----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Dahl " < jondahl @ gmail .com>
To: rails-business @ googlegroups .com
Sent: 13 June 2007 11:04:45 o'clock ( GMT-0500 ) America/ New_York
Subject: [ rails-business ] Re: Subcontracting

Lots of good advice on this already. So I'll just say this: if your rate is low, use this opportunity to bring it up to market levels.

And here's a story. I run a Rails contracting shop with several employees under me, and we usually contract directly with clients. We subcontracted on a project through a big consulting firm this winter, and worked on a gig for a well-funded startup . We got a rate that was about 25% lower than we normally charge. Then the startup ran out of money, and guess who took the hit? Not us. We got paid, since our contract was through the consulting firm. But the consulting firm lost quite a bit of money on the failed contract.

On 6/13/07, Michael Breen < hardbap @ gmail .com > wrote:

I have been approached by a big consulting company to work on a project for one of their clients. It's a cool project and I would really like to be involved. I would never be able to land this type of client/project on my own.

I don't know this for a fact but I have a good idea this consulting company charges an hourly rate 2-3 times my normal rate to their client (a Fortune 500 company). The consulting company has asked me for my hourly rate and I'm not sot sure how to respond.

Should I be grateful for the opportunity charge my normal rate and be done with it?

Should I ask the consulting company what they will be billing my services out at? Do I even have a right to ask?

Does anyone have any experience as a subcontractor?

Thanks for the help.
Mike

--
Myles A. Braithwaite
Monkey in your Soul - http :// miys .net/
myles @ monkeyinyoursoul .com