2009/1/23 Erik Moeller <[email protected]>: > 2009/1/23 David Levy <[email protected]>: >> Erik Moeller wrote: >> >> [snip] >> >>> * We've suggested to Wikia a fair market rate based on the average of >>> the other options we obtained; >>> * After some negotiation, Wikia accepted. Weighing other pros and cons >>> of the space against other options, we decided to go with Wikia; >> >> To clarify, did Wikia match the lowest bid? > > No, and we didn't ask them to. We obtained about a dozen bids, ranging > from about $150 to $565 per person/month. Obviously all those spaces > had different characteristics. Wikia was in the running because it > had desirable characteristics from the start (high proximity, shared > kitchen access, shared speakerphone use, shared Internet connection, > etc.). We used averaging as a way to arrive at a fair market rate to > neither advantage nor disadvantage Wikia when suggesting a rate. The > averaging also resulted in a rate that was roughly equivalent to the > most comparable space in the running.
Is that common practice for US charities? I'm not sure that would cut it in the UK... > Wikia, too, looked at different potential tenants for the space. The > final rate we negotiated was slightly higher than the most comparable > option we looked at (and considered very seriously, including a site > visit). However, the relative advantages of the Wikia space > compensated for that. We were quite careful not to draw any special > advantages from our relationship to Wikia, and Wikia was careful to > treat us in our negotiations like any other tenant. While we're likely > to work with them on technical aspects of the projects, we were also > careful to keep that completely separate. You don't just need to avoid a COI, you need to avoid the perception of one. This deal will, undoubtedly, be interpreted by many as an inside job. I'm sure it isn't, but that's how a lot of people will see it. Did you consider the PR cost when weighing it all up? _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
