On the other hand a consultant is paid by the buyer or customer and is a buyer’s agent and as the same monetary and ethical biases, but in the favour of the buyer rather than against them. (I use the term buyer and customer here mostly interchangeably to represent the business or IT department, the ones receiving advice or guidance on what to do or buy.) These biases are pretty evident and easily to control and I have covered them before – never get advice from the seller’s agent, always get your advice from the buyer’s agent.