Hiring a bid consultant or sustainability advisor is the traditional approach when your team lacks in-house expertise. Consultants bring knowledge and polish — but they also bring cost, lead times, and a dependency that can undermine internal capability building.
Consultants add genuine value for high-stakes, complex procurements where strategic advice matters — major infrastructure, whole-of-government contracts, or situations requiring stakeholder engagement and bespoke sustainability strategies. They're also useful when you need a one-off capability uplift (e.g., developing your organisation's social procurement policy).
Clause & Effect is the better choice for the majority of tenders where you need proportionate, consistent sustainability questions or self-assessed responses. It's especially valuable for SMEs who can't justify consultant fees on smaller bids, and for procurement teams who want to build — not outsource — their sustainability capability.
Think of Clause & Effect as your everyday tool and consultants as your specialist advisor. Use the free tool for 90% of your tenders, and engage a consultant for the 10% that genuinely need bespoke strategic input. This approach saves money, builds capability, and ensures consistency.