Is this Contract Arrangement OK?

[istvan]

I just had an interview with an agent who in turn submitted my CV to the client, a consulting firm. The consulting firm does not have the expertise that their end client requires. So this is how the arrangement looks like:

Client
|
Consulting Firm
|
Contract Agency
|
Poor me (limited)

I never had a consulting company in the chain, so I would like to ask for your opinions. Anything that I should be aware of in this arrangement?

[stek]

Is this Contract Arrangement OK?

This is normal isn't it?

Last few roles for me have included Fujitsu, CAP, HP and IBM as the consulting firm for the end client.

[geoffreywhereveryoumaybe]

Not necessarilly normal but it has happened more often lately to me. Key difference is that the Consulting Firm see themselves as supplying a managed service to the end client rather than the relationship being Limited and Client hired through Contract Agency and you will have occasional Consulting Firm meetings to set their agendas. Other key difference is that Consulting Firm is charging the Client an exhorbitant rate because you are one of their specialists even though you don't work for them but are classed as an associate.

[northernladuk]

It's not an uncommon model. Just make sure you are not treated like a permie by either the client or the consultancy though so gotta work a bit harder on IR35

[SueEllen]

It's not an uncommon model. Just make sure you are not treated like a permie by either the client or the consultancy though so gotta work a bit harder on IR35

It only happens in the cases where the consultancy doesn't admit that you are not an employee from the beginning.

However you will find some people at ClientCo aren't thick and will soon work out by your behaviour that you are clearly not.

Also I've never been forced to go to consultancy meetings ever.

[tomtomagain]

It's a pretty standard arrangement when the consulting company has run out of bodies on the bench or if they lack a certain skill or experience level that is required by the end client.

Ask yourself why the consultancy needed to hire you rather than use on of their own staff? When you figure it out protect "it"!.

At the company I am at this situation happens all the time. The consultancies are always trying to "swap out" the contract staff for their own people.

[Scrag Meister]

Not an unusual structure.

Are you happy with the rate once it reaches you?

[kingcook]

I just had an interview with an agent who in turn submitted my CV to the client, a consulting firm. The consulting firm does not have the expertise that their end client requires. So this is how the arrangement looks like:

Client
|
Consulting Firm
|
Contract Agency
|
Poor me (limited)

I never had a consulting company in the chain, so I would like to ask for your opinions. Anything that I should be aware of in this arrangement?

I have done this. I sat alongside others of the consulting firm, at client site. They were an Indian consultancy, quite hard to communicate with. Things were OK after a short while when I started talking to the client directly

[istvan]

Ask yourself why the consultancy needed to hire you rather than use on of their own staff? When you figure it out protect "it"!.

At the company I am at this situation happens all the time. The consultancies are always trying to "swap out" the contract staff for their own people.

Thanks tomtomagain, good advise on protecting what they are bringing me in for. I will do my best, so I am not "swapped out".

The consultancy will probably charge somewhere between 1-2k to the client (it's only my guess). He said up to xxx, to which I said, I am fine with that. He then added that it is really between xxx-100 to xxx depending on how much the consultancy likes me. So, I added maybe xxx-50 would be the lowest, but let's see. I wanted to show some flexibility (maybe I should have flexed my flexibility muscle upwards ).

The role is a perfect fit, this is what I have worked on during my last contract. So I will not budge on the fee if the consultancy wants to bring me on board, after all if they want to bring me on board than they like me.

Anyway, let me not put the cart before the horse. I am not there yet. Last time a client changed the role 5 minutes before my interview, so crap can hit the fan again.