Consulting Client Onboarding Checklist Template

Phase 1: Set Up the Onboarding

Owned by the engagement manager. The three Yes/No scope questions show or hide Phase 5’s tasks, the portal tasks in Phase 4 and the data processing task in Phase 3.

• Name the engagement partner, engagement manager, finance lead and legal lead — later tasks are assigned from these four fields
• Answer the scope questions — will consultants work on the client’s site or systems, does the client require registration in a procurement portal, and will we process personal data on the client’s behalf
• Run the sales-to-delivery handover — the proposal as accepted, promises made in meetings, who decides and what worries the buyer
• Record the client’s legal entity and contacts — the exact entity that signs and pays, the sponsor, the day-to-day lead and who approves invoices
• Set the target start date and work back from it — supplier set-up and security clearance at a large client can take longer than agreeing the contract

Phase 2: Accept the Engagement

Ends with an approval for the engagement partner (Approved / Not approved). The checklist halts until it is Approved.

• Run the conflict of interest check — recent work for the client’s competitors or the other side of a deal, and personal interests of the proposed team
• Check independence where it applies — if the firm or a network firm audits this client, check the auditor independence rules on non-audit work before going further
• Check the client’s credit and payment record — a credit report, the payment terms they usually impose and any late payment history with the firm
• Assess delivery risk — how clear the scope is, whether the fee covers the work, staffing gaps and any reputational exposure
• Confirm the named team is available — the people in the proposal, for the start date, not placeholders
• Engagement partner approval of engagement acceptance — conflicts, credit and delivery risk reviewed, with the evidence attached

Phase 3: Contract the Work

The data processing task is shown only when we will process personal data on the client’s behalf. The legal lead’s approval halts the checklist until it is Approved.

• Agree the master services agreement or review the client’s paper — liability cap, indemnities, IP ownership, confidentiality, non-solicitation and termination
• Write the statement of work — objectives, scope and exclusions, deliverables, acceptance criteria, assumptions, team, fees, expenses and payment milestones
• Write the change control clause — how a change is requested, priced and approved, so extra scope becomes a change order rather than free work
• Agree the data processing terms — the processor terms UK and EU GDPR Article 28 requires, or the service provider terms US state privacy laws require
• Send insurance certificates and sign any separate NDA — professional indemnity or errors and omissions cover, plus any other cover the contract names
• Legal lead approval of the contract package — non-standard terms on liability, IP and indemnities reviewed before signature
• Collect signatures from both sides — the client sponsor signs the SOW; attach the signed copies

Phase 4: Set Up as a Supplier

Assigned to the finance lead. The two procurement portal tasks are shown only when the client requires registration in a portal.

• Complete the client’s supplier forms — legal entity, bank details and tax status: a Form W-9 for a US client (W-8BEN-E from a non-US firm), company and VAT numbers in the UK
• Register in the client’s procurement portal — such as SAP Ariba or Coupa, with a firm mailbox rather than one person’s inbox receiving purchase orders
• Learn the portal’s invoicing rules — PO number format, line matching, required attachments and the cut-off for each payment run
• Obtain the purchase order number — many clients hold or reject invoices that do not quote a valid PO
• Confirm payment terms and the invoice route — the terms in the contract against what accounts payable applies, and who to chase
• Set up the engagement in your own systems — job code, budget, rates and billing schedule, so time is captured from the first day

Phase 5: Client Access & Security Onboarding

The phase heading always shows; its tasks are shown only when consultants will work on the client’s site or systems.

• Complete the client’s background checks — whatever the client specifies, such as BPSS for UK government work; start early
• Complete the security and policy induction — acceptable use, information security, data handling and site safety, recorded per consultant
• Request accounts and devices — a client laptop or approved device, email, VPN and only the system access the work needs
• Arrange building access — passes, desks, meeting rooms and visitor rules for each consultant
• Record every access granted — person, system, date and client approver in a table, so all of it can be removed when the engagement ends

Phase 6: Set Up Discovery & Governance

• Build the stakeholder map — sponsor, decision makers, influencers, people affected and likely sceptics
• Book the first round of interviews — agreed with the sponsor, with the invitation coming from the client side
• Send the data request list — each item with a client owner and a due date, and anything needing approval to release flagged
• Agree governance — steering committee members and dates, the weekly status meeting and the escalation route on both sides
• Set up the shared workspace — where documents live, naming rules and who has access on each side
• Hold the client kickoff — objectives, scope, plan, roles and the first two weeks, read against the signed SOW