.

9. Estimate your local economic impact using LM3 or similar, and include it in board packs. (The Government Outcomes Lab)

10. Keep a quarterly improvement cadence with your partner focused on adoption, benefits, and experiments.

Further Reading

This article is part of a five part series on improving consulting outcomes for New Zealand enterprises. It is designed to educate and equip leaders who want measurable results, faster time to value, and stronger capability retention.

Further reading on the topic of RO driven Consulting in New Zealand

Blog 1 - The True Cost of Consulting in New Zealand

Blog 2 - Why "One Size Fits All" Consulting Doesn’t Work for Kiwi Enterprises

Blog 3 - Measuring Real Consulting Outcomes - Beyond the Slide Deck

Blog 4 - The Smarter Path to Consulting - Local Specialists Delivering Measurable ROI

Blog 5 - Realising Long-Term Value - Building Trusted Consulting Partnerships Onshore