Timesheet query

[perplexed]

Hi all, Merry <Insert festival of choice>.

I've an issue I've not encountered before, so thought I'd get the advice of the wise.

I'm a few months into a contract, the chain of companies looks like this.

MyLtdCo -> Agency -> Company A -> Consortium of companies A, B and C.

My timesheets are entered online at the Agency portal; need to be approved by the PM who is an employee of Company A. The work is on a site where the project work is for the consortium, feeding into a few other projects.

Company A are now insisting that I need to use timesheet systems for not only the Agency but ALSO for Company A and Company B due to the structure of the consortium.

The contract through the Agency states that I am providing services to Company A. The consortium, companies B and C are not mentioned anywhere, nor IMO should they be.

As a result, what are people's thoughts - am I within my rights to refuse to use a timesheet system for a company that I have no contractual obligation to? Company A are certainly aware of my hours - a representative approves them, after all. I've mailed someone within Company A the days I've been working, am happy continue that if they want to enter those hours to enable their billing.

When I've been in a similar chain before, I've never had to do this.

TL;DR version.

A client are insisting I use a timesheet system for another company, I'm uncertain as to the necessity to do so.

EDIT: For what it's worth, the Agency were not informed of this prior to the contract starting.

[SueEllen]

What does it say in your contract?

If it says nothing then you have three choices:
1. Tell them to politely foxtrot oscar,
2. Get them to agreed to all accept one timesheet, OR
3. Do as they say

When I was placed in situation where different people (including in the same bl**dy company) wanted a different timesheet I managed to get them to agree to 2.

[perplexed]

What does it say in your contract?

If it says nothing then you have three choices:
1. Tell them to politely foxtrot oscar,
2. Get them to agreed to all accept one timesheet, OR
3. Do as they say

When I was placed in situation where different people (including in the same bl**dy company) wanted a different timesheet I managed to get them to agree to 2.

Says nothing in the contract - as the company whose system I've been requested to use does not appear in the contract.

[SueEllen]

Says nothing in the contract - as the company whose system I've been requested to use does not appear in the contract.

Then try 2 and if it doesn't work refuse.

[perplexed]

Then try 2 and if it doesn't work refuse.

Did have a veiled "may get rid of you" comment from a PM the other day. Not that bothered, one of the companies involved have provided grads - one on his first assignment who is utterly clueless about the language we're coding in. Would be a relief to leave if it happened.

I've been mailing a copy of the days worked to a contact at company A. I'll continue that in the meantime. She did point out the reason for it was to "make it easier for them to bill their client". Which of course is irrelevant to me.

I suspect this wasn't in the contact due to the mighty ballsup that this project is not knowing what the other hand is doing, tbh.

[SueEllen]

Did have a veiled "may get rid of you" comment from a PM the other day. Not that bothered, one of the companies involved have provided grads - one on his first assignment who is utterly clueless about the language we're coding in. Would be a relief to leave if it happened.

I've been mailing a copy of the days worked to a contact at company A. I'll continue that in the meantime. She did point out the reason for it was to "make it easier for them to bill their client". Which of course is irrelevant to me.

I suspect this wasn't in the contact due to the mighty ballsup that this project is not knowing what the other hand is doing, tbh.

It's not a balls up.

You should not be obliged to complete loads of timesheets anyone with commonsense could see that. The most you should do if you feel kind is email a copy to the various companies.

[perplexed]

It's not a balls up.

You should not be obliged to complete loads of timesheets anyone with commonsense could see that. The most you should do if you feel kind is email a copy to the various companies.

Meant the project was a ballsup.

Of course common sense would mean it would be pretty stupid to do 3 timesheets. However, we're talking about IT, and the companies in the "consortium"... well, nuff said.

[ASB]

It doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

When my dept uses contractors they are required to complete timesheets. This is for project costing, management reporting etc.

Don't care what else they fill in and for whom. The contract with the supplier states this. It doesn't matter to me whether they are contracted to the supplier directly or indirectly.

[pmeswani]

To be honest, I would fill in the Agent's Timesheet and the Client A's timesheet and leave it at that. However, I would not see there being a major showstopper in filling in Client B's timesheet, if it didn't take more than a few minutes to fill in. But that's just me.

[tractor]

..

As long as the admin is done in paid time, what is the issue. It may seem to be a waste of time but hey ho, keep on billing.

Just repeat after me, 'day rate, day rate....'