Contract role to be outsourced - can I tender for it?

[Mordac]

The IT manager wants to use someone like IBM or Fujitsu - says they will be cheaper than using the agency.

To be honest, that's just laughable. IBM and Fujitsu would: 1) almost certainly not be interested in a tin-pot little 1-man deal, and 2) if they were, they'd cost the earth. To even make it worth their while they'd want at least a 6 figure profit over 5 years, so your IT manager is living on the wrong planet if he thinks he'd save any money by outsourcing to them.

I bet he hasn't even thought of the ramifications, anyway. Does he have any idea what his true costs are? He's probably looking at your monthly invoice and thinking you're a bit pricey.
It's worth you considering taking it on if you can make it work in conjunction with something else, say another local contract. That way if anything happens which you can't fix remotely, you can always pop down within the agreed SLA time (call it 4 hours, or lunchtime to be more precise )

You'd also need to look at (and look at getting) a decent outsourcing contract (it would run to several thousand pages) to make sure you're in control, not the client. Charge them your rate plus an admin percentage (100% seems reasonable - IBM's would be more like 500%).

It's not just replacing your arse. That's the easy bit. With any luck, you could suggest to the board that they outsource all the IT to you, and they can get rid of the idiot IT manager. That would be a tad ironic, don't you think?

[BoredBloke]

Have they told you how much they expect to pay the new company and what level of service they can expect.

[DodgyAgent]

To be honest, that's just laughable. IBM and Fujitsu would: 1) almost certainly not be interested in a tin-pot little 1-man deal, and 2) if they were, they'd cost the earth. To even make it worth their while they'd want at least a 6 figure profit over 5 years, so your IT manager is living on the wrong planet if he thinks he'd save any money by outsourcing to them.

I bet he hasn't even thought of the ramifications, anyway. Does he have any idea what his true costs are? He's probably looking at your monthly invoice and thinking you're a bit pricey.
It's worth you considering taking it on if you can make it work in conjunction with something else, say another local contract. That way if anything happens which you can't fix remotely, you can always pop down within the agreed SLA time (call it 4 hours, or lunchtime to be more precise )

You'd also need to look at (and look at getting) a decent outsourcing contract (it would run to several thousand pages) to make sure you're in control, not the client. Charge them your rate plus an admin percentage (100% seems reasonable - IBM's would be more like 500%).

It's not just replacing your arse. That's the easy bit. With any luck, you could suggest to the board that they outsource all the IT to you, and they can get rid of the idiot IT manager. That would be a tad ironic, don't you think?

Understand your customer. Why does he want to use IBM or Fujitsu? Simple answer is that he is covering his arse by using a big company. The cost issue is merely "spin" (If he says it, it must be true). The last thing he wants is a personal service from a contractor who may disappear after three months for a more lucrative offer elsewhere.

[Not So Wise]

The client does not have a clue what he is talking about. You know this and make this pretty clear in your first post.

Basiclly he has heard outsourceing is "the way to go" and by the looks of things will do it come hell or high water

Anyone with any experience knows consultancy will not be cheaper nor will it provide decent techical continuity (Place i am working at has been running a project with a consultancy for a year plus, 2 weeks before it goes live consultancy replaced the 2 principal tech leads with people who don't even know the technologys involved)

But while we might know this, by sounds of things trying to explain to client is like talking to a brick wall, if this is case give up

Which leaves with two choices

1) Draw up a list of consultances, aid in hand over and get out
2) Just get out now

Hard choice, with me personally though, i do not make "recomendations" like this unless i :
a) Know what doing/talking about (which in case of consultancys is universally "stay way")
b) Getting paid for this advice

[vetran]

PCWorld

Charge £35 an hour, if you are cheaper than that they are on a winner.

Big boys charge that for 15 minutes of a £20 an hour contractor. Everything that isn't in the contract is extra and nothing will be in the contract! Their sales team & lawyers are better than your PHB could ever hope to be.

[The Lone Gunman]

Make them an offer now. If they dont take it then walk away. If you can get another contract easy then you wont need a feferee.

Its nasty, but you dont want to be training the competition do you? Leave your name and number with a more senior manager so they can ring you when his empire collapses.