MINNETONKA, MN-The Minnesota Council for Quality in cooperation with the Michigan Quality Council, the Ohio Partnership for Excellence and the Wisconsin Forward Award, launches the Consultant Referral Network.

The Consultant Referral Network is a dynamic, Web-enabled search tool that connects organizational improvement experts to client organizations seeking them. This service allows clients to outline their needs in terms of subject matter expertise sought, type of assistance desired (consulting, training, coaching, speaking or facilitating), sector/industry expertise required, size of consulting firm desired, desired location of consulting firm and years of experience preferred. The client also can weigh the relative importance of each variable. The tool will then identify up to five consultants or firms that best match the client's needs.

There is no charge for organizations to use this tool to search for consultants. "I frequently get calls from organizations in our state looking for help in a variety of subject matters like Six Sigma, leadership development, balanced scorecard, strategic planning and other areas. Right now, I sift through my business cards and offer them a couple of names. But this tool will make the search process far more systematic and more useful for clients," says Casey Mackert, executive director for the Ohio Partnership for Excellence. Visit the site at www.consultantreferralnetwork.org.