Has anyone been on a project where you knew the bill rate was really high but you only got a tiny piece of it (like paid $60/hr and billed out around $200)? Does anyone know of a company that pays consultants well – like 70-80% or more of what they’re getting?
Youre not going to get anywhere close to 80% for subcontracting work. The overheads, sales costs, relationship management, utilisation aspects etc all drive the fact that spending 80% to farm work out isnt going to stack up at all. I think you are also looking at things the wrong way; you should be deciding what your correct rates are for your experience/ qualifications/ skills and charge that. It really is of little concern of yours what the other side are charging the ultimate client. If you want to win clients that are willing to pay $200/hr then go directly for them.
Thanks for the advice. Of course, bigger companies have higher overheads and pay less but 20-30% seems REALLY low! Who gives the highest rates that you have seen? Not “out-of-the-garage†but a decent firm that just pays well.
It can be as much to do with the rarity/ fashionability of your skills as much as the company (though some do as standard pay higher than others). I personally am a PM rather than a developer and generally deal with Insurance based projects. At the moment if you can say you are able to lead Solvency II compliance projects (a new piece of EU legislation) then you can easily get 50% more pay and its going to be a 2 year contract.
Thanks again for the advice everyone… I’m looking at a couple of companies – Comsys and IQ Tech Pros – that look like they pay closer to the rates that I’m looking for. Has anyone worked with either of them?