Reply to: Rate Auction?

[BolshieBastard]

Just an update - got the contract at bid + £1 rate

Well done. But I wont work for £151 a day

[AndyGB]

Just an update - got the contract at bid + £1 rate

[TheFaQQer]

I know what I'm worth. They pay it or they don't.

Sometimes there's a big difference between what people are actually worth, what people think they are worth, and what the client thinks they are worth.

Only once have I been bartered down on price - I knocked £10 a day off to land a gig for a year, and to get me below an approval threshold. This gig, the team lead told me the maximum that they could authorise without needing to get board level approval, so we agreed on that

[kingcook]

I've just been put forward for a role with Experis/CapGemini and they use a dutch auction of sorts. I agreed with the agent the rate I wanted to be put forward at, but also had to register a 'bid' on a website. But that had to be lower than any existing bid, luckily there was only one other bid, which was the same as my rate, so I put it in at just £1 lower.

Also sent a note to the agency to point out that my expected rate was the bid rate + £1 !

We should all make a pact here and now to put a stop to this tulipe.

Everyone bid as low as possible, and fail to turn up on day 1

[cojak]

Rate Auction?

I know what I'm worth. They pay it or they don't.

[snarfblat]

The how low can you go game just cheapens the entire process. We aren't printers, desks, cucumbers, or coffee machines.

You know those freelance sites that start off a decent rate and the next day you see bids from other countries for ridiculous amounts like $1USD an hour or less. Why bother.

[AndyGB]

I've just been put forward for a role with Experis/CapGemini and they use a dutch auction of sorts. I agreed with the agent the rate I wanted to be put forward at, but also had to register a 'bid' on a website. But that had to be lower than any existing bid, luckily there was only one other bid, which was the same as my rate, so I put it in at just £1 lower.

Also sent a note to the agency to point out that my expected rate was the bid rate + £1 !

[northernladuk]

Almost... they pay peanuts, not real money.

Which kinda speaks volumes about the whole idea..

[Pondlife]

This model only works if you're a football star or a celeb. That is, the agent works for you and represents you.

In the contractor model the agent works for the client to find the required "talent"

[kingcook]

Erm... isn't this the peopleperhour et al model?

Almost... they pay peanuts, not real money.

[northernladuk]

Erm... isn't this the peopleperhour et al model?

[kingcook]

Folks, I think there may have been a bit of a misunderstanding here.

The point of the auction wouldn't be for me to bid lower, my suggestion was that the bidders would be the agents. The idea was that whichever agent was prepared to bid the *most* for my services would be the one whose offer I would accept (subject to contact, naturally).

I can't see how that would work.

Normally a client will engage with an agent and say "I need a contractor to work on project X". So the client/agent are shopping around to get the best deal. There are plenty of contractors out there. It would be pretty daft if they went shopping around looking for the most expensive deal. (Buyer's market?)

It could work if you have a very very niche skill, so unique that practically no one else does it, and your skill is in high demand. Only then would you get clients/agents competing against each other to hire you. (Seller's market?)

[jmo21]

TBH, are clients really willing to lose a good contractor for the sake of saving £10-£20 a day? I don't think many are - you already cost hundreds. You are what you are at the end of the day - take it or leave it.

Maybe not, but agents are happy to put anyone in at the margin that suits them.

They don't care if you are the best, if they can pay someone less.

This is of course a short term view and does everyone a disservice.

[BHicks]

Don't bid lower - only the man in the middle (agent & client) knows the rules of the game and the players involved.

Folks, I think there may have been a bit of a misunderstanding here.

The point of the auction wouldn't be for me to bid lower, my suggestion was that the bidders would be the agents. The idea was that whichever agent was prepared to bid the *most* for my services would be the one whose offer I would accept (subject to contact, naturally).

[Anubis]

Don't bid lower - only the man in the middle (agent & client) knows the rules of the game and the players involved.

Don't make things more messy than they need to be. Your services cost X and if they want you then they have to pay X - the end. See yourself as a product - not all products are the same but if your confident in its ability then someone will eventually pay for it.

If you don't get it, so what? There are other roles out there and so long as you've priced yourself fairly then don't worry about it.

TBH, are clients really willing to lose a good contractor for the sake of saving £10-£20 a day? I don't think many are - you already cost hundreds. You are what you are at the end of the day - take it or leave it.