I do not do fixed bid projects. I always do T&M NET 15/30, and don't have an
issue selling my work that way.
If you want me to do a fixed bid project, I'm bidding on exactly what the scope
is right now. If there is any change in scope, production will stop as I assess
the impact such a change will have on the schedule (my assessment is billable),
and take time to modify the contract to reflect the change in scope and cost,
and you will need to review and approve these changes in writing, all of which
take time spent not developing and puts your deadline in jeopardy. However,
with T&M, I get paid for the work I do, and you have full flexibility in making
as many changes as you like, with the knowledge that development never stops,
though the deadline may be affected by your changes.
Something to that effect.
Kerry Thompson wrote:
Steven Sacks wrote:
You need to charge for time spent babysitting the client. That's billable time.
Absolutely true, with one kicker: a fixed bid. A lot of clients want to shift
the risk to you, the freelancer, so they ask for a fixed-price bid rather than
an hourly rate.
My advice is to be very, very careful with these. My experience shows that
clients rarely, if ever, know just what they need. They will give you an idea,
but there will inevitably be extras that simply must be done. Initial estimates
of the amount of work needed are almost always off by a factor of at least two,
often up to a factor of 10. If you underbid one of these contracts, you could
spend a year to earn $20,000.
Be up front with the client in this case. You are bidding on the project as it
is currently designed. Changes and additions will be billed extra. You must do
this to survive, or your client will bury you with feature creep.
Be positive about it, of course. When they request an additional feature, say "Sure,
we can do that. It will cost you $4,000 and add two weeks to the schedule. I'll get
started on it just as soon as I get an amendment to the contract."
Also, on a fixed-bid contract, get at least 25% up front. If you bill only on
milestones, can you live off your savings until they approve the prototype, or
the alpha? I can't--I'm lucky that my wife has a well-paying job.
Cordially,
Kerry Thompson
_______________________________________________
Flashcoders mailing list
Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com
http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders
_______________________________________________
Flashcoders mailing list
Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com
http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders
