Agent and Contractor agree rate client now wants contractor cheaper

[vadhert]

So recently I got a new contract and agreed a rate with the agency. The agency put me forward and I interviewed well and got offered a contract. Now the companies MD has come back from his holiday and has decided to get involved and drop the rate costing me £85 per day and the agent some of his margin.

Now in a normal scenario I would suspect the agent is meddling up to no good however the agent is on a fixed margin and I have worked with before and know quite well. The agent has done his due diligence, collected references and generally pushed me for this role as I was their best client however he is dumbfounded by Mr big balls MD who wants to throw his weight around.

So the MD wants me to do this role cheaper. My response was "Thanks but no thanks. Good luck in finding a suitable candidate.".

I cant help feeling I dodged a bullet there.

Back to the bench

[SlipTheJab]

So recently I got a new contract and agreed a rate with the agency. The agency put me forward and I interviewed well and got offered a contract. Now the companies MD has come back from his holiday and has decided to get involved and drop the rate costing me £85 per day and the agent some of his margin.

Now in a normal scenario I would suspect the agent is meddling up to no good however the agent is on a fixed margin and I have worked with before and know quite well. The agent has done his due diligence, collected references and generally pushed me for this role as I was their best client however he is dumbfounded by Mr big balls MD who wants to throw his weight around.

So the MD wants me to do this role cheaper. My response was "Thanks but no thanks. Good luck in finding a suitable candidate.".

I cant help feeling I dodged a bullet there.

Back to the bench

Well played. Taking the royal p!ss there!

[NotAllThere]

If the MD comes grovelling and agrees to pay your rate - add another £15 to it.

[SlipTheJab]

If the MD comes grovelling and agrees to pay your rate - add another £15 to it.

Or tell him to shove his role up his ar$e

[eek]

If the MD comes grovelling and agrees to pay your rate - add another £115 to it.

ftfy

[northernladuk]

That's a big cut. Any ideas whether the MD is just playing the negotiating game or if that was a take it or leave it offer?

I'd be interested to know exactly when this new offer appeared? You had a copy of the contract signed in hand but the agent hadn't signed it yet?

What's the agent say about this guy? You'd assume this isn't the first time it's happened and the agent is pretty narked about it as well. I've found that agents that get messed about by their clients are often happy to have a moan about them to a contractor. Bit of insider info in to the situation be useful?

[SlipTheJab]

For me even if the MD comes back and agrees to the role at the original rate I would still be quite hesitant. Pulling a stunt like this just shows the mettle of the wo-man and the likely working environment they would project (getting in 2 minutes late and tutting going on, 5 minutes late back from lunch and called into office/lair). Sounds like a car crash waiting to happen IMHO, move on and count it as a lucky escape.

[vadhert]

The agent told me the MD wanted to get someone cheaper as they 'think' this is the going rate.

The MD also wants to re-advertise the role as a not-so-senior position offering it to me first before going back to the market.

I am not interested in it any more. The meddling nature of the MD has put me off and I wouldn't accept it for the original rate now.

The contract between Agent and Client co hasn't been signed yet however the agent had begun issuing paper work regarding Contractor / Agency.

[northernladuk]

For me even if the MD comes back and agrees to the role at the original rate I would still be quite hesitant. Pulling a stunt like this just shows the mettle of the wo-man and the likely working environment they would project (getting in 2 minutes late and tutting going on, 5 minutes late back from lunch and called into office/lair). Sounds like a car crash waiting to happen IMHO, move on and count it as a lucky escape.

Must admit that was one of my thoughts as well but if you think about it pragmatically it could be classed as a negotiation phase. I guess if the OP is dealing with the MD it's a fairly small outfit and cost cutting will be key to them. There could be one of a couple of situations in play here.

1 - The situation is as you say, bloke is a piss taker and he's dodged a car crash
2 - It's an offer, the OP puts in for more, agrees original rate and off you go with no further problems. That's a lot for a counter offer though so does look like no.1 might be in play.
3 - No disrespect to the OP but that might be how much the MD thinks he's worth to him. My current client has a guy on that were offered a little less than the full rate because they didn't fulfil the whole criteria and have had to re-jiggle responsibilities because they couldn't find the ideal candidate. Can't help thinking that's a tough call and no.1 starts looking fave again.

Even thinking pragmatically as Slip says, number 1 could still be likely candidate.

I've interviewed at a gig at a low rate as the role looked interesting and after interview it was a much more senior role than originally described. At offer I suggested this was way below market rate and stuck my rate in thinking they may go with it as they won't be able to find the right candidate at that rate. They had a standard rate card so declined. So be it. Agent was a bit annoyed but he also admitted the rate was a little low. I'm sure we've all tried to barter prices down from marked in the past. You could argue it's no different here.

Only the OP will really know the situation here as he will have gotten a feel of the situation as the interview should be a two way process.

Be interesting to see what the OP has to say.

[jamesbrown]

For me even if the MD comes back and agrees to the role at the original rate I would still be quite hesitant. Pulling a stunt like this just shows the mettle of the wo-man and the likely working environment they would project (getting in 2 minutes late and tutting going on, 5 minutes late back from lunch and called into office/lair). Sounds like a car crash waiting to happen IMHO, move on and count it as a lucky escape.

Absolutely. Hallmarks of a micro-manager. Nicely avoided by the OP.