How much is enough?

[doodab]

I've just finished a short and unpleasant piece of work. It's obvious the clients idea of "professional day" is 12-16hrs, the project is badly behind schedule, the management have totally unrealistic expectations, the deadlines are immovable as the client faces contractual penalties for late delivery, and I suspect they are going to offer me some more work over the next week or two.

I don't really want the gig TBH. On the other hand, with it being over Christmas and them being in a bind I can probably screw them quite hard on the rate.

What sort of premium shall I ask for? Or shall I just bin it, enjoy Christmas and wait for one of the other "irons in the fire" to come good in early Jan?

[MarillionFan]

I've just finished a short and unpleasant piece of work. It's obvious the clients idea of "professional day" is 12-16hrs, the project is badly behind schedule, the management have totally unrealistic expectations, the deadlines are immovable as the client faces contractual penalties for late delivery, and I suspect they are going to offer me some more work over the next week or two.

I don't really want the gig TBH. On the other hand, with it being over Christmas and them being in a bind I can probably screw them quite hard on the rate.

What sort of premium shall I ask for?

You're not working at my place are you?

Same occurred today. Having had contractors on 750 Eur per day(or a consultancy as he likes to call him and his co-worker ) they failed to deliver work in the time allocated.
So instead of holding them to account, clientco asked them to 'add more resource' to the project plan. All this consists of is the 'lead consultant' who owns his own 'consultancy' bringing in another Belgian resouce and charging Eur 750 per day and also charging for some weekend work.

There's a back hander going on somewhere. But in a corporate world of non-delivery, resource constraint and dropped scope two miles away from where I live. Kerchiing, kerchiing, kerchiing.

[eek]

I've just finished a short and unpleasant piece of work. It's obvious the clients idea of "professional day" is 12-16hrs, the project is badly behind schedule, the management have totally unrealistic expectations, the deadlines are immovable as the client faces contractual penalties for late delivery, and I suspect they are going to offer me some more work over the next week or two.

I don't really want the gig TBH. On the other hand, with it being over Christmas and them being in a bind I can probably screw them quite hard on the rate.

What sort of premium shall I ask for? Or shall I just bin it, enjoy Christmas and wait for one of the other "irons in the fire" to come good in early Jan?

Take you hourly rate and ensure that your professional day covers 16 of those hours. Then double it for the week between Christmas and New Year.

Of course if you don't want the work quadruple it but there is no way I would be working 12-16 hour days for any length of time. Chances are its those expectations of hours that are the real reason they are in such a mess.

[TimberWolf]

16 hour IT days doesn't sound healthy. Still, kerching.

[doodab]

Take you hourly rate and ensure that your professional day covers 16 of those hours. Then double it for the week between Christmas and New Year.

Of course if you don't want the work quadruple it but there is no way I would be working 12-16 hour days for any length of time. Chances are its those expectations of hours that are the real reason they are in such a mess.

If I quadruple it I can have next year off

That would actually be worth the 2 weeks of hassle.

[eek]

16 hour IT days doesn't sound healthy. Still, kerching.

Are you really kerching if you are on a professional working day which you quoted on the basis of 8 hours.

[eek]

If I quadruple it I can have next year off

That would actually be worth the 2 weeks of hassle.

You need to know the size of the penalty clause. That is what they need you to avoid and it takes 10%, 20% of that for you to fix the problem they will pay it.

On a sidenote shouldn't this be moved to Business/Contracts

[doodab]

16 hour IT days doesn't sound healthy. Still, kerching.

Yes, it's not. I was talking to one of the other guys on the phone yesterday and he said he's been doing 12hr days for months. The PM seems to be one of those lunatics who thinks if he turns around to you at 4pm and says "I need you to do this today as well" it will magically happen even though it's about two days worth of work, so I don't think he is kidding.

[doodab]

You need to know the size of the penalty clause. That is what they need you to avoid and it takes 10%, 20% of that for you to fix the problem they will pay it.

Well, I would guess based on experience with other projects like this that having next year off is actually a possibility.

On a sidenote shouldn't this be moved to Business/Contracts

Nah, then there is no chance of it deteriorating into a pointless spat

[eek]

Well, I would guess based on experience with other projects like this that having next year off is actually a possibility.



Nah, then there is no chance of it deteriorating into a pointless spat

I wasn't being too serious just having a dig at something SY said when MF suggested the opposite for his current tale of stupidity woe.