Reply to: Turned up, budget not agreed

[xchaotic]

Welcome back.

... on the bench.

[TOSH1]

Welcome back.

????????

[MarillionFan]

i was in your position sort of. i went for an interview and then the second one with an immidiate start date and was told that i gat the job but the budgut had to be finalised. 2 months later and the budgut is still not finalised

Welcome back.

[TOSH1]

I signed a contract with an agent for a contract starting today. I turned up at the customer site, waited for half an hour in reception and then got a call from the agent saying that the customer had not yet agreed the budget and I might start next week instead. The customer contact knew I was there but did not speak to me. I turned down two other contracts starting today to take this one so I loose four days income. I'm not too impressed!

i was in your position sort of. i went for an interview and then the second one with an immidiate start date and was told that i got the job but the budgut had to be finalised. 2 months later and the budgut is still not finalised

[craig1]

That's not my idea of professional behaviour. I document as much as I can, recommend improvements to processes, hand-over lots of knowledge of the project and of the technologies used to the permanent developers etc. This demonstrates my knowledge and shows that I'm helpful and professional and gets me extended. As for permie politics? Yuk. That's one thing I became a contractor to avoid.

I usually agree entirely but if you're being stiffed then don't just bend over and take it.

If they present you with an unsigned contract which you sign and return then you present yourself for work, then I would proceed as if the contract had been accepted by the agency. Not returning a signed copy to you is a stupid agency trick to try and pull a fast one.

I don't think I would proceed without a signed contract. Aside from the legal liability issues of being on a client site without a signed contract, it wouldn take much for the agent to pull a fast one and say no contract was agreed. It does happen.

[javadude]

I'd recommend you ignore that and make yourself invaluable if you really want to get your money out of them. Document nothing in a place that they can access. Hold everything close in. Stall them if they start asking for handover meetings. Sell yourself blatantly to the highest ranking stakeholder you know and make it clear that you're being hampered in your job of doing the work you were contracted to do by bean counters. If you're good enough and play the permie politics well enough, you'll get an extension quite quickly. If they do kick you out and ask for transfer of documentation, you don't have it but would happily create it at a handsome daily rate. It's rarely worth playing permie politics but sometimes if you're being screwed you can easily run rings round those trying to stiff you.

That's not my idea of professional behaviour. I document as much as I can, recommend improvements to processes, hand-over lots of knowledge of the project and of the technologies used to the permanent developers etc. This demonstrates my knowledge and shows that I'm helpful and professional and gets me extended. As for permie politics? Yuk. That's one thing I became a contractor to avoid.

[Wanderer]

I'd signed the contract but not received a copy back signed by the agent. As the agent had not said that there was a problem I assumed that everything was ok and that the customer was just a bit slow with the paperwork (as they often are).

If they present you with an unsigned contract which you sign and return then you present yourself for work, then I would proceed as if the contract had been accepted by the agency. Not returning a signed copy to you is a stupid agency trick to try and pull a fast one.

[craig1]

Sadly not. I'd signed the contract but not received a copy back signed by the agent. As the agent had not said that there was a problem I assumed that everything was ok and that the customer was just a bit slow with the paperwork (as they often are).

Anyway... I just thought I'd add a bit of feedback on how it went.

Tuesday: Agent says that customer will sort out budget, purchase order etc by the end of the day and the agent will phone me back but doesn't.

Wednesday: Agent says that customer will sort out budget, purchase order etc by the end of the day and the agent will phone me back first thing the next day but doesn't.

Thursday: Agent says that customer will sort out budget, purchase order etc by the end of the day and the agent will phone me back. At this point my usually large supply of patience is exhausted. I pointed out that as I'd turned down two other contracts starting this week I'd lost 4 days income. Also as one offer was still available I was going to take it unless they did tie things up by the end of the day. This seemed to focus the mind of the customer and the budget, purchase etc was sorted out and I was told that they were signing contract with agent. I let plan B offer know that I was no longer available.

Friday: I get contract with revised start date for Monday but instead of a 3 month contract it's now just 2 months. Apparently they could only get agreement for a PO of that size at such short notice. Short notice?! It's been a month! Sigh. Oh well at least I have some income generating work starting from Monday. The contract sounds really interesting. I probably just need to camoflage myself as a potted plant and shuffle past reception to make sure I get in this time.

