By Sophia Selivanoff, Executive Director, Regional Government Services

This article is written for practitioners who already understand the value and applications of consultants and who are navigating a more complex operational reality. It focuses on what has changed, what AB 339 means in practice, and how agencies can adapt their approach while protecting capacity, compliance, and trust with staff and the public.

The Approach to Consulting Is Changing 

Not long ago, many consulting engagements followed a familiar pattern: a defined scope, a discrete deliverable, and a relatively linear path from analysis to recommendation. A staffing study, a technology assessment, a compensation review—important work, but often bounded and transactional.

While still adding value, that model is increasingly insufficient. Today’s challenges are interconnected and persistent rather than isolated. Agencies are managing overlapping pressures related to workforce availability, compliance risk, political complexity, public accountability, and long-term sustainability. These conditions require consulting approaches that are more adaptive, integrated, and implementation-oriented.

This shift mirrors broader management trends. Harvard Business Review research has consistently shown that organizations derive the most value from consultants when engagements are collaborative, grounded in operational reality, and focused on improving decision quality rather than delivering generic best practices. Consulting works best when it helps leaders think, test assumptions, and navigate trade-offs—not when it simply produces a report.

For local governments, this evolution has practical implications:

• Greater emphasis on consultants who understand public-sector governance, labor frameworks, and political context
• Stronger alignment between consulting work and strategic, fiscal, and workforce priorities
• Increased focus on implementation feasibility and organizational readiness
• Intentional knowledge transfer so agencies are stronger after the engagement concludes

Consulting today is less about filling a short-term need and more about managing complexity and risk in an environment where missteps are highly visible and often irreversible.

AB 339 A New Compliance Reality

Layered onto this broader shift is a regulatory environment that has become more demanding. Assembly Bill 339 (AB 339) is a clear example of how compliance considerations now shape consulting decisions from the outset.

AB 339 expands labor notice and disclosure requirements related to the use of contractors and consultants. While the policy intent is to increase transparency and ensure appropriate in-sourcing, the operational impact for local agencies is additional planning, documentation, and coordination when engaging with external services.

For agencies already navigating CalPERS requirements, procurement thresholds, and public accountability standards, AB 339 adds another challenge—particularly for short-term, specialized, or advisory engagements. Notice timelines, documentation requirements, and internal review processes can extend procurement schedules and increase staff workload.

As the California Special Districts Association and other professional organizations have noted, agencies must understand and address these requirements before executing contracts. AB 339 effectively raises the stakes for engagement design, requiring closer collaboration among executive leadership, human resources, legal counsel, and procurement staff.

Importantly, AB 339 does not diminish the value of consulting. Instead, it reinforces the need for intentional, well-structured engagements that are clear in scope, compliant by design, and aligned with labor and procurement realities. Agencies that adapt their approach can continue to benefit from external expertise without introducing unnecessary risk.

For a practical overview of what AB 339 requires and how agencies can prepare, RGS has compiled FAQ’s and resources here.

Now More Than Ever—Consultants Add Value

Paradoxically, the same conditions that make consulting harder to engage also make it more necessary. Persistent vacancies, retirements, and increased service demands have stretched internal capacity across many jurisdictions. At the same time, agencies are facing infrequent but high-stakes projects, new legislative mandates, and growing expectations for transparency and equity.

AB 339 does not diminish the value of consulting. Instead, it reinforces the need for intentional, well-structured engagements that are clear in scope, compliant by design, and aligned with labor and procurement realities. Advance workforce planning that is realistic about the current capabilities and capacity of allocated agency staff, creates paths for staff skill development, and clearly identifies needs best met by external experts will result in compliance—and more importantly, in effective and engaged workforces.  Agencies that adapt their approach can continue to benefit from both internal and external expertise without introducing unnecessary risk.

When designed thoughtfully, consulting engagements help agencies manage these pressures without overextending staff or compromising core services. Consultants can provide surge capacity, comparative insight from peer jurisdictions, and structured approaches to complex decision-making—particularly when internal teams are balancing day-to-day operations with long-term planning.

Practitioner-focused research and podcasts reinforce this point. Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast has explored the consulting relationship in episodes such as “When Consultants Are Worth the Money” and “When (and How) to Use Outside Experts,” emphasizing that an external perspective adds the most value when it supports leadership judgment rather than replaces it.

For local governments, this distinction is critical. Effective consultants strengthen decision-making and implementation frameworks, while accountability remains firmly with agency leadership.

What Effective Consulting Looks Like in Today’s Environment

Given today’s operational and compliance landscape, successful consulting engagements tend to share several characteristics.

Clarity of Purpose

Agencies that are explicit about why they are engaging a consultant—whether for compliance support, capacity augmentation, strategic planning, or facilitation—are better positioned to manage scope, expectations, and outcomes.

Collaboration with Internal Teams

Effective consultants work with staff rather than in parallel. Respect for institutional knowledge, public-sector expertise, and internal processes combined with openness to alternatives and fearless brainstorming improves both the quality and durability of outcomes.

Practical, Implementable Recommendations

Recommendations must account for budget constraints, governance structures, labor agreements, and political context. Analytical rigor is essential, but feasibility determines value.

Attention to Contractual Compliance and Risk

In a post–AB 339 environment, contract compliance considerations must be embedded from the start. This includes clear scoping, transparent documentation, realistic timelines, and alignment with a range of labor, procurement, and other legal requirements.

Consulting as a Strategic Tool, Not a Shortcut

Consulting applied effectively supports staff with frameworks and tools to make complex decisions. Staff of local governments should expect to be equipped to navigate future complexity responsibly and with confidence as a result of a consulting engagement.

As regulatory requirements increase and public expectations continue to rise, the more relevant question is not whether agencies can afford to use consultants, but whether they can afford not to engage external expertise thoughtfully when it is most needed.

Regional Government Services partners with public agencies to design consulting engagements that are collaborative, compliant, and grounded in real-world public-sector experience. In a changing environment, the goal is not simply to adapt, but to do so in ways that strengthen government institutions and the communities they serve.

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