Client Meeting Ahead of Contract Review

[ziggystardust]

Agency is pushing me to have a client meeting tomorrow regarding my "onboarding plan" before I have sent my contract for external review, which I have stated will take 2 working days. I stated that once reviewed, if all is well then a start date after that is more realistic.

I have been sent an assignment schedule (terms) with no deliverables on it, but with a request to sign. Having gone back to request the deliverables, agent has fed back that the client is off for a week after tomorrow so will only accept a start date of next week if I have this "onboarding"meeting tomorrow and they'll get the deliverables over to me today.

I feel they are trying to push me into just signing the contract straight away and they have said that I accepted their offer so any delays will impact the project. If I agree to have this meeting am I as good as saying I've accepted the contract in all but signing it? The start date of tomorrow was "provisional" yet I received a phone message from the client talking about onboarding (number passed on without my knowledge or consent) and before I had even received the initial terms and conditions.

[davetza]

I don't see an issue with doing this, especially if you don't have other work taking place at the moment. Just be open and honest and say you are happy to have the meeting to facilitate the onboarding process, but any start date is dependent on the due diligence you are currently doing on the contract you have been provided.

[northernladuk]

I don't see an issue with doing this, especially if you don't have other work taking place at the moment. Just be open and honest and say you are happy to have the meeting to facilitate the onboarding process, but any start date is dependent on the due diligence you are currently doing on the contract you have been provided.

This all day long.

I assume this is outside IR35. Have they provided an SDS yet?

[WTFH]

When did they send you the contract?
What are your concerns about attending a meeting?
You talk about starting next week - if it's going to take you 2 days to review the contract and you've not started that yet, then you won't be able to start early next week.
You also mention that you have received the assignment (terms) and then later on you say you have not received the terms. Your wording is confusing.

One of your "requirements" is going to have to have to change.

[ziggystardust]

I have received the Status Determination Statement which is Outside IR35 the assignment (including T&Cs, and that lengthy set of ) deliverables but will be sending the contract and deliverables to Qdos for an IR35 review and establish what their recommendations for amendments are (if any) to feed back to the client.

I am surprised that you have all so far said that there's no problem having a meeting. I would have expected a contract to be finalised and be agreed before confirming I accept by signing. Semantics, or being cautious perhaps but to be asked to meet and make myself available for meetings ahead of the contract bring fully reviewed does not sit right with me and is tantamount to accepting as-is. Just wondered whether anyone else has had the same experience and wanted to share how they dealt with it l.

[WTFH]

I have received the Status Determination Statement which is Outside IR35 the assignment (including T&Cs, and that lengthy set of ) deliverables but will be sending the contract and deliverables to Qdos for an IR35 review and establish what their recommendations for amendments are (if any) to feed back to the client.

I am surprised that you have all so far said that there's no problem having a meeting. I would have expected a contract to be finalised and be agreed before confirming I accept by signing. Semantics, or being cautious perhaps but to be asked to meet and make myself available for meetings ahead of the contract bring fully reviewed does not sit right with me and is tantamount to accepting as-is. Just wondered whether anyone else has had the same experience and wanted to share how they dealt with it l.

When are you thinking of sending the documents for review - reading your posts it's ambiguous as to how long you've had them?
How long ago did you agree to their offer (again, very unclear from how you wrote it), and was that acceptance done on the phone or by email?
As to how you deal with it, if you want the gig, you get your paperwork reviewed immediately, you don't stall. If you don't want the gig, then slow down and delay, come up with reasons/excuses and go look somewhere else.

And since I suspect you won't answer the above, then here's a thought: If you've signed nothing, then think of this client meeting as a second interview for the role, if you don't want to attend the interview, don't. If you do want to attend the interview, then politely let them know that you are declining the role. That would be the professional thing to do.
But since you made the post yesterday and the meeting was today, then any comments are moot now, you've already made your decision.

[davetza]

I have received the Status Determination Statement which is Outside IR35 the assignment (including T&Cs, and that lengthy set of ) deliverables but will be sending the contract and deliverables to Qdos for an IR35 review and establish what their recommendations for amendments are (if any) to feed back to the client.

I am surprised that you have all so far said that there's no problem having a meeting. I would have expected a contract to be finalised and be agreed before confirming I accept by signing. Semantics, or being cautious perhaps but to be asked to meet and make myself available for meetings ahead of the contract bring fully reviewed does not sit right with me and is tantamount to accepting as-is. Just wondered whether anyone else has had the same experience and wanted to share how they dealt with it l.

You need to start thinking like a business. On the other side of this, when I have engaged with vendors, I have had multiple sessions with them prior to a contract being signed or a PO being raised to clarify requirements and make sure the engagement process is smooth, if they did not engage this way, I would see it as unprofessional. I am not expecting boots on the ground and delivery starting until the contract is signed, but there is always going to be engagement before this, so why should you be different?

[edison]

I've had the same situation, it shouldn't be that big a deal.

Firstly, QDOS should be able to do a 24 hour turnaround for a contract review for an extra fee.

IIRC correctly, the absence of deliverables weren't an issue for QDOS. It was good enough that I said there would be a SOW with deliverables, milestones, dates etc that could be included as a schedule in the contract once they had reviewed it. In this instance, I had to write most of the SOW for the client as they didn't really have much of a clue.

I had the first client meeting ('interview') where we discussed the deliverables in detail, I wrote the SOW and QDOS reviewed the contract. They don't usually take much notice of the specific deliverables, just that you have them in a proper format.

If you are uncomfortable then push back like any supplier would do.

[ziggystardust]

When are you thinking of sending the documents for review - reading your posts it's ambiguous as to how long you've had them?
How long ago did you agree to their offer (again, very unclear from how you wrote it), and was that acceptance done on the phone or by email?
As to how you deal with it, if you want the gig, you get your paperwork reviewed immediately, you don't stall. If you don't want the gig, then slow down and delay, come up with reasons/excuses and go look somewhere else.

- Documents sent for review this morning and will be back by end of next working day
- Offer accepted verbally last week and confirmed by email (subject to contract review) although all criminal etc checks only completed yesterday

I do want the gig and am certainly not purposefully delaying. Client has since agreed to delay start date.