Hmm, I can't edit the title of my posting with this system! If I could I'd like to call this idea "Yelp for Public Engagement."
When I think of public-private partnerships and public engagement, I think about the fairly common practice of government agencies hiring a consultant or a private or nonprofit organization to facilitate, and sometimes to conduct outreach and/or assessment of, a public engagement process. While some cities are beginning to embed deliberative public engagement into their everyday practices to the extent that it makes sense to hire and train their staff to carry out these duties, many other cities and counties are in early stages of experimenting with this form of participatory democracy. Hiring experienced consultants, firms, or nonprofits to help out is a great way to bring in experience necessary for successful public engagement projects. It can also help to set residents minds at ease to talk with a professional and independent consultant, rather than a government agency staff person who people might tend to be more suspicious of.
There should be a mechanism for federal, state, and local agencies to get unbiased information about all of the public engagement providers and facilitators who are out there. Maybe something like Yelp (the website) for public engagement, where users can rate and comment on providers? The field has a wide range of practitioner to offer and its important for there to be a good fit between the community and the practitioner. I suggest it would serve government agencies well to have some tools for being able to shop around to find the best fit in terms of public engagement consulting.
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This is a great suggestion, "...serve government agencies well to have some tools for being able to shop around to find the best fit in terms of public engagement consulting." There are many firms competing for government contracts, but as a public engagement firm myself, I've not seen too many government agencies seeking consultation to include minority populations in public dialogue. It is essential to some of the most important issues that we face, that all citizens participate and have an opportunity to talk about their ideas for improving the environment, the economy, the health care system and every major issues that affects our way of life. Bar none!