First Time Contractor Questions

[dagenheis]

@NorthernladUK: Nobody is saying that the dispensation scales should be abused. However, there is nothing wrong with getting tax relief on claiming "legitimate" expenses that must be supported with valid receipts. I wouldn't recommend anybody to mess around for few quids.

Ok guys, I am finally starting this weeks. Lets hope all goes well and I like this change in work life.
One question:
Do I need to sort out brolly set-up before I start or I can do that within first 2 weeks before my invoice is due?

I have found OrangeGenie quite professional and responsive. I have't found anything negative on the forums either. I may sign up with them. There is no tie-in, joining/exit fee, setup I would only pay when they receive an invoice (110 quid fixed fee from taxes). I hope i don't get surprises, but there is no other cost.

I also spoke to Contractor Umbrella with slightly lower charges (10 quid) than OrangeGenie. The Contractor Umbrella never sent me the personal illustration following the call though. I understand that more than one brolly may be offering the same level of service.

Cheers,

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

@NorthernladUK: Nobody is saying that the dispensation scales should be abused. However, there is nothing wrong with getting tax relief on claiming "legitimate" expenses that must be supported with valid receipts. I wouldn't recommend anybody to mess around for few quids.

Ok guys, I am finally starting this weeks. Lets hope all goes well and I like this change in work life.
One question:
Do I need to sort out brolly set-up before I start or I can do that within first 2 weeks before my invoice is due?

I have found OrangeGenie quite professional and responsive. I have't found anything negative on the forums either. I may sign up with them. There is no tie-in, joining/exit fee, setup I would only pay when they receive an invoice (110 quid fixed fee from taxes). I hope i don't get surprises, but there is no other cost.

I also spoke to Contractor Umbrella with slightly lower charges (10 quid) than OrangeGenie. The Contractor Umbrella never sent me the personal illustration following the call though. I understand that more than one brolly may be offering the same level of service.

Cheers,

Hi Dagenheis - would you be able to PM me with the details of your enquiry so that I can find out why you did not receive your personal illustration?

[dagenheis]

Dear all,
I am feeling frustrated as I received a call from the client that it will take them long to set-up a new supplier on their system and they won't be able to arrange hardware etc before I start this week. Now they want me to go through one of their agency

There is no effect on my rate etc, but I just did't want do go through an agency. When I spoke to the agency, I have been told about a selection of brollies as follows:

Conduit
Giant
Churchill Knight & Associates Ltd
However, the agency guy understands that it's my prerogative to choose whichever brolly I want to use for these services.
The whole thing just spolied my day as I was supposed to have a nice day off and these last minute issues keep popping up.

Couple of observations which would need your guidance/input:
1/ I think, I may end up going through the agency as I am now even getting a 2 weeks notice period(either party) in this contract. However, I am just dubios about one restriction in the contract that I must work with through the same agency for any future contracts with this client (12 month restriction). And there is another clause in the contract

"Neither the Contractor nor the Worker shall directly or indirectly supply its services within twelve months of the
conclusion of any Assignment to any Client, subsidiary or third party to whom the Worker has been assigned by the Client,
in respect of which an Assignment has been undertaken."

2. "The Company shall not be obliged to pay any fees to the Contractor unless a signed timesheet has been submitted by the Contractor in accordance with sub clause 4(a) or if the work to which the timesheet relates is in dispute."

If the timesheet has been signed by the client, I don't see a point of having any dispute for that timesheet. Am I being pedantic or it's just badly written clause?

3. What is optout form for the agency conduct? Are there any implications for the contractor if they opt-out? I guess, the simple thing would be to know the best approach in this case.

Many thanks.

[mudskipper]

If you search 'opt out', you'll find that in order to opt out you need to do so before being introduced to the client. In your case, it sounds like it's too late.

[Wanderer]

I am feeling frustrated as I received a call from the client that it will take them long to set-up a new supplier on their system and they won't be able to arrange hardware etc before I start this week. Now they want me to go through one of their agency

The whole thing just spolied my day as I was supposed to have a nice day off and these last minute issues keep popping up.

