Service
Independent technology guidance, grounded in running the department
Technology decisions are rarely only technical. They run into budgets, staffing, procurement, security, politics, timing, and the plain question of whether anyone can support the thing after it’s installed. I’ve had to weigh all of that from the inside.
I give independent guidance to executives, IT leaders, and public sector organizations facing an important technology decision or a difficult initiative.
When I’m helping you evaluate vendors or make a purchasing decision, my only financial interest is your engagement: I don’t take commissions, referral fees, or compensation from the vendors under consideration. That’s the independence you’re paying for.
Separately, some of my advisory and mentoring work is engaged and paid for by partner firms who bring me in to support their clients. When that’s the arrangement, you’ll know who’s involved and who’s paying me.
Where I help
- IT department and operations assessments
- Technology roadmaps
- Major project review and recovery
- Vendor and proposal evaluation
- RFP and procurement support
- Cooperative purchasing strategy (Sourcewell, TIPS, Georgia state contract)
- Architecture review
- Security and operational-risk review, including CJIS and NIST alignment
- Staffing and organizational review
- Fractional or project-based IT leadership
- Mentoring for new IT Directors
- Executive and council briefings
- Policy and governance review
- Budgeting and prioritization
- Software selection and implementation-readiness review
Ways to work together
Fixed-scope assessment
A defined review with findings, priorities, recommendations, and an executive summary you can act on.
Project advisory
Ongoing guidance through a specific initiative: a procurement, an implementation, or a recovery.
Executive advisory
Periodic strategic support for a leadership team, City Manager, Executive Director, or IT leader.
IT leadership mentoring
Practical, regular support for a new or developing IT Director or senior technology leader.
Questions people ask about advisory work
How is advisory work scoped and priced?
I scope the work first, then quote a fixed price. Engagements run from a fixed-scope assessment or short advisory work through ongoing project or executive advisory, and I’d rather understand the problem before putting a number on it.
Can you work alongside our existing IT staff or current vendor?
Yes. Your team keeps the systems it already owns, and I take the piece that needs outside capacity or an independent view. I spent 15 years on the other side of that arrangement as a city IT Director, so I know what a useful outside consultant looks like.
Can you work under our contracting terms, and will you sign an NDA?
Usually, and yes. Governments differ, so I’d rather review the actual terms than commit in the abstract. I’ll sign an NDA.