[consulting] Lowball offers

[netsperience]

  John Saward,

All my interactions with Aussies have been very reasonable and human. I 
volunteered to help finish a (Joomla) site for an Australian NGO 
http://worldpromise.org - Why? because they asked nicely and the scope 
was well defined and rather limited. They in return provided a page to 
thank me (and others) who helped them.

> I for one would be very open to joining in an audit/reporting/learning 
> process on this particular job.

An audit/study would be interesting and valuable, but I think the OP has 
either found a resource, or he has left this discussion because of the 
initial vicious attacks. For me, every project is different, with its 
own challenges and successes. Last year I presented a case study at the 
NYC DUG about a particularly challenging project with many obstacles 
introduced by the client/team I was working with. Yes, I delivered it, 
and on time, but it was a struggle. I also have a short list of 
disasters and rip off artists, but that happens in any business, not 
just web dev.

"Scope Creep" is often the culprit, with the client requesting more and 
more features then refusing to pay for them. Scope Creep happens most 
often with an individual client who is not tech-savvy, less often when 
working for a structured and experienced company. Sometimes it is the 
client's plan, to pitch a project as an easy hit-and-run, then once the 
consultant is invested, see how much can be squeezed and wrung out of 
the original budget. I, for one, have no problem walking away from such 
a client, or selling an unpaid app I have created to another customer.

We Drupal consultants are fortunate that demand for our services 
outstrips the supply of qualified people (for now, at least). Therefore 
we can often find work at a wage we desire. The rates may skew depending 
on the location and expectations of the consultant; I remain convinced 
that "offshore" consultants who choose to work at less than top rates do 
so as a business model and an entry into the marketplace. Also because 
they can afford to do so, an option I could not choose because I am in 
the US with a higher cost of living.

Randall Goya (decibel.places)
http://netsperience.org
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