• The project director should manage advisers, not the other way around. Although external advisers may do much of the work, the project director must retain, and be seen to retain, overall control of the process and should not fall into the trap of abdicating decision-making responsibilities and deferring completely.
• Work closely with advisers and take every opportunity for other government project team members to learn from them, so that they may be able to apply expertise to future projects.
• Monitor the adviser's deliverables expected at each stage of the process and match this against budget estimates. This will assist in the process of verifying proposed increases to the scope (and fee cap).
• Immediately notify the adviser of any issues associated with unsatisfactory performance so that the adviser has the opportunity to address the issues at an early stage.
Request regular reports that detail work carried out and costs of work. This will assist in verifying invoices for payment and ensuring that work has been carried out in accordance with the approved scope of work. Care should be taken not to burden the process with excessive preparation of interim reports.