Mid contract negotiations (rate increase)

[Barley]

Just wondering what the collective opinion is in terms of potentially pitching for a rate increase mid contract.

The reason for my query is that im finding come colleagues are less experienced and its becoming common for me to be steering and providing advice and guidance. Im also taking on responsibilities on behalf of the collective group and without my initiative key issues and actions arent being dealt with.

Initially I was happy with my rate but now im finding it a little frustrating to be on a finacial par whilst informally taking a more senior role. Ordinarily thats something id accept as it goes with the territory, however you accept a rate on vaguely defined responsibility and little or no knowledge of the structure youll be working within.

Id welcome any advice and guidance in dealing with this, is it worth the effort of trying to pitch for a £100 a day increase and if so how to approach it. Alternatively would you just wait until renewal (which is quite a while away yet) before pitching for a higher rate?

Thank you

[peterc2609]

I'd be thankful you have a long contract, and leave the rate increases till end of contract - would probably have more leverage then.

[Olly]

Why would there be more leverage at renewal time? All I can think of is that they would have been there longer.

Client / agency would have no qualms dropping rates mid contract if they felt they could.

No idea what £100 is a % nor how important it is to you. Ultimately though you have to ask yourself if the end client feels you are worth more, not whether you do.

Build up the evidence and have and if you still feel it's in your favour then test the water, what's the contract length? 3 monther and you 6 weeks in? if so then keep shush as your are very expendable...after 3 months then re-visit the idea.

[Bright Spark]

generally rate increases should be done at renewal time since you've alread agreed
to provide services for a fixed period and the client has secured the budget for this period.

Most clients will have a fixed budget or are only allowed a certain % increase at renewal
time demanding too much might mean they replace you with some one else.

Always check what the market rate is for your skillsets and industry area/location as this
is likely to reflect the approx amount the client manager can justify to his/her superiors.

[Wanderer]

generally rate increases should be done at renewal time since you've alread agreed
to provide services for a fixed period and the client has secured the budget for this period

Bright Spark is right, the time for negotiations is at renewal time, not mid contract. They budget and commit to having you there for x days at y per day and if you go asking for more then it can cause a lot of pain and bad feeling. At renewal time, they obviously have money in the pot to renew you so that's the time to put your pitch in to increase your rate.

[BolshieBastard]

Just wondering what the collective opinion is in terms of potentially pitching for a rate increase mid contract.

The reason for my query is that im finding come colleagues are less experienced and its becoming common for me to be steering and providing advice and guidance. Im also taking on responsibilities on behalf of the collective group and without my initiative key issues and actions arent being dealt with.

Initially I was happy with my rate but now im finding it a little frustrating to be on a finacial par whilst informally taking a more senior role. Ordinarily thats something id accept as it goes with the territory, however you accept a rate on vaguely defined responsibility and little or no knowledge of the structure youll be working within.

Id welcome any advice and guidance in dealing with this, is it worth the effort of trying to pitch for a £100 a day increase and if so how to approach it. Alternatively would you just wait until renewal (which is quite a while away yet) before pitching for a higher rate?

Thank you

Well shy bairns get nowt. Even so, I think you have no hope of getting an increase at the end of the contract never mind mid term.

Oh and frustration has nothing to do with rate.

[dspsyssts]

Just wondering what the collective opinion is in terms of potentially pitching for a rate increase mid contract.

The reason for my query is that im finding come colleagues are less experienced and its becoming common for me to be steering and providing advice and guidance. Im also taking on responsibilities on behalf of the collective group and without my initiative key issues and actions arent being dealt with.

Initially I was happy with my rate but now im finding it a little frustrating to be on a finacial par whilst informally taking a more senior role. Ordinarily thats something id accept as it goes with the territory, however you accept a rate on vaguely defined responsibility and little or no knowledge of the structure youll be working within.

Id welcome any advice and guidance in dealing with this, is it worth the effort of trying to pitch for a £100 a day increase and if so how to approach it. Alternatively would you just wait until renewal (which is quite a while away yet) before pitching for a higher rate?

Thank you

lol!...this post made me laugh, laugh in recognition not at you fella...give it a go and tell you agency what the score is...you may pull it off...but as the others have said this argument will carry more weight and stand a better chance of success at renewal time.

In the mean time, well you seem a confident chap, let the grunts know that your happy to be their supervisor and help them out with advise but your going to take a back seat and monitor them doing all the work....if they don't understand something then its 'ok' for them to come to you, which they shouldn't be doing if they are competent contractors.

That's a bit extreme, but angle it that way to your advantage, if your not being paid more for your superior knowledge at least get something out of it for yourself. I speak from experience, in the past I have been told to f**k off when asking advice from other contractors, then again have worked in an above scenario where one mercenary has taken 'command'.

[rootsnall]

then again have worked in an above scenario where one mercenary has taken 'command'.

And that individual is usually nowhere near as good as they think they are, and gets kicked out first when they start acting above their station.

If you are happy enough with the client then I'd wait until the end of your current contract, even if you are the gun contractor, mid contract demands won't go down well with most PMs and it will come back to bite you. If you don't really care about getting booting out then go for it.

[lukemg]

I wouldn't consider doing this mid contract, then again some clients think it's ok to push a pay cut mid contract too ! These types of informal supervision arrangements are common and happen organically so unless you have specifically been asked to perform this role, it's unlikely you will get instant recognition. I would keep in mind any obvious areas that you have taken the leadership role which you can mention later. Often, when you push for a rate rise (other than an annual bump) the agent will ask for evidence of increased responsibility or a change in the role.
I would also be careful that your own impression of your worth matches the view of others (especially budget holders). From performing a number of performance reviews over the years, I know that a person's own perception of their work ability can vary widely from everyone else's view of them. Almost without exception they value themselves higher. This is dangerous for permies but can be fatal for a contractor who gets too ahead of himself.
In short, wait for the offer of renewal and push hard for a rise. Over many years I have been in similar situations and almost never managed to squeeze a decent rise (>10%) from an existing contract.

[malvolio]

OK, let's put it this way...

You ask me for a rise, I will ask what have you done over and above the job I pay you for?

You say you're doing higher level work, I'll ask you how much have you saved me?

You say you're doing the job very well, I'll say that's what I pay you for...

If I have to make a cost reduction to a live budget (or P&L) then I will look at lowering rates where I can. After 20 years in management I have yet to be in a position where I might want to make a cost increase.

You are an asset as long as you deliver what you need to deliver, and I will happily pay you the agreed rate as long as you do. But unless you add significant value to the deal, you are not worth a rise.

Understand?