Opinions on Renewal (or not)

[bassy]

I have a couple of weeks or so left of my current contract and the rumour is that they want to renew it. However, I have another contract to go to - one that I was offered a few weeks ago and have just been waiting for my security clearance (which hasnt gone through yet). The second contract is the one that I really want to do as though I am supposed to be doing development I have really only been doing support for the last few weeks and have only written a couple of lines of code (its not exactly the direction I wish to go in).

So how do you go about the situation - do you pre-empt them asking for a renewal and tell the client that you did not want to renew when your contract is up, do you tell the agency and let them deal with the client or do you wait for the renewal to actually come up and then let the agency know. I have not really been in this situation before as usually I renew multiple times and don't look for a new contract until after the one i am on is finished and have taken a few weeks holiday. Would welcome opinions.

[The Lone Gunman]

It is always a good idea to keep the client onside (you may want to go back there one day) so I would suggest you speak to whoever is in charge of your contract presently.

Wait till your new contract is confirmed though.
Tell them that, much as you have enjoyed working with them, an opportunity has come up which suits your business better. You know the sort of stuff.
It is usualy a good idea to keep the agent informed too, again they may have a perfect assignment for you one day.

[ratewhore]

Security clearance may take some time (You don't say which level of clearance but I assume SC) so you may be left in a position where you have to make the choice before confirming the clearaance.

I agree it is a good idea to keep the client (and to a certain extent the agency) onside. The issue here is which one to take. I would suggest the new one already offered otherwise you may go stale in the present one. But be aware if you fail to achieve the clearance you'll be out on your ear.

[AussieInLondon]

I agree with both comments above; while I'm relatively new to the London market, I do have about 10yrs experience contracting in the financial services sector, and have realised & confirmed multiple times the following golden rules:

1. NEVER burn a bridge, you never know when you might want to get back over the river. Contracting is tough if your last contract ended badly as you may have nasty things said about you during future reference checks (and it takes 2 new contracts to get them out of the cycle).

2. ALWAYS do (or offer to do) the right thing (ethically & professionally) by the client. They will appreciate it, even if they're miffed initially about you not wanting to stay with them.

3. READ YOUR CONTRACT!! You'd be surprised, really;-) There may be a clause that requires you to notify client or agent if you do not intend renewing. Remember also that if there's no new contract and you & the client continue business as normal, the terms & conditions of the previous contract apply on a rolling basis equal to your notice period.

4. IF YOU CAN ... know where you're jumping to before you leap. Basically the same as "bird in the hand" ... In your case, it really depends whether you think there will be any issues in getting your clearance; if it's cut & dry, then it might be worth the risk but - as noted above - don't get caught out in the rain.

Hope this helps!

[thunderlizard]

It takes two to tango, and to renew a contract. Rumours that your current customer wants to renew doesn't put you under any obligation. You're signed up to date X because the customer wants you up to date X, and there's nothing really that gives them first dibs on you after that. So I agree about not burning bridges, but there really shouldn't be any bad blood anyway.

So all I reckon you need to do is organise an end-of-contract boozing session, hand over those documents (two weeks should be ample to finish everything off happily), offer to come back at a later date if they want, and stay in touch.

[bassy]

Thanks for everyone's opinions. I think the rumour is going to become reality this week as the agency want to talk to me about 'my possible extension'. I have decided that whether or not the security clearance came through or not that I wouldnt extend. I have done no development work over the past couple of months - only user support so there is zilch to document. I have enough cash to last me three or so months after this so I am okay on that front. I'm just afraid that if I stayed that I would be moving further away from my programming skills. (I did the same thing a few years ago and took a contract and kept renewing it as the money was good - and i have a hard time turning people down - but it wasnt using the skills i really loved - it took me a good couple of years after that to get back to what I really enjoyed doing)

[xoggoth]

Mention nothing to anyone before you need to. If you tell the old client you are even thinking of moving on, he may well decide he would prefer to get in someone more committed and the option of staying will not be open anyhow.