Signs of Being Renewed/Signs Not Being Renewed

[BR14]

When my badge works on the first day of the new contract.

i knew a guy wot broke his wrist like that.
i laughed.
he was a right kant

OP - when security turn up and stand behind you, at your desk.

[CheeseSlice]

Sometimes you can't just sit there wondering, you have to make some noise.
It doesn't happen all of the time but I've had gigs before where the hiring manager has forgotten all about contract expiry dates, and the agent is not bothering to push them either. If this happens then it is completely on you to make that renewal happen.

How far away is the end of your contract ?
If 1 month or less you should definitely be chatting with the person who hired you.
Either in person, or by email works for me:
"Hi MrMoneybags, I just wanted to make sure you're aware that my contract ends on [date]. If you'd like to discuss any further projects you'd like my help with, just let me know and I'll arrange a meeting to discuss"

Also get the agency involved if they haven't already called you. They can do some of that sales / account manager stuff they're meant to be doing for their % of your rate.

[Lance]

I arrive in the morning and there isn't an Indian sat at my desk.

permie speak.

[nomadd]

permie speak.

No, I supply my own tools. Including office furniture.

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

I arrive in the morning and there isn't an Indian sat at my desk.

Funny cos that's how one of my gigs ended, shipped a bunch of Indians over for 2 weeks 'training' during which time they demonstrated they had no clue wtf they were doing and their skills were garbage (but they all had important nonsense titles like 'senior software architect').

Couple of weeks later, 'we will not be renewing contracts' across the team.

Indians fly back, work remotely from India. Good luck.

[PCTNN]

From all of your in-depth experience of contracting over the years, what are the signs that you will be renewed? Likewise, what are the signs you will not be renewed?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks

As someone pointed out, look at the project plan. Even a very high level plan can give you an idea. Delays happen everywhere all the time so if you see that the project is going to be needing work from you sometimes after your contract's end date, then that's a good sign you'll be renewed.

Also, frequently the client does not have a specific skill in-house so they bring me in and alongside they recruit for permanent employees. If they manage to find people, that's a sign I won't be renewed.

As a rule of thumb, I make the client aware of my contract's end date 4-6 weeks in advance and I remind them about it again in 3 weeks if I haven't had any updates in the meantime.

[dsc]

Talk to your client, must be easier than trying to guess budgets, plans etc. Also what's already been mentioned re special skills that no-one else has but which are crucial to project delivery (not a guarantee but increases chances of renewal).

[WTFH]

It's normally fairly clear from the normal weekly project meetings how well something is going, but if you don't have a good relationship with the PM team or aren't in a position to get that kind of relationship, then the next thing is to compare what you've done so far on the project with the statement of work on your contract. Have you delivered everything that was expected in the contract? If no, but you've done an acceptable job, you'll probably get an extension to get the project done.
If you have done everything and the project is finished, then you might get a new contract with them if there is another project that they think you could do for them.

[gables]

I've always started talking with the client when the contract enters it's last month. I start with a reminder that we're in the last month and take it from there. At this point I also update my CV and start looking for next role.

[BolshieBastard]

I always found the two strongest indicators for extension were:

When your permie colleagues ask you for a deposit for the Christmas party
OR
When the tottie in HR who you give your signed timesheets to, still smiles and has a little chat with you.

Conversely, when the team manager \ senior project people stop talking to you or avoid eye contact, then you know the game is up!