Best contract: Direct to end client or through a consultancy

[AlonsoHarris]

In your experience what's the best way to contract?

1. Direct to the end client for example a Gov department.

Or

2. Through an organisation that supplies service's and staff to the end client. (I don't mean recruiters here, I mean a Cap, PwC or similar)

Through no choice of my own I've usually been through the organisation as they were supplying staff, however the end client also had its own contractors.

What do my fellow contractors think?

Do you have a preferred option yourselves?

Does it make no difference?

[BR14]

10

[Old Greg]

Direct. Too many inexpert bs merchants in the consultancies, desperate not to have their reliance on generic management consultancy frameworks shown up by someone who knows what they're talking about.

[clearedforlanding]

That depends on the client.

[Whorty]

Makes no difference to me. The best contract is the one where the role is suitable to me, the team I'm working with are not total twunts, and the rate is acceptable. The route to getting the role is irrelevant.

[ladymuck]

It's fine to have a preference but you often don't get the chance to exercise it. Some clients will contract directly, others won't.

[BR14]

whichever pays the most

[CheeseSlice]

Is this hypothetical, or is this a situation you're currently faced with?

[Old Greg]

It's fine to have a preference but you often don't get the chance to exercise it. Some clients will contract directly, others won't.

But if I have a choice between contracting with Client A via a consultancy and Client B via a pimp, all other things being equal, I would choose Client B.

[vetran]

Direct. Too many inexpert bs merchants in the consultancies, desperate not to have their reliance on generic management consultancy frameworks shown up by someone who knows what they're talking about.

Is that the bloke who takes over from you?