1. Purpose & Scope
This section sets out procedures for application and retention by Registered Consulting Practices (RCPs) within the Institute of Management Consultants of South Africa (IMCSA).
2. Responsibility
These procedures are managed by the Membership Review Board (MRB) of the IMCSA.
3. Documentation & Reference
The key documents referred to in this procedure are set out below.Code of Professional Conduct RCP Application For
4. Overview and Definition
Registered Consulting Practices must on an ongoing basis:
- Be engaged in the practice of management consultancy;
- Subscribe to the Institute’s Code of Professional Conduct;
- Have at least one of their principals designated as Certified Management Consultants, be fully paid-up Members or Fellows of the Institute (IMCSA).
- Undertake to encourage eligible members of staff to join the Institute and seek the CMC designation.
For this purpose:
- The Institute recognises that a management consulting practice may be either a firm which is exclusively involved in management consultancy on a commercial basis or a business unit within a larger organisation which is engaged in other commercial activities;
- Principals comprise the partners, directors and / or senior executives who have overall responsibility for their firms’ management consulting practice.
IMCSA is a professional institute whose membership comprises largely of management consultants engaged full-time in the professions of management consulting.
The Institute recognises that members in professional practice and their practices are central to the profession of management consultancy. These practices can range from sole practitioners to large firms which may be multi-disciplinary and/or embrace non-consulting activities.
To assist the development of the profession and the commercial activities of its members, the Institute maintains a List of Registered Consulting Practices (RCPs). This complements the Institute’s list of Accredited Consulting Practices (ACP) which covers practices certified by the Institute as being in a position to assess, propose and train CMCs for final approval by the IMCSA.
5. Entitlements
A Registered Consulting Practice is entitled to indicate that it is an ‘IMCSA Registered Consulting Practice on all documentation, letterheads, etc. The statement may only be used by a Registered Consulting Practice in connection with its management consulting activities in the following ways:
- Newspaper advertisements
- Proposals to current and potential clients
- Reports to clients
- Websites
- Business stationery
- Presentations
If a practice ceases to be a Registered Consulting Practice, it must immediately suspend all use of the Registered Consulting Practice statements.
Where reference is made by a Registered Consulting Practice in contractual terms and conditions to its the Registered Consulting Practice status, this should also indicate that the Institute is a professional body and that Registered Consulting Practice status does not signify any form of commercial or performance-related guarantee by the Institute.
6. Application Procedure
The Registered Practice status is an affiliation with the IMC and its professional objects. It is necessary that a principle member of the practice is fully committed to the professional code of conduct and is preferably a Certified Management Consultant or of equivalent professional standing. A mandatory requirement is that the principle member is at least a full member of the IMCSA
This will ensure that the IMCSA can confidently list the registered practice on its website and refer the practice with respect to stakeholder inquiries.
To apply for registration, an eligible practice should complete the Registered Consulting Practice Application Form and, if applicable, pay the appropriate fee. This fee is related to the size of the practice. It is based on a per capita rate applied to the total number of consulting staff in the practice but it is waived for paid-up members of the Institute. For example:
- If a firm has five consultants and all five are IMCSA members or associates, no fee is payable.
- If a firm has five consultants and only three are IMCSA members or associates, a fee (per capita x 2) is payable in respect of the two non-members.
Instead of becoming a Registered Consulting Practice, a larger firm should consider applying to become an Accredited Consulting Practice (which is a more rigorous process).
The Institute’s Secretariat will review applications for registration and, if satisfied, designate the applicant as being a Registered Consulting Practice of the Institute until such time as the list of Registered Consulting Practices is reviewed or the practice ceases to be eligible. Application forms that are incomplete or unclear will be returned to the sender for rectification.
7. Appeals Process
In the event of the Secretariat declining an application, the applicant can appeal this decision to the Council of the Institute by making their case in writing to the Secretariat, Institute of Management Consultants of South Africa, Box 787 Hurlingham Manor, 2070. The President of IMCSA will appoint a sub-committee of the Council who will review the appeal and make a recommendation to the IMCSA Council on it. The sub-committee will be the highest point of appeal and its decisions will be final.