How much does company X pay to a consultant company to do the following work?

- .asp / active server pages
- windows 2000/SQL2000 expertise/setup/maintenance/lockdown in development/stage/production environment
(from stored procs to the .dll's that manage the pools)
- and most importantly of all, how credit bureaus and lending in the banking industry works

The reason I am asking this question, is it has been propsed that the three of us (who originated and developed this application from scratch) to venture back up to Dallas for three more months (minimum) and work even more long hours on this project. We're trying to bid them as a consultant would, if a consultant had to step in, learn the processes of what the application is about, and decipher the code we've produced. Documentation you might say? Well, that's an iffy one, and we've slacked on that recently, but some of it is sketchy at best. So, I want to know how much we could ask + hotel expenses, etc.

What do you think?

 

The per diem or hourly would really depend on the setup of the firm and how much it offers its consultants. (what percetage of the hourly? what other benefits are provides?) Being independent, of course, allow you to charge less and be more attractive.
asp 35-150 (though high school students are known to do it for $10 an hour)
tsql 75-250
I don't think there is a price tag on industry specific knowledge.
It's usually a deciding factor for hiring a specific consultant though.
Credit and financial industry experienced consultants are everywhere in metro NYC area. Just about 1 out of 2 consultants are in this industry. I don't know if that's the case down there.

If there is a chance to work for yourself, I don't see why not!

 

thanks, its not just working for myself, its basically giving me some benefit to bargain with while I'm here. the question is, wednesday is the big lay off day, and depending on what is said tomorrow at a meeting will depend on if I bid and stay or leave and have a beer. =)

 

start a www.hiremeasconsultant.com?

 

nah, definately not FP. I dont want a consultant, I'm just tired of working here with promises of this and that for working up in dallas for 5 and a half months, when I got notta for it - no compensation whatsoever, so I'm putting this all on the table, as are the other individuals to make sure its all up front, in writing this time, and compare our wages to what they would have to hire to finish this project if they choose to do so.

 

Nine months ago, a senior engineer with a specific, required skill set who wanted to become a "consultant" could set up his/her own company, use existing contacts, and bill out at $100-$150/hr (in Colorado, at least) , usually with some monthly retainer that was depleted against.

Now, companies are leaning out, and the consultants are the first to lose their employment opportunities. You might currently have an opportunity to apply some leverage for a particular project in great need, but might also find yourself without consulting contracts when that project is finished. Something to consider.

It kind of went from a sellers market to a buyers market recently. Companies know this and are taking advantage of it.

 

yes, and i'm still unemployed

gotta work on that resume!

 

As others have mentioned, my company is currently pushing consultants out the door, but that is just a cycle.

I have contracted for technical expertise many times over the years paying as low as $50 and hour and as much as $250 for good expert staff. I have paid a per diem or even actual expenses when I needed special skills on site, but with today

 

My consulting work is in Strategy and Business Planning, so it is not directly comparable. However, my rates generally run in the $150 per hour range plus any expenses (hotels, meals, etc.). This would equate to a daily rate of about $1200 plus expenses.

I am told by some of my colleagues that I am too cheap. Take it for what it is worth. HTH

 

Take your current base hourly salary and multiply it by an appropriate factor. For my consulting services this is 3.1, however, in other fields it may be as low as a factor of 2. This is actually a pretty good deal for the company that hires you since they do not have to provide any benefits such as vacation, retirement, insurance, etc., and when the job is over, they are through with you. Expenses are extra and can be on a per diem or cost plus basis. If you charge a per diem of say, $140/day, you can stay somewhere cheap and pocket the difference. On a cost basis, you usually take actual expenses and add 10-15% to the bill to cover the cost. Car travel is typically reinmbursed at $0.325 per mile.

So, let's say you make $60,000 per year which is $28.85 per hour. Multiply this by 3 and you charge $86.55 per hour plus expenses.

Remember, you will have to invoice for services and can probably expect a 60 day delay from the time you bill them until you actually get paid, and make sure you keep accurate records for the IRS and pay quarterly self-employment a FICA taxes.