>> Do you want to hire someone on an hourly rate? In that case the
>> consultant would want just that: his hourly rate and maybe some
>> interesting work during those hours.
>
> So you're saying consultants prefer to work on an hourly basis?  What 
> would he/she say if we asked them to analyze the project and come up with 
> a fixed dollar amount?  My concern is that if the consultant is not 
> working on our premises 100% of the time, we cannot verify the actual 
> number of hours worked.

Yes, a certain amount of trust is required.

>> If you want a job done on a fixed-price basis you will have to make
>> clear upfront what has to be done, down to the level where the
>> consultant can determine a price. This will most likely be much more
>> detailed than you expect. And when you change your specs during the run
>> don't be surprises when the bill expands.

And expect the fixed price to include an 'adder' to account for uncertainty 
over and above the consultants 'honest' estimate of the time required.

> If we were to write a complete Users Manual like Andrew Warren suggested, 
> would that be detailed enough, in your opinion?  What would be the best 
> contingency plan in case the specs have to be changed sometime during the 
> development process?

A user's manual is a great idea.

Changes are negotiated. This can be a simple addendum to the contract: user 
defines required change, consultant prices it, use accepts (or negotiates), 
addendum is added to contract.


Bob Ammerman
RAm Systems

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