can you haggle contract rates

[css_jay99]

I am new to IT contracting and would like to know is haggling rates with agencies is a good Idea.

I used to contract 12 years ago(previous life as an accountant) and back them you had negotiate with agencies bcos if you pitch too low, they keep the difference. They were sneaky slime cheats . Well I dont think much has changed since then !. Hays & Reed Accountancy were good at this

Should I take advertised contract rates as fixed or can I haggle.

Since they generally get commission for clients, Do they still try to pay you less than the cleint is offering ?.

If this kind of doggy dog world still exist, please Can i know which agencies have still engaging in such practices ?


cheers

[AlfredJPruffock]

I am new to IT contracting and would like to know is haggling rates with agencies is a good Idea.

I used to contract 12 years ago(previous life as an accountant) and back them you had negotiate with agencies bcos if you pitch too low, they keep the difference. They were sneaky slime cheats . Well I dont think much has changed since then !. Hays & Reed Accountancy were good at this

Should I take advertised contract rates as fixed or can I haggle.

Since they generally get commission for clients, Do they still try to pay you less than the cleint is offering ?.

If this kind of doggy dog world still exist, please Can i know which agencies have still engaging in such practices ?


cheers

Best just to accept what is offered and be thankful you have a job.

[sasguru]

If this kind of doggy dog world still exist,
cheers

No. we have finally come to a world where peace and harmony reign and angels sing you to sleep, where the wolf and the lamb lie together and Hector is no more.

[ladymuck]

No. we have finally come to a world where peace and harmony reign and angels sing you to sleep, where the wolf and the lamb lie together and Hector is no more.

Can I have some of whatever it is you're on? Sounds like some good sh*t!

[BlasterBates]

Generally market rates means crap, excellent means slightly better and the really good rates are advertised explicitly in huge bold font.

Generally even before the agent puts you forward he'll ask you what your looking for, this is where you'll see your worth. If they think its too high they'll then try and knock you down eg "is it negotiable". So if you really want a certain rate you state it up front and say that would be your lowest rate.

[css_jay99]

I question still remains,

If you pitch low, do they try and take the rest.

Example, say you told the agency you want £450 per day
And the agency agrees with the Client on £550

Would the agency gent back to you with good news saying they negotiated £550 or do they just pocket the extra £100 ! ?

css_jay99

[AlfredJPruffock]

I question still remains,

If you pitch low, do they try and take the rest.

Example, say you told the agency you want £450 per day
And the agency agrees with the Client on £550

Would the agency gent back to you with good news saying they negotiated £550 or do they just pocket the extra £100 ! ?

css_jay99

Honour and Money do not belong in the same purse

Old Spannish Proverb

[bridder]

Generally even before the agent puts you forward he'll ask you what your looking for, this is where you'll see your worth.

This I think is spot on, and I'd also say yes you can haggle but it depends on the situation, I actually had the agent haggle me up because I considered the rate and the distance to travel not quite right so was going to leave it, I was then told it was negotiable, I got an extra £2 per hour, then when I found out I was going to have to park in a multi storey car park at £5 per day I told them it would cost them an extra £1 per hour, this they didn't like!

so I dug my heels in and said forget it then, five minutes later they were back on the phone and giving me my £1 per hour extra

J.

[thunderlizard]

Yes, you can haggle. I say haggle, but as the supplier you should be setting the price anyway.
A lot of agents will still take as much as they can, but the business has been institutionalised over the years, especially with big clients, and a lot more of them are on fixed margins these days. (though even the ones that aren't on fixed margins will tell you that they are).

[ratewhore]

Know your rate - that's what it comes down to in the end. Unless your back is against the wall (i.e. you desperately need the gig) tell the pimp the rate you want then when they ask the lowest rate you would go to, give them the same rate again. I've told pimps before that the rate was too low for the role and have upped the rate by 30% (£450/day for a sec arch, cheeky feckers). It doesn't take long for them to get back to you if they need you. Of course, sometimes you'll never hear from them again but that's the nature of the game...