Staying in the same public sector contract after April 2017

[MrMarkyMark]

As my user name suggests, I'm not an IT contractor. I've contracted in the public sector in varioas us roles and organisations via Ltd company for 4 years.

Current role looks likely to be deemed as inside by incompetent HR people who haven't yet run the tool but have stated as I'm backfilling a permanent role while the post holder is on temporary promotion, this automatically means I'm in. Both the framework I'm called off through, and my ltd company contract with the agency have all the relevant RoS clauses etc, but in practice this has never been tested by a user of the framework, to my knowledge.

I'm finishing up on 31st March and as my current PSO has 8 unfilled vacancies for the same role I do, there will be no one else left to do the specialist work.

Anyway, my question for you lovely and knowledgeable people.......do you think it's worth a punt as specialist buyer of amongst other things, ICT contracts, trying to get on to Gcloud or Digital Outcomes? Cuts out the agencies and allows me to deal directly with a PSO? Or is the looming deadline making me clutch at straws?

Yup has always been the case.

[northernladuk]

Current role looks likely to be deemed as inside by incompetent HR people who haven't yet run the tool but have stated as I'm backfilling a permanent role while the post holder is on temporary promotion, this automatically means I'm in. Both the framework I'm called off through, and my ltd company contract with the agency have all the relevant RoS clauses etc, but in practice this has never been tested by a user of the framework, to my knowledge.

I'd say they aren't as incompetent as you make out TBH. Permies and temps backfill generally.

I'm finishing up on 31st March and as my current PSO has 8 unfilled vacancies for the same role I do, there will be no one else left to do the specialist work.

Vacancies? Your role? Isn't sounding very good.

Anyway, my question for you lovely and knowledgeable people.......do you think it's worth a punt as specialist buyer of amongst other things, ICT contracts, trying to get on to Gcloud or Digital Outcomes? Cuts out the agencies and allows me to deal directly with a PSO? Or is the looming deadline making me clutch at straws?

GCloud is for cloud service offerings so would say no. Not sure a buyer is a Digital Outcome but you'd have to have a look at what type of roles are going on there. We are (in the majority) IT people here so won't have much of an idea about buyers. I'd say your last line covers it pretty well.

Sorry

[gables]

I'd say they aren't as incompetent as you make out TBH. Permies and temps backfill generally.



Vacancies? Your role? Isn't sounding very good.



GCloud is for cloud service offerings so would say no. Not sure a buyer is a Digital Outcome but you'd have to have a look at what type of roles are going on there. We are (in the majority) IT people here so won't have much of an idea about buyers. I'd say your last line covers it pretty well.

Sorry

Digital outcomes and specialists 2 is now closed.

[philo]

I've posted in another thread that I've been offered a new contract at another Public Sector org but inside IR35.

My current contract - up at end of March and payment guaranteed by 5th April - but have been offered an Outside IR35 extenstion\new contract now and the contract itself has been approved\checked by QDOS

I'm 95% sure that walking away is the best option after being in various contracts over the last 2.5 years at the same organisaiotn and through the same agency which wouldn't break. Especially with a new contract in the offering even tho in real teams I'd probably be 15% worse off in new contract rather than this one even tho the day rate is better.

I'm not one for burying head in sand and chancing staying on in hope its never going to get looked into - just have a nagging doubt that with much fewer outside ir35 contracts in public sector HMRC might have more time to check them out - and previous ones.

At same time don't want to cut my nose of to spite my face! Giving me a headache now!

[maxm]

I am in the similar situation, I have left my previous gig and found another project. Now my old client wants to bring me back with Outside contract.

[northernladuk]

I've posted in another thread that I've been offered a new contract at another Public Sector org but inside IR35.

My current contract - up at end of March and payment guaranteed by 5th April - but have been offered an Outside IR35 extenstion\new contract now and the contract itself has been approved\checked by QDOS

I'm 95% sure that walking away is the best option after being in various contracts over the last 2.5 years at the same organisaiotn and through the same agency which wouldn't break. Especially with a new contract in the offering even tho in real teams I'd probably be 15% worse off in new contract rather than this one even tho the day rate is better.

I'm not one for burying head in sand and chancing staying on in hope its never going to get looked into - just have a nagging doubt that with much fewer outside ir35 contracts in public sector HMRC might have more time to check them out - and previous ones.

At same time don't want to cut my nose of to spite my face! Giving me a headache now!

No headache there. It's blindingly obvious in my book. A gig that long? Time to move on. It's only a 15% worse off for one gig and the retrospective element disappears. No brainer.

[philo]

No headache there. It's blindingly obvious in my book. A gig that long? Time to move on. It's only a 15% worse off for one gig and the retrospective element disappears. No brainer.

Yea thats what I'm thinking - just the company are only doing this for a handful of contractors who are genuinely outside and they all seem to be chomping at the bit to stay on.

Maybe I'm either more clued up or less of risk taker.

[philo]

I am in the similar situation, I have left my previous gig and found another project. Now my old client wants to bring me back with Outside contract.

Its possible that in the next 6 months another opportunity comes up at my current org - do people think going back after 6 months elsewhere or 3 months elsewhere and 3 months off and then going back outside or inside could lead to retro grabs? Or are you best not going back to previous contract orgs?

[SueEllen]

Its possible that in the next 6 months another opportunity comes up at my current org - do people think going back after 6 months elsewhere or 3 months elsewhere and 3 months off and then going back outside or inside could lead to retro grabs? Or are you best not going back to previous contract orgs?

You want as long break between the gig as possible.

Remember people go on secondment and on holidays for 3 to 6 months.

[Manwell Pablo]

Its possible that in the next 6 months another opportunity comes up at my current org - do people think going back after 6 months elsewhere or 3 months elsewhere and 3 months off and then going back outside or inside could lead to retro grabs? Or are you best not going back to previous contract orgs?

That kind of question is best off answered at the time, I think. Nobody knows exactly how hard HMRC are going to go with investigations, or if they are going to even increase the amount they do at all. This could just be a way to make money going forward, although knowing what we know it seems unlikely but nobody does actually know for sure.

I'd say take your inside offer if it's only 15% work it safe in the knowledge you're pretty safe from investigation and then see where we are in a few months time. I'm sure things will be a lot clearer in 2, maybe even 1 months time.

I've been seen as in and will be beginning to look for other opportunities next week. I'll be finishing on 31st with final pay on April 5th here, the stupid thing is I think they could easily alter the contract to get me outside as the reality of the role isn't really what's written down by I think they're as scared about what is going to happen as we are. The guy I am producing the work for said HR were worried about trust wide audits into all of their operations if they were found to be declaring an inside worker outside.