ISO 20700-2017 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 20700:2017 — Guidelines for management consultancy services. Guidance intended to improve the effectiveness and clarity of management consultancy engagements by defining principles, the consultancy lifecycle (contracting, execution, closure), and good-practice policies for both clients and management consultancy service providers (MCSPs).

Abstract

ISO 20700:2017 provides practical guidelines for the effective delivery of management consultancy services. It describes principles, recommended practices and the typical consulting lifecycle to help clients and consultants achieve clear scope, roles, governance, quality and ethical conduct throughout an assignment.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard; confirmed on review).
• Publication date: 2017 (Edition 1 — published 2017-06).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 03.100.01 — Company organization and management in general.
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2017).
• Number of pages: 29 (official PDF/print edition).

Scope

Provides guidance for the effective delivery of management consultancy services to clients (public, private, not‑for‑profit and internal consultancy units) regardless of size, ownership, structure or specialism. ISO 20700 is intended as non‑prescriptive guidance to improve mutual understanding of objectives, responsibilities, deliverables and governance during consultancy assignments; it is not a specification for certification and does not create contractual obligations by itself.

Key topics and requirements

• Structure and core content: purpose, normative references, terms and definitions, principles, contracting, execution and closure.
• Foundational principles: professional and ethical conduct, stakeholder engagement, transparency, competence and capability, impartiality, confidentiality and data protection, quality and risk management.
• Contracting (offering/agreement): clear definition of scope, objectives, inputs, expected outcomes, roles and responsibilities, fees and payment terms, confidentiality, intellectual property and conflict-of-interest handling.
• Execution (delivery): planning, resource allocation, communication and reporting, change control, monitoring and measurement of progress, governance and stakeholder involvement.
• Closure: handover of deliverables, evaluation of outcomes, lessons learned, final reporting, records retention and handling of disputes or claims.
• Applicability and limitations: guidance style (recommendations, not mandatory requirements); not intended as a certification scheme or sole contractual basis.

Typical use and users

Used by management consultancy service providers (independent consultants, consultancies and internal consulting units), client organisations procuring consultancy, procurement officers, in‑house project sponsors, professional bodies and training providers. Also used by organisations developing consulting governance, tender documents, proposals and internal quality guidance for consultancy engagements.

Related standards

Commonly associated/adopted standards and references include EN ISO 20700:2018 (European adoption), the earlier European guidance EN 16114 (withdrawn following adoption), and other management standards often used together for governance and risk: ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 31000 (risk management) and relevant sector or ethics standards. ISO/TC 342 is the technical committee responsible for the standard.

Keywords

management consultancy, consulting services, consultancy guidance, contracting, execution, closure, governance, ethics, confidentiality, quality management, client-consultant relationship, ISO 20700.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 20700:2017 is an international guidance standard titled "Guidelines for management consultancy services" that describes good‑practice principles and the typical consultancy lifecycle to support effective consulting engagements.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers principles and recommended practices for contracting (offer/agreement), execution (delivery) and closure of consultancy assignments, plus supporting policies such as ethics, competence, communication, confidentiality, IP protection, risk and quality management.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Management consultants and consultancy firms, internal consulting units, clients and procurement teams, professional associations, trainers and organisations that write or evaluate consultancy proposals and governance arrangements.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document is the first edition published in 2017. It was reviewed and confirmed in 2022 and remains the current ISO guidance document for management consultancy services (it is not itself a certification specification).

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: ISO 20700 is a standalone guideline standard developed under ISO/TC 342. It has been adopted regionally (for example as EN ISO 20700) and superseded earlier regional guidance such as EN 16114; it is commonly used alongside other ISO management standards but is not a numbered multi‑part series.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Management consultancy, consulting services, contracting, execution, closure, governance, ethics, confidentiality, quality, client-consultant relationship.