Public Sector: never again

**swamp** · 23 November 2009, 16:41

Did you opt out?

**darmstadt** · 23 November 2009, 17:04

Originally posted by swamp View Post

Did you opt out?

Out of what?

(I is in Germany, no IR35)

**TheFaQQer** · 23 November 2009, 17:15

I love public sector contracts - plenty of money, little work. You can blame the complete lack of progress on bureaucracy...

kerching.

**JoJoGabor** · 23 November 2009, 19:24

I've done 2 PS stints. The last one I had to quit as I was getting so stressed out with a lack of stimulation. I was sat at my desk every day bored getting heart palpatations.

**d000hg** · 23 November 2009, 20:47

Why did you have to negotiate how much time they were stealing from you? Why was your response not "I shall instigate legal proceedings unless it is made clear all due fees are payable"?

**PM-Junkie** · 24 November 2009, 02:57

The crappy nature of public sector projects may have something to do with the fact that, if memory serves, they always insist on having a project manager who has worked in the public sector before.

I've always read that as "we want someone who has experience of screwing up public sector projects before and absolutely don't want anyone new who actually knows what they are doing, lest they show everyone else up for being incompetent idiots".

Same with the NHS.

**jmo21** · 24 November 2009, 07:40

Originally posted by darmstadt View Post

Although public sector contracts are pretty much a ticket to the bank, I somehow don't think I will ever do one again. Last Monday I finished my latest one and they faxed the timesheet through stating that 3 days were to be deducted, no reason given! After discussing this with the consultancy onsite, who also had no idea why, we eventually managed to get it down to only 1.5 days. I have my suspicions as the whole contract was very badly run and they're trying to put the blame on me, shame because I just threw it back at them and have basically been proven correct. I'll just have to bit the bullet and lose 12 hours of money.

I've now worked on 3 public sector contracts and it really doesn't surprise me that they go over budget and quite often tits-up. On this one they refused any project management help apart from one project which actually ran quite smoothly and although I'm not a fan of PM, this was an area that really needed it.

Now to decide which contract to take next. I have a number of options but its very difficult which one to go for but thats life

Is it the missing money thing at the end, or was a mix of all the badly run stuff too?

I'd say contracts in the Public Sector are a lot less likely to stiff you than, say for example, a small private business.

As others have said however, legal action etc

**darmstadt** · 24 November 2009, 08:05

Too much hassle to follow it up. First I was contracted to a small software house who contracted me out to a large global consultancy. All paperwork/contact/etc has been via the large consultancy and the minnow hasn't been involved. This means I would first have to deal with the small company who would then, on my behalf have to deal with global corporation and they then with the government. If it had to come to legal then I could face some problems due to documentation I had to sign for the government in order to work there which is another reason I don't want to do public sector work again due to too many restrictions.

As it is I am on good terms with both of the contracting companies and still do work for them which I don't want to jeopardise.

As far as we can tell they didn't need me there for that period of time but it would have been nice of them to tell me. As it is the contract was coming to end anyway, just another 4 weeks or so, and I wanted to get out as it was. I only really took the contract to learn new skills as I didn't have them before and I've now got those skills so probably a plus for me in a way.

Public Sector: never again