Going rates...? Software support

Bard

Again, I'm looking for the going rate for a particular field of work.

Someone I know has been asked to quote a company to give them software support for their network. They have about 5 PC's and a number of printers - all the PC's run Windows 2000 and Office XP, and it's all managed by a Windows 2000 Server machine with a number of mapped drives for users, etc. They also have a Microcache POS system installed on their network, for which support is already provided seperately.

It's a fairly simple setup and they want to get a quote for an annual charge. Hardware support is already in place, - they just need support for the software and O/S (and, in particular, the Internet and email)... nothing too taxing, in fairness

The guy doesn't work for an IT company but he knows computers and operating systems inside out. He'll only be able to provide the service to the company outside of normal office hours as he has a full time job himself... they understand this and have no problem with it (...company in question is a leisure complex, open early til late).

He just doesn't know what a fair price to quote is... anyone have any suggestions ?

amen

well the rate seems to be about E300 per full day
so I suppose thats 37.5 per hour

so how many hours a year does he think hes going to do ?

elexes

well he shouldnt reely have to do mutch work reely so say 300 per month for a max of 6-8hrs. after that its 30 euros a hr .

sounds like easy money if u ask me there wouldnt be to many things that could go wrong( if initaly set up correctly) .. and he wont have to be there that often .

Bard

ok, passed the messages on, and he went with the following and quoted them:

Option A : €350 per month (includes telephone support & 8 hrs. on site)
+ €50 per hour for any hours on site above 8 hours
Option B : €55 per hour for all hours on site, no telephone support included.

When I think about the rates I used to be hired out at to do on-site support for clients when I worked in a computer company a few years ago (and they were in pounds), it seems to me that he's giving them quite a good deal there.

John2002

A friend of mine has been charging a credit union that he's been doing some contract work for, €300 ph. He had to set up their whole network etc though for that.

Bard

Originally posted by John2002
A friend of mine has been charging a credit union that he's been doing some contract work for, €300 ph. He had to set up their whole network etc though for that.

300 ph? PH? per hour?

Surely you mean per day... ?

RainyDay

He needs to agree a very clear definition of his role with the client and confirm whether he's being paid on an hourly rate or at a fixed fee to meet specified service levels.

For example, if a Win2k virus is released next weekend and hits their system (through no direct fault of his own), is he going to be paid by the hour for his work to recover/repair, or will this be included in a flat fee.

I always get suspicious when somebody wants 'support for the Internet' - this can quickly turn into handholding, googling, upgrading machines so the boss can play his fave game or watch his fave porn etc etc. Which is fine if he's paid per hour, but not so fine if he's on a flat fee.

John2002

Originally posted by Bard
300 ph? PH? per hour?

Surely you mean per day... ?

Sorry, my mistake, €100 ph. I was getting confused with one occasion where he charged them for travelling too. He did an hours work, missed his train and had to wait for a couple of hours and then he billed them €300, which they paid.

elexes

know one guy with the same thing he ended up going to cork installing a floppy drive staying the night and charging the company 250 for the 5 mins it took to take off the case of the computer ... and then 100 for the room he stayed in that night

daveg

I provide IT support for a cybercafe/hostel and it would seem I'm grossly undercharging @ €18 PH and €25 PH (call out).

If anyone else provides hardware/software support can they post here to provide ammunition for my next contract renewal.

Bard

Originally posted by daveg
I provide IT support for a cybercafe/hostel and it would seem I'm grossly undercharging @ €18 PH and €25 PH (call out).

If anyone else provides hardware/software support can they post here to provide ammunition for my next contract renewal.

Quite clearly your rates could be multiplied by a factor of 3 or 4 (if you're any good, that is )

When I was working in a computer company 5 or so years ago, I was being hired out to client companies doing hardware, software and network support at a rate of IR £55.00 per hour, which was fairly standard fare at the time.

Typedef

I charge a flat rate of €30 per hour of setup for Linux/BSD firewall/servers. This is occasional contract work, so is 'not' regular income.

€40 per month remote system support

(increasing to €60 sometime in the next 12 months)


*and I require my rooms furnished with exotic ladies/vestal virgins

*negotiable


Aside: My employers (ie the ones who pay me to program) pay me to program with food only.... my bad, didn't negotiate my contract properly. Take my advice and don't take any shít when negotiating your contract

Yes I'm cheap, but, being cheap keeps me employed.

daveg

I fecked up because I know the owner of the premesis and arranged the contract (verbal) with him. I didn't want to screw him and It's is all paid under the counter....

however the knob who is running the place now is a wanker and is about to get a big shock as we are negotiating a new contract at the moment.

I'm a bit "soft" on the server side of things but everything else I'm pretty good at. God bless ghost and the images she has provided

BigEejit

We had a lad in from IBM one time (to do some work on the auld mainframe) ... the cost was £1500 per day .... heh .. the ****er did shag all

RainyDay

When I was working in a computer company 5 or so years ago, I was being hired out to client companies doing hardware, software and network support at a rate of IR £55.00 per hour, which was fairly standard fare at the time.

There is a big difference between what a client will pay to a company for this service, as opposed to paying an individual. If the client is contracting a company, they will expect a level of back-up service. If the technician is sick, they'll expect a replacement. If the technician is incompetent, they'll expect a replacement. They'll expect decent processes to be in place for call-outs, billing etc.

If they are dealing with one individual working on their own, they won't be expecting all these backup services and will not be prepared to pay the kind of rate that they would pay to a company.

Bard

No offense RainyDay, but that's "statin' the bleedin' obvious"...

and not that it matters, but in the company I'm referring to, I was, at the time, the only one who did hardware, software, network and Internet support for the clients. There were no replacements. There was me. They expected a good service and they got it.

RainyDay

Hi Bard - Likewise, no offence but...

You made a direct comparison between the rates paid to a contracting company and the rates paid to an individual. This was misleading - No purchaser of a support service would expect to pay comparable rates to company as they would pay to a one-man-band.

There is no implied judgement, positive or negative, on your abilities, skills or the service you provided. That's not really relevant here.

If your buddy goes in quoting 'corporate' rates, he'll be laughed out the door.

Bard

Originally posted by RainyDay
If your buddy goes in quoting 'corporate' rates, he'll be laughed out the door.

When I was doing it myself, FIVE YEARS ago it was £55 (approx. €70) per hour.

As rates increase annually, the going rate today at a 'corporate' level would be higher than that again.

He quoted €55 per hour.

Did he quote 'corporate' rates? You work it out.

Was his quote accepted? Why, yes, yes it was.

Typedef

Typedef : Will program/sysadmin for food.

RainyDay

Did he quote 'corporate' rates?

Nah - Looks like he pitched it at around 70%-75% of corporate rates. Glad to hear it worked out well in the end.

Cheers - RainyDay