Yeah, that's the way it goes sometimes. I'm in the same situation, got a job direct, forced to use an agency which adds no value and just annoys everyone with their stupid tricks.

Welcome to contracting. You get this type of stuff from time to time (not often to be fair) and you've got to roll with it or go back to being a permie.

1/ "Neither the Contractor nor the Worker shall directly or indirectly supply its services within twelve months of the
conclusion of any Assignment to any Client, subsidiary or third party to whom the Worker has been assigned by the Client,
in respect of which an Assignment has been undertaken."

2. "The Company shall not be obliged to pay any fees to the Contractor unless a signed timesheet has been submitted by the Contractor in accordance with sub clause 4(a) or if the work to which the timesheet relates is in dispute."

If the timesheet has been signed by the client, I don't see a point of having any dispute for that timesheet. Am I being pedantic or it's just badly written clause?

3. What is optout form for the agency conduct? Are there any implications for the contractor if they opt-out? I guess, the simple thing would be to know the best approach in this case.

They try this stupid trick on with everyone. The Opt-Out mentioned in section 3 allows them to put the nasty restrictions in section 1 and 2 into your contract. DO NOT sign the opt out form, tell them that you will "do nothing" with regard to opt out. This will invalidate section 1 and 2, though they won't tell you that.

Show them the original contract offered by the company and tell them you want one IR35 proof like that one was. They then scream and wail and send "But that's our standard contact! EVERONE uses that one!". (bulltulip). They then give you another 100 page contract to review (but won't tell you what changed).

Stick with it, once it's setup you are OK and hopefully you are getting a decent rate to compensate you for all this messing about.

[northernladuk]

Dear all,
I am feeling frustrated as I received a call from the client that it will take them long to set-up a new supplier on their system and they won't be able to arrange hardware etc before I start this week. Now they want me to go through one of their agency

If this part of the process is getting you mad already you are in the wrong industry and need to go find a nice cushy permie role imo...

The whole thing just spolied my day as I was supposed to have a nice day off and these last minute issues keep popping up.

Ah diddums.

Couple of observations which would need your guidance/input:
1/ I think, I may end up going through the agency as I am now even getting a 2 weeks notice period(either party) in this contract. However, I am just dubios about one restriction in the contract that I must work with through the same agency for any future contracts with this client (12 month restriction). And there is another clause in the contract

"Neither the Contractor nor the Worker shall directly or indirectly supply its services within twelve months of the
conclusion of any Assignment to any Client, subsidiary or third party to whom the Worker has been assigned by the Client,
in respect of which an Assignment has been undertaken."

This is standard. 6 months is more normal,. Do some searching on here as this gets asked a lot and some of the others may have better wording you could put forward instead.

[quote]
2. "The Company shall not be obliged to pay any fees to the Contractor unless a signed timesheet has been submitted by the Contractor in accordance with sub clause 4(a) or if the work to which the timesheet relates is in dispute."

If the timesheet has been signed by the client, I don't see a point of having any dispute for that timesheet. Am I being pedantic or it's just badly written clause?

[quote]
You are being pedantic. Your boss might sign your timesheet for being in the office but what you deliver may look like it was done in half the time so they will query your time spent. Keep your nose clean and it wont be a problem.

If, by any chance, there is a step in the process of you getting a contract that you might actually have completed by yourself then feel free to tell us so we can see things are progressing....

[theroyale]

"Neither the Contractor nor the Worker shall directly or indirectly supply its services within twelve months of the
conclusion of any Assignment to any Client, subsidiary or third party to whom the Worker has been assigned by the Client,
in respect of which an Assignment has been undertaken."


2. "The Company shall not be obliged to pay any fees to the Contractor unless a signed timesheet has been submitted by the Contractor in accordance with sub clause 4(a) or if the work to which the timesheet relates is in dispute."

Both were on my contract, and bboth are standard clauses afaik.

[SueEllen]

As a business you can put anything you like in a business to business contract whether it's enforceable or not is up to a judge.