A word about contracting
Just as I was beginning to think the calls I had placed yesterday and this morning for my weekly column of real estate news in Business in Vancouver were being ignored, the phone rang. I answered, keen for an interview.
It wasn't a call being returned, however, but a request for some work to be done. The caller had seen my profile in the writers' listings of the Professional Writers Association of Canada and was curious to know if I could spare some time this week for a project. The job would require copyediting and arranging some meeting notes for a tax and estate planning firm; the timeline would be fairly tight. What were my rates?
Ah, the rate question! PWAC offers some sample rates here, and I'm also mindful of comments by Regent College professor (and National Post contributor) John Stackhouse regarding fair payment for speakers when answering such questions. Since most of my work is for trade and business media, I usually cite PWAC's rates when asked what I charge corporate clients. Scaling my rate to the actual project comes next, depending on the scope and amount of work required and the potential difficulties and rewards the project offers.
Upon asking how much I would have to organize and copyedit, I was told 15 pages. Or possibly 15 documents. The caller wasn't sure which. What shape were the notes in? That wasn't clear, either. I asked if it would it be possible to see the material and provide an estimate. It wasn't a favoured option, but the caller would check and call me back in a few minutes with more information. The deadline was Thursday, I was told, so someone was needed to handle the project quickly. Give me a better sense of what the job required, I said, and I would gladly do what I could to assist at an appropriate rate.
I still haven't heard back, and that might be a good thing. A potential client shouldn't offer work without giving the contractor a fair chance to value it accurately and competitively. Similarly, a contractor shouldn't accept work without knowing that the clients has agreed to pay the price -- whether set in advance or not. Both parties deserve to know the other's terms and be willing to disclose their own. It's everyone's best chance at a fair deal, and a good working relationship.
It wasn't a call being returned, however, but a request for some work to be done. The caller had seen my profile in the writers' listings of the Professional Writers Association of Canada and was curious to know if I could spare some time this week for a project. The job would require copyediting and arranging some meeting notes for a tax and estate planning firm; the timeline would be fairly tight. What were my rates?
Ah, the rate question! PWAC offers some sample rates here, and I'm also mindful of comments by Regent College professor (and National Post contributor) John Stackhouse regarding fair payment for speakers when answering such questions. Since most of my work is for trade and business media, I usually cite PWAC's rates when asked what I charge corporate clients. Scaling my rate to the actual project comes next, depending on the scope and amount of work required and the potential difficulties and rewards the project offers.
Upon asking how much I would have to organize and copyedit, I was told 15 pages. Or possibly 15 documents. The caller wasn't sure which. What shape were the notes in? That wasn't clear, either. I asked if it would it be possible to see the material and provide an estimate. It wasn't a favoured option, but the caller would check and call me back in a few minutes with more information. The deadline was Thursday, I was told, so someone was needed to handle the project quickly. Give me a better sense of what the job required, I said, and I would gladly do what I could to assist at an appropriate rate.
I still haven't heard back, and that might be a good thing. A potential client shouldn't offer work without giving the contractor a fair chance to value it accurately and competitively. Similarly, a contractor shouldn't accept work without knowing that the clients has agreed to pay the price -- whether set in advance or not. Both parties deserve to know the other's terms and be willing to disclose their own. It's everyone's best chance at a fair deal, and a good working relationship.
posted by Peter Mitham at 7:27 PM
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