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Subject:Re: hourly vs. project From:Walter Hanig <wdh -at- NETMANAGE -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 5 Nov 1997 11:32:00 -0800
At 10:44 AM 11/5/97 PST, ce evans wrote:
>I have an opportunity to bid on an entire project, but I'm not
>quite sure how to do it--or if I should. Its for revising sw
>documentation. The project manager gave me an idea of how many hours he
>thinks it (revision) will take, but the sw still has some functionality
>that has yet to be developed--and I have no idea when they will finish
>it or if it will be before my deadline. Should I just go with the
>hourly or risk bidding a project.
>
Often, the prospective client's situation drives the decision of hourly rate vs total project bid. If the client has to move heaven and earth to get or change a purchase order, then I recommend an hourly rate with a not to exceed amount. In this situation and in total project bids, you need to be precise about what you're delivering: draft? final hard copy? PostScript? Otherwise, author's alterations (AAs) can eat up your fee.
In practical terms the risk of bidding a project only affects your time, but not money, unless you have a backlog of work that will be delayed or disappear if the project job takes longer than expected.
Let us know the outcome.
Walter
Walter Hanig
NetManage, Inc.
12651 High Bluff Drive
San Diego, CA 92130, USA
