Not everything requires a consultant. But some things get really expensive - in money, time, and opportunity cost - when you get them wrong. This guide breaks down four common scenarios and helps you decide.
Note on scale: These time/cost estimates assume you have 1-2 people available to dedicate to the work. If you're a solo IT person or severely under-resourced, the time investment may not be realistic for your situation. You may need to adjust expectations, phase the work differently, or prioritize consulting for high-stakes decisions.
Contract Negotiation
| Factor | DIY Approach | Hire Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity | Moderate - You have contract review templates and can identify obvious problems | Expert-level - Understands vendor negotiating tactics, knows what's actually negotiable, understands tech-specific implications |
| Time Investment | 40-60 hours to read, research, and negotiate. Stretched over weeks or months | 10-20 hours of consulting ($1,500-$3,000). You save time and focus |
| Risk of Missing Issues | HIGH - You don't know what you don't know. Hidden clauses on data extraction, renewal terms, or penalties | LOW - Professional has reviewed hundreds of vendor contracts and knows the traps |
| Typical Cost Savings | Maybe $0-$5K if you catch anything, but often miss the real problems | $10K-$50K in negotiated terms or avoided penalties. ROI is usually 3-10x the consulting fee |
| DIY Works If: | Contract is very standard, vendor is cooperative, you have internal legal support, low dollar value | Contract is multi-year, high stakes, or you lack expertise. Red flags exist but you're unsure what they mean |
Vendor Transition Planning
| Factor | DIY Approach | Hire Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity | You can plan logistics - what systems, when, who does what | Expert manages data extraction strategy, vendor holdout problems, staff change management, timeline realism |
| Time Investment | 60-100+ hours over 6-12 months. You're learning as you go | 20-40 hours of consulting to build the plan. You execute with confidence |
| Risk of Missing Issues | VERY HIGH - Transitions are complex. You'll discover problems mid-transition when fixes are expensive | LOW - Consultant has seen transitions fail and knows where to watch |
| Typical Cost of Failure | $20K-$100K+ in unplanned costs, extended timelines, staff overload, data loss | Consultant fee ($3K-$8K) prevents these problems. ROI is clear |
| DIY Works If: | You've done this before, you have someone on staff managing it, or you have time to learn and absorb risk | This is your first transition, you're on a tight timeline, or you have limited staff capacity |
AI Governance & Compliance
| Factor | DIY Approach | Hire Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity | You can read articles and create basic checklists | Expert translates regulatory language into operational policy specific to your situation |
| Time Investment | 40-80 hours learning regulations, assessing tools, drafting policies | 15-30 hours to build defensible framework. Faster, more authoritative |
| Risk of Missing Issues | HIGH - Regulations (GDPR, Colorado AI Act, etc.) are new and changing. You'll miss nuances | LOW - Consultant stays current and understands edge cases relevant to libraries |
| Risk Factor | Compliance failure = potential fines, lawsuits, reputation damage, board pressure | Professional guidance creates defensible documentation if issues arise |
| DIY Works If: | You have in-house legal expertise, regulations don't apply to you yet, or you're in early exploration | You need this documented defensibly, you use vendor AI tools, or you're rolling out AI to staff |
Staff Training & Change Management
| Factor | DIY Approach | Hire Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity | You can create training materials and lead sessions | Expert designs context-specific training, addresses staff anxiety, handles objections from vendor perspective |
| Time Investment | 80-120 hours building materials, running sessions, fielding follow-up questions | 15-25 hours designing and delivering training. You support delivery |
| Adoption Risk | Staff may not take DIY training as seriously. Vendor misinformation can contradict you | Outside expert has more credibility. Addresses real vendor concerns staff worry about |
| Cost Consideration | Time cost = salary hours spent training. Low cash cost, high opportunity cost | $2K-$5K for training. Faster adoption, better change management |
| DIY Works If: | Staff are motivated, it's a simple system update, or you have training expertise | It's a vendor change, staff are resistant, or it's a complex new tool |
Real Example: The Library That Got ROI
45K-Patron Library Saves $35K with 10 Hours of Contract Review
The Situation: Public library system was renewing a $300K/year ILS contract. Standard 3-year renewal was about to be signed. Internal staff thought it was "just a standard renewal" and wanted to move on.
DIY Cost: If they had one staff member spend 20 hours reviewing and trying to negotiate, it would have cost them $800 in time + created stress + probably missed the real issues.
What Happened: They hired consulting for 10 hours ($1,500). The consultant flagged:
- Data extraction penalty ($25K per year) if they ever left vendor
- Auto-renewal clause that locked them in unless they notified 180 days before expiration
- AI training clause buried in metadata usage rights
- Missing SLA terms for disaster recovery
The Result: Negotiated out the extraction penalty, added SLA terms, and shortened contract to 2 years. Total savings: $35K over term. ROI on consulting: 23x. And they sleep better knowing their data extraction rights are clear.
Decision Framework
Hire Consulting If Any of These Are True:
- High Stakes: This decision will lock you in for 3+ years or affect multiple departments
- Expertise Gap: No one on your team has done this before and you don't have time to learn
- Large Dollar Value: The contract is $100K+ or affects how you allocate budget
- Regulatory Implications: Data privacy, AI governance, or compliance is involved
- Vendor Complexity: The vendor is large, has leverage, or you've had bad experiences with them
- Time Crunch: You need this done in weeks, not months
- Change Management: You need staff to adopt something new and they're nervous about it
DIY Works If All of These Are True:
- Low Complexity: The decision is straightforward and standard
- Time Available: You have weeks to work on it
- Internal Expertise: Someone on your team has done this before
- Low Risk: The cost of getting it slightly wrong is manageable
- Good Faith Vendor: You have a cooperative vendor relationship without red flags
- Budget Conscious: You'd rather spend your time than consulting money
The Hybrid Approach
You don't have to choose all-in on either. Some libraries do:
- DIY First, Then Consulting: Your staff does initial research, then a consultant reviews what you found and flags what you missed (usually 5-10 hours)
- Consulting + Execution: Consultant designs the plan, you execute it. This cuts consulting hours significantly
- Hourly Spot-Check: You're doing the work, but reach out when you hit a confusing clause or decision point (2-5 hours of consultant support)
These combinations let you save time without paying for a full engagement.
Not Sure Which Path Is Right?
Take the assessment to figure out what you need. Or reach out directly and we can talk through your specific situation - no obligation.
View Consulting Options