I had several off list replies about Sham Consultants and this seems to
be just another way to move records storage without the records manager
having a say in the terms of the Contract.

ARMA has developed guidelines to assist you in this process.  ( Ask
Larry Medina as he worked on the Task Force ) or ask another records
manager to provide a Contract that they have developed to protect your
rights to control the Contract.

If you want a good Contract Consultant there are several on the
Listserv that respond when insights are needed ( Alan, George, John
Bill, etc.) and they will protect you.  But these Contract guys who
show up in town, put on a seminar about lowering your costs, lock you
into a contract and then they move on like the Circus, rely on the fact
that managers will not hear about the dangers until they are gone.  (
Notice they have no liability for anyone that goes wrong in the
Contract. )

There is one of these seminars going on near me and they sent me as a
member of ARMA a email marketing letter.  When I challenged them about
removing Hostage Fees from the Contract or including Performance
Guarantees they failed to respond to my email inquiry.  I also asked
why they were being sponsored by certain storage companies when they
are supposed to be independent in their analysis.  Again,  no reply.

If you are not aware, they will be talking to your boss because they
try to go around records managers who know their stuff.  You need to
alert your boss or the Contracts people to this practice.

If you don't, then your records storage will be changed from the
current vendor to one with Hostage Fees and no ability to change in the
future no matter what price increases they wish to impose.  You will
also start seeing new fees such as fuel surcharges, handling fees and a
whole myriad of fees that were conveniently not addressed by the
supposed expert consultant.

I think this whole process is about removing the ability to really look
at the vendor and keep things at arms length so that vendors who don't
look so good to a company never really get looked at seriously until it
is too late.  Then your records are in an inferior facility, and you
have no service guarantees to protect your company.  In the end they
will blame records management for the problems so you need to educate
yourself here.

It is summer, its hot!  The circus is in town and your money is better
spent trying to knock down those lead milk bottles than hiring a
consultant with a fixed agenda than is not in your best interest.


Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM

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