End client does not want to approve timesheets

[cojak]

As a lesson for next time gallotta, it is not in the agency's power to negotiate working arrangements and holidays - you can only do this directly with the client (normally you bring the matter up during interviews, if they do not want you to work remotely it is up to you then to decide if you still want the contract).

For the reason you now find yourself in - if the client hasn't agreed to it then you are on very thin ice.

And remember, the agency will agree to anything provided they get you to sign that contract.

[BlasterBates]

Difficult one, to chase this up you need proof you delivered, but that will be difficult because the client isn't going help you. Send them a bill for your services and then maybe chase up with a lawyer but I wouldn't spend too much on it, because you don't really don't have any proof. One angle might be to get some letter of confirmation from the client that you disagreed on the contract, and sue the agency on the basis of that.

[gallotta]

Finally got to the client... Their view is they don't want to sign for two reasons:
1) they feel they did not get value for money on the first week, (second week there was very little work done, I have billed them for less than a day) so I explained that for anyone first week is all ramping up, reviewing documents, etc, etc
2) they were not aware of the arrangements I had agreed with the agency, so I emailed all the emails where I had asked the agent to make sure everyone was on the same page before signing the contract. Obviously they had not done that.

They still maintain they will not sign the timesheets, so I believe it is time to take some action \:\)

[Clippy]

Do yourself a favour mate and chalk this one up to experience.

[cojak]

I have to side with Clippy here, you might spend more time and money fighting for this money than going for the next contract.

It would be different if you're fighting for the last week's payment on a contract, but it's not.

[thunderlizard]

I do sympathise with the client there. Clients should pay contractors for producing, not for bum-on-seat time. All very well to say that the first week is "ramping up", but if that never translates into a result I don't know what service you can say you're billing for.

In that case yes, take the legal route with the agency. It's their greedy mistake after all.

[DS23]

Finally got to the client... They still maintain they will not sign the timesheets, so I believe it is time to take some action \:\)

take a long hard look at what you achieved in that first week. did you add any value? it is absolutely crucial for a contractor to be able to deliver right from the start of a contract. needing to ramp-up is not an excuse.

okay, easing into a contract is common enough - plenty of clients are unprepared and rather force a new contractor to be idle (no network, no documents, no desk, no team kickoff etc.) but regardless - you must be focused on delivering something *anything* that will prove to the client that you are worth it. first impressions are absolutely vital and if you want to ensure that a contract has legs: provide a solution to a problem the client has, make sure you ask plenty of pertinent questions in those initial meetings, make plentyof notes and start writing documentation, make friends with the permanent staff, show interest in the projects and company strategy, arrive early and stay late, do something to make someone on the client side say "thanks!"...

put yourself in their shoes - did you deliver anything?

i thinking not and for that reason i'm with clippy and cojak.

[gallotta]

Just to put this to bed without going into many details, I was asked on the first day, to take on an initial RFP, all the subsequent changes, and 6 RFP responses to review and discuss over meetings in the next following 4 days. Since I was going on holiday the day after, and the client had agreed to this, I had to do this while on my time off, early mornings, late nights, take conference calls from abroad, review comments, etc,etc. That is what I was calling ramping up....

[Ignis Fatuus]

I do sympathise with the client there. Clients should pay contractors for producing, not for bum-on-seat time. All very well to say that the first week is "ramping up", but if that never translates into a result I don't know what service you can say you're billing for.

In that case yes, take the legal route with the agency. It's their greedy mistake after all.

You're billing the agency, not the client. You gave the agency what they asked for. If the agent didn't give the client what the client asked for, that's the agent's fault. The agent should act like a real business rather than just a pimp.

Agents should decide whether contractors work for them or for the client. If the former, then the agent's relations with the client are nothing to do with it. If the latter, then they should dump all that stuff about their relation with the client (billing rate etc) not being your business.

I have had agents do the same: generally speaking I don't think they pass on any specifications that you make before a contract, they just let you go in and fix it yourself. I have for example emphasized to the agent that I would not be arriving on Monday mornings before X o'clock because of flight timings, and got it agreed, only to find on the first day that the client was phoning round to find out why I hadn't arrived yet. On another occasion I specified days when I would not be available to work ("holidays" IOW), and got it agreed. On arrival on site I pointed these days out to the client again (or so I thought), and the client's response was, "I can't let you know yet". Obviously he had never heard of it, but worse, felt it was still his decision to make. I didn't: the decision point was when I specified not working on those days - if not agreed, I wouldn't take the contract. Problem was of course that I agreed that with my contracting party, i.e. the agent, but in reality the client is the other party.

[cojak]

We aren't dissing you gallotta and wish you well with whatever action you decide to take.

Good luck!