[portland] Looking for Contractor for help building Intranet Website

[Rich Shepard]

On Fri, 12 Sep 2014, John Hampton wrote:

> I am looking for a python contractor for help in building an intranet site
> for my employer [1]. Ideally, I'd like to find a local independent
> contractor, though I'm open to recommendations for software shops to
> contact. Also, I have no clue what the current average hourly rate is
> among web devs is.

John,

   I'm not interested in applying for the job, but offer a suggestion for
your serious consideration: buy the project for a flat fee, not an hourly
rate.

   Two major problems with hourly billing:

   1.) The buyer really does not know what the necessary expertise is worth
per hour. If you did you could probably develop the project yourself. But,
you want expertise you do not have in-house. Also, price does not equal
quality. Lowest bid too frequently means unacceptable quality.

   2.) Your contractor is in competition with you. He (or she) knows what is
involved in developing your project but there are always glitches, problems
that take longer than expected to resolve, and so on. So the contractor is
in a bind: does he bill you for all those hours and have you complain about
the cost, or does he eat the time and short-change himself?

   When you negotiate a fixed fee for the project it is based on specific
objectives of what will be delivered and when (both of you should target
long and deliver early). You both agree on the price so you know up front
how much you're investing and the contractor is satisfied with that amount.
Then you both have aligned goals: get the project done correctly as quickly
as is consistent with the required quality, regardless of the time and
effort involved.

   Define the specific end-point; e.g., delivery of a working prototype for
everyone to try. After that, changes and tweaks can be done on a
time-and-expense basis.

   Years ago I changed to flat rate project costs and my clients really like
it. I don't worry if I end up working for less than minimum wages since I
agreed the amount was acceptable to me and my clients paid the budgeted
amount without worry that I'd treat them as a cash cow to be milked dry.

   Also, offer to pay 1/3rd of the total up front, and the final two thirds
at agreed check points. A problem with selling services is that they cannot
be repossessed once delivered. Pre-payment sets an ethical, moral, and
honesty obligation on your contractor and assures you that his attention is
focused on your needs.

Good luck,

Rich

-- 
Richard B. Shepard, Ph.D.
Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc. | 	       Troutdale, OR 97060 USA
www.appl-ecosys.com      Voice: 503-667-4517         Fax: 503-667-8863