Whose telling porkies?

[configman]

Doesn't really mean anything... For example Search IT may have told the client that they can get somebody to do the work for £600 a day whereas Capita have told the client that they can get somebody for £700 a day. NES may be then sourcing contractors for Capita so that capita pays them £600 a day, etc. etc.

It's not always as clean cut as you may think.

That is very true, it is not necessarily people telling porkies. My thread title should be something different. As a business if I do my research I can end up with a far better rate and/or chance by searching for all adverts for the same role is the point I am making. What I have found out is the client has not specified a rate but has a history of paying 5-600 a day for that role, with that knowledge I am in a position if I choose to put myself forward with realistic expectations to the recruiter and client, and a rate we would be happy with from the outset. I will always walk away if I was put forward at one rate and offered significantly lower unless for example there was opportunity to gain commercial experience of something new that was negotiated into the contract. Now I am in the know it would have been commercial suicide to submit myself for the lower rate - and possibly the higher rate as well. Either I would work below the market rate or stand no chance of getting the contract.

There are a lot of things I consider before putting myself forward and rate is not the top of the list - high but not the top.

[51st State]

Advice on Rate ...

Here's the story. And please don't forget I'm a relative newbie!

Interviewed this morning and wowed Clientco.

Pimp had intimated that the gig pays £370 - £390 a day which I wouldn't go for as it's far too cheap.

I saw on the interviewer's pad that Agent was charging £500 per day.

What do I go in at? I was thinking around the £430 - £450 mark, or is that too high?

[Sockpuppet]

I'd say £430. So start at £450, accept £430.

[TheFaQQer]

I'd say £430. So start at £450, accept £430.

£430 to you, £70 to agency gives the agency a margin of 15%. Some will be happy with that, and some will not - I think that the S3 gross margins for the company are higher than that, would you believe.

£430 sounds reasonable.

[BrilloPad]

Here's the story. And please don't forget I'm a relative newbie!

Interviewed this morning and wowed Clientco.

Pimp had intimated that the gig pays £370 - £390 a day which I wouldn't go for as it's far too cheap.

I saw on the interviewer's pad that Agent was charging £500 per day.

What do I go in at? I was thinking around the £430 - £450 mark, or is that too high?

I remember once I had a job where agent got fixed margin. rate negotiations between me and clientco though. so agent told me how much clientco were recruiting at - about 20% more than I was getting. I asked for 20% more and got it.

I did ask very very subtley...

[BlasterBates]

Basically you should decide your own rate, going high if the market is good and you can get a renewal no problem, or low if you're out of work; the adverts just give ballpark figures to avoid wasting time negotiating with contractors looking for much higher rates. What margin an agency earns is up to the agency. In any case you don't know what the agency charges, they all offer different rates to a client. Some will try to compete on rate. Others will go for the best candidate.