Use of an outside facilitator to conduct partnering sessions is effective when bringing together separate organizations to partner for a project. The purpose is to create an atmosphere right from the get-go that is conducive to fostering true cooperation, open communication and crystal-clear, mutually-agreed-upon expectations about how the project will be conducted and managed among all involved.

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For example, almost no one, on any side of a project, budgets for attorney's fees as part of its RFQ or the responses to it. That means that as soon as any attorney gets involved, someone is losing money.

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A facilitated partnering session differs from a project review meeting because the focus is on "how" the work will be performed instead of "what" work will be performed. Sessions are scheduled with the intent of including all parties or stakeholders in the project.

An outside facilitator is typically used for construction projects. Typical participants can include:

• Governmental entities (state government agencies, Department of Transportation, EPA, ARMY Corps of Engineering, GSA, NAVFAC, county government departments, city or township representatives, Public Safety representatives)
• Project owner
• General contractor for the project
• Subcontractors
• Design firms
• Engineering firms
• Testing firms
• Utilities and railroads
• Stakeholder groups (e.g., Historic Preservation Commission, Shade Tree Commission, Concerned Citizen groups)

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