NAC - Questions about Consulting

[Robert M]

  I'm not a consultant per se, but I've worked for years at smaller 
specialized firms that sometimes get that type of work.  IMO the most 
important thing you can do is have a clearly defined list of deliverables 
*before* setting a price and/or signing a contract.   As my favorite 
engineering professor was prone to chant:  "Define the problem!"

In the last setup like this my current employer became involved in our 
client began moving the goalposts about immediately after we'd set a price.  
Because of the size of the client and poor documentation on the part of my 
employer we kowtowed to the change and what should have been a fairly 
limited and lucrative piece of work became a bit of an expensive lesson.

$0.02,
Robert

>From: Douglas Fifield <douglas.fifield at gmail.com>
>To: s-car-list at audifans.com, quattro at audifans.com
>Subject: NAC - Questions about Consulting
>Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 10:53:03 -0600
>
>I appologize for the WOBW, but I want to tap the knowledge base of the
>lists.
>
>I have been approached regarding a small consulting job.  It is in line 
>with
>my professional experience and should be a fairly straight forward piece of
>work.  My questions have to do with how to structure the deal with the
>client as I have not done consulting work before.
>
>Particulars:
>
>I am a registered professional engineer.
>The work involves studying parts of a business organisation and 
>recommending
>work flow changes.
>It would probably take 30 to 60 days to do.
>Due to other obligations, this work would be performed on a part-time basis
>- half-days and full-days as available.
>
>Questions I have are:
>
>What are the going rates for this type of work? (is $50-$100 per hour
>typical?)
>Are contracts typically used in consulting agreements?
>Does the consultant or client provide the project work documentation (or
>both)?
>
>TIA,
>
>Douglas
>
>--
>Douglas in MN
>95.5 Audi S//6 Avant
>73 BMW R60/5 mit Toaster Tank
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