Contract extensions - which notice do companies normally give?

[psychocandy]

Depends. Had one client where more than 2 hours before end of Friday was good. Couple of times I had frantic phone calls on Friday evening trying to sort it all out. Once or twice it even ran into monday and they were even more frantic when I didnt show up.

This was despite me warning them two weeks before, one week before, two days before, one day before, rejecting meeting requests etc.

[Old Greg]

Depends. Had one client where more than 2 hours before end of Friday was good. Couple of times I had frantic phone calls on Friday evening trying to sort it all out. Once or twice it even ran into monday and they were even more frantic when I didnt show up.

This was despite me warning them two weeks before, one week before, two days before, one day before, rejecting meeting requests etc.

I wouldn't reject a meeting request as I want to be in their diary. I always accept tentatively with an appropriate comment referencing the extension.

[GillsMan]

So here's what I did, when this came up early on in my contracting career:

I assumed the work was until the end of the contract unless otherwise advised (tbf, I worked towards doing handovers/knowledge transfers towards the end of my contractual period). I wouldn't mention anything to the client. Usually, I would know about an extension 3-4 weeks in advance.

When I had a client who started discussions in the final week, I advised that I had agreed to do a "little bit of work for another client", but that I could provide services around my other commitments. And thus began my transition from a bum-on-a-seat contractor to a company director with multiple clients.

I'm not saying this is the best approach, because you have to be careful not to leave your original client in the tulip. And I'll be honest and say that I've been lucky with a number of large clients who have been OK with me having multiple clients and coming and going as I please, so agreeing extensions to fit around other clients has always been OK.

[DirtyDog]

I've also worked "at risk" for this client - two weeks of being told that the extension was in the pipeline and was waiting final sign-off, so I kept working. I had nothing else to go to, and was working from home, so if the extension hadn't come off I'd have lost nothing really. The delay was mainly down to management trying to work out what I did...

[SuPaStA]

Current client told me 3 weeks into a 6 month contract they want to extend. Others have been a few days before the end of the contract.

[Old Greg]

I've also worked "at risk" for this client - two weeks of being told that the extension was in the pipeline and was waiting final sign-off, so I kept working. I had nothing else to go to, and was working from home, so if the extension hadn't come off I'd have lost nothing really. The delay was mainly down to management trying to work out what I did...

I have worked at risk with clients I know very well.

[Scrag Meister]

It varies an awful lot.

Some have waited until a few days before the end of the contract to renew.

Current ClientCo has been a minimum of 4 weeks prior to the end for each of the 3 renewals I have had, the most punctual I have known.

Had a meeting the other day and was told that they would confirm there plans re renewal by 1st Feb, 6 weeks ahead of contract end.

Looking very likely at the moment.