Turning down a contract

[Mich the Tester]

Did you ask him why they had outsourced the software to India in the first place? What did he expect to happen?!

Yes; he's a contractor PM who's been brought in very recently to try and get this f**ked up project sorted out. One thing's for sure; it's costing them 3 times as much to build it in India as it would have cost in Holland. They're having to throw so much management time and extra testers at it, run 3*8 hour shifts per day, hire in some not very cheap Dutch contract developers, they've got loads of delays that prevent them selling some of their products; plenty cheapness is as usual bloody expensive.

Their permie test manager resigned after he complained of stress and refused when they asked him to work every weekend for the next 3 months. Now OK, stress to a permie is perhaps a different thing to stress for a contractor, but it doesn't sound like fun.

[ratewhore]

I've turned down loads of contracts (this was before the credit crunch mind).

It's not a big deal. Just say "no".

WHS

Whats the issue with turning it down? The agent will get a bit grumpy but tough testicles...

[Zippy]

Yes; he's a contractor PM who's been brought in very recently to try and get this f**ked up project sorted out. One thing's for sure; it's costing them 3 times as much to build it in India as it would have cost in Holland. They're having to throw so much management time and extra testers at it, run 3*8 hour shifts per day, hire in some not very cheap Dutch contract developers, they've got loads of delays that prevent them selling some of their products; plenty cheapness is as usual bloody expensive.

Their permie test manager resigned after he complained of stress and refused when they asked him to work every weekend for the next 3 months. Now OK, stress to a permie is perhaps a different thing to stress for a contractor, but it doesn't sound like fun.

OK, don't do it. They won't have proper requirements or acceptance criteria so can wriggle out of buggered up deliveries and charge more for the 'extra requirements' (i.e. what they should have delivered in the first place).
I agree with Mace - poor bloke. You've got to have elephant hide to survive that.

[alreadypacked]

Yes; he's a contractor PM who's been brought in very recently to try and get this f**ked up project sorted out.

Their permie test manager resigned after he complained of stress and refused when they asked him to work every weekend for the next 3 months. Now OK, stress to a permie is perhaps a different thing to stress for a contractor, but it doesn't sound like fun.

You need to arrange a rate per day for a fixed number of hours, then overtime for the rest. If you don't arrange this going in, you will not get it later.

Been on projects like this before, I suggest you set-up some proceses that can time-line progress and don't waste your time, like a build handover process, if the build does not pass the tests, it is rejected, vendor fails to deliver.

If you take it make sure you have a plan.

[Doggy Styles]

Mich, what are your prospects like elsewhere at the moment?

If good, turn it down. If not so good, before you turn it down remember it's money in the bank and none of the problems can be laid at your door.

[zamzummim]

You mentioned Holland, is the PM Dutch? If so, complaining is their culture, I was working on a project for a top investment bank in Amsterdam, every single meeting with top management will consist of a major moan session (usually the first half an hour of every meeting) this sounds consistent with what you describe. i.e. don’t take any notice of it, they just love to vent. If you have no other contract lined up, then accept and ensure you have a short notice period (e.g. 2 weeks) so you can leave it if it gets too much.

[alreadypacked]

Mich, what are your prospects like elsewhere at the moment?

If good, turn it down. If not so good, before you turn it down remember it's money in the bank and make sure none of the problems can be laid at your door.

[Mich the Tester]

Mich, what are your prospects like elsewhere at the moment?

If good, turn it down. If not so good, before you turn it down remember it's money in the bank and none of the problems can be laid at your door.

I'll wait; I've got another interview lined up for a GIS testing contract in a government office; not a brilliant rate, but close to home and plenty of chance to sleep half the day and still produce more work than the civil servants.

[RichardCranium]

"As a contractor I am only as good as my last reference. Having considered their situation, it is a guaranteed fail regardless of anything I might do. I do not need that in my career record. Thank you, but no thank you."


And, yes, I have turned down at least 3 contracts.

[expat]

What's the job title? "Scapegoat"?