Normally, when I'm contracting, I like to leave when I'm getting bored which is usually when I've done the job I've been hired for. That means I don't dig my claws in and hang on to the bitter end like many others I know.

I'd recommend you ignore that and make yourself invaluable if you really want to get your money out of them. Document nothing in a place that they can access. Hold everything close in. Stall them if they start asking for handover meetings. Sell yourself blatantly to the highest ranking stakeholder you know and make it clear that you're being hampered in your job of doing the work you were contracted to do by bean counters. If you're good enough and play the permie politics well enough, you'll get an extension quite quickly. If they do kick you out and ask for transfer of documentation, you don't have it but would happily create it at a handsome daily rate. It's rarely worth playing permie politics but sometimes if you're being screwed you can easily run rings round those trying to stiff you.

[javadude]

The agent has given you a signed contract.

Sadly not. I'd signed the contract but not received a copy back signed by the agent. As the agent had not said that there was a problem I assumed that everything was ok and that the customer was just a bit slow with the paperwork (as they often are).

Anyway... I just thought I'd add a bit of feedback on how it went.

Tuesday: Agent says that customer will sort out budget, purchase order etc by the end of the day and the agent will phone me back but doesn't.

Wednesday: Agent says that customer will sort out budget, purchase order etc by the end of the day and the agent will phone me back first thing the next day but doesn't.

Thursday: Agent says that customer will sort out budget, purchase order etc by the end of the day and the agent will phone me back. At this point my usually large supply of patience is exhausted. I pointed out that as I'd turned down two other contracts starting this week I'd lost 4 days income. Also as one offer was still available I was going to take it unless they did tie things up by the end of the day. This seemed to focus the mind of the customer and the budget, purchase etc was sorted out and I was told that they were signing contract with agent. I let plan B offer know that I was no longer available.

Friday: I get contract with revised start date for Monday but instead of a 3 month contract it's now just 2 months. Apparently they could only get agreement for a PO of that size at such short notice. Short notice?! It's been a month! Sigh. Oh well at least I have some income generating work starting from Monday. The contract sounds really interesting. I probably just need to camoflage myself as a potted plant and shuffle past reception to make sure I get in this time.

I think there's some pretty mixed advice here.

The agent has given you a signed contract. If they have done that they can only (or should) have done so with a signed back to back contract and/or purchase order from the client.

If the agent gave you approval to be onsite that day, then the contract is binding and you should invoice. Its the agent's problem to bottom that out with their client. If they don't, report them to the REC because that's gross misconduct bordering on misrepresentation - and at law its illegal.

You won't stomp out stupid or reckless behaviour if you simply tolerate rubbish agent practices like this. Too many agents don't manage the client properly and its the poor old contractor that ends up screwed over but in any other commercial environment this wouldn't be tolerated.

Invoice the agent, find another gig and put this agent on your 'no way would I do business with them' list. Just absolute rubbish.

[Wanderer]

I'd be checking that contract and telling the agent that you're invoicing them anyway. You've spent out to get there and you're contract is with the agency.

Absolutely! Hey, they might even pay up too..

[BolshieBastard]

It happens. Be prepared for it to go belly up though. Wouldn't be the first time someone has been messed about like this and then the whole contract get's canned.

Generally people just have to take this on the chin, you are paid to do work, if there is no work there is no pay but there have been a few instances on here where people have argued with their agent and got themselves paid for the delay. Could be worth trying it with them but until you have yourself a place I wouldn't ruffle too many feathers. If they are unsure what to do and then you steam in with demands it may tip the balance the wrong way.

agreed. Once it starts this badly, it hardly ever ecovers.

I'd look for something else and play very hard ball with agent \ client if they did eventually come back wanting me to start.

[Jubber]

Bad start to the year and sorry to hear it.
If you have a plan B I'd take it as the customer contact didn't have the courtesy to speak to you, despite knowing you were there. What do you think they'd be like to work with?

Indeed.

[jmo21]

At the best of times it can take ages to get budgets agreed, POs raised etc although some companies are better than others. Given there could still be people on leave and the agency haven't signed the contract, i'd be off to that other opportunity unless you can get something concrete in writing today.

WHS!

People mau still be off til Monday, maybe take a day or so to remember what they were doing before the hols, maybe another couple of days to arrange a meeting to discuss the budget etc etc