Posted by Steve on 09/19/07 03:05

"Sanders Kaufman" <bucky@kaufman.net> wrote in message
news:K1_Hi.4702$Sd4.2417@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
> So now, these PHP recruiters are calling out of the blue and from
> everywhere. My phone ain't rung like this since the Clinton years.
>
> And there's this one job - sounds tasty. It's like a temp service for
> doctors. Right now, they mail in their billing hours in crayola and on
> cocktail napkins... or something like that.
>
> They want a simple little web-based hours-tracking utility - well, simple
> before they start in with the creepy features... and you KNOW there's
> gonna be feature creep, because it was an agency recruiter that called
> me - and they bill by the hour, rather than the project, right?
>
> So I figure I'll setup something named "DocBilling.int" or somesuch and
> use my current working framework to let them login and log their time, and
> for the doc's bean-counters to be able to view a couple of reports.
>
> Here's the situation:
>
> I think they expect to hire me for an hourly rate, and expect the project
> to be finished sometime in January.
>
> *The problem is that I can build the damn thing in a weekend, but I don't
> want to miss out on all that extra cash.*
>
> Let's say I'm getting $10/hr - and man, it's sooo much more than that! -
> but let's say. If I do it the way they expect it to be done, I can milk
> the contract for what - 8x40hr weeks - that's $3k plus. But if I do it in
> a 16 hr weekend - I don't even get $200.
>
> I was thinking that, when I talk to them next, I should suggest a
> project-based, rather than hourly-based, rate - and estimate at the high
> end. But I've never done that before through a recruiter, and I don't
> know how it'll go over. I just know I've *always* had problems with
> hourly recruiter jobs.
>
> Any suggs?

i think you've still got me killfiled, sanders. however...

generally speaking, it is completely ethical to bill for the time it took
you to create your 'framework' plus the specific functionality they desire.
you should not build for any of that framework that will not be used
specifically in the product you will sell them.

i have project-builded several clients. you would be shooting yourself in
the foot because you have essentially said that you don't charge for
scope-creep...which is inevitable. i only go that route if i want more than
pay from them...such as a good nod if i want to use them as a reference or
if i may potentially use the opportunity as a way into the company as a
regular, salaried employee.

even though it is apparant that you have not consulted very long, you don't
have to appear that way to them. you need to know that they can only have
two of three things at one time - time, cost, quality. you need to be
billing more when time is an issue and they still want quality. you need to
lower your cost when they want quality and time is of no concern. you need
to always give the closest time estimate you can, but take your time to
produce quality when they want you at lower rates. make sense? always be
honest and forthcoming.

if i'm still killfiled, you're immature and just missed seasoned advice as a
result.

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