Expert advice on how to strike a fair deal and command a fair price. The Contract and Fee-Setting Guide for Consultants & Professionals No matter how knowledgeable you are in your field..No matter how great your track record..No matter how expert your advice or impressive your credentials . you jeopardize your client base if you do not instill every phase of your practice with a consummate professionalism. And for sharp clients, the first clear signs of such a savvy professionalism are the ability to set fees at a fair market price and offer neat, straightforward contracts with clearly delineated terms. This book teaches you, in a few days, what it traditionally took people half a lifetime to learn through trial and error. In writing it, the author drew on his more than twenty years as a business consultant, lecturer, and author to offer you tips on how to ask for and get the fees you deserve and to establish contract terms that are in the best interests of you and your clients. Throughout he shares his insider's expertise on: * Determining market value for your services * Establishing per diem or per-project rates and calculating overhead * Advantages and disadvantages of various systems of fee-setting and billing * Six major goals of every contract * Negotiating the contract and avoiding legal pitfalls

Provides advice on starting a consulting business covering such topics as ethics, data gathering, multiple-income stream strategy, professionalism, marketing, and fee structures.

The 2018 edition of this guide explains how to use, understand and get the most out of the RIBA Professional Services Contracts, which have been updated from the RIBA Agreements 2010 (and 2012 revision). With guidance on how to choose, prepare and complete the right contract, it is an essential companion for anyone using these industry-standard forms. The guide is written for architects and consultants to help practitioners develop a greater understanding of the role and responsibility of each party to the agreement.

Currently in its third edition, the NEC suite has become one of the UK’s leading families of standard forms of contract for major construction and civil engineering projects. Part of the NEC suite, the Professional Services Contract (PSC) was drafted with the same process-based approach and objectives, offering a standard contract for the appointment of consultants providing professional services in an engineering or construction project. Embodying best practice in terms of project management, the basic philosophy of the PSC differs from the principles and approach of other standard contracts used to appoint consultants. This book is a practical guide to the application of the PSC. Starting with a brief discussion of the background and philosophy behind the PSC, it identifies the roles and responsibilities of each of the named functions within the contract, explains the approaches required to achieve a successful working relationship between all parties, and examines all the procedures in the PSC. The book explains the links between the various sections of the contract to assist the reader with cross referencing, and covers all the variations created by the Main and Secondary Options. As a very practical guide it will aid users in the transition from their use and understanding of the other standard contracts to the collaborative project management-based approach of the PSC. Written for anyone working in the construction and related industries using the PSC to procure or provide consultancy services in relation to a construction project, it will be of interest to the complete construction supply chain, particularly architects, structural engineers, services (M&E) engineers, civil engineers, quantity surveyors and interior designers, together with Contractors and Sub-Contractors who have a design liability and employ consultants to assist them. It will also be of interest to consultants and lawyers advising any of these parties, either in the preparation of contract documentation or the resolution of problem situations which may arise.

Practical advice from Marsha D. Lewin On success as a consultant "Over these decades of consulting, the most successful consultants I've known were self-starters whose enthusiasm, individualism, and drive did not blend with big business norms. They saw a problem,identified what needed to be done, and went on to solve it. They didn't wait for committees to pass on the idea and to run it up the corporate ladder for serial approval." On surviving in a cyclical economy "Plan ahead for the inevitable downturn in the economy. That's clearly the way to be in the best position to be able to endure the hard times. . . . The down cycle may not be accommodating enough, however, to hit us after we've put away all the money we had planned on and will need for the future. That's why advance planning strategies must be supplemented by strategies to cope with an existing economic peril. And, once you've made it through the dangerous times, you'll want to evaluate your situation to ensure that you adjust your strategies from survival mode to those that enable you to plan ahead until the next threat." On strategy "Strategies are fundamental mental and emotional underclothes visible only to you and yours. . . . Our strategic plan is the mooring, the underpinning that we use as our target for the tactics with which we deal in our daily lives." On controlling expenses "I emphasize reviewing your expenses periodically becausesituations change, and pricing of various options changes as well. If you make decisions on a never-again basis, you might find you are paying way too much for the basic services and you are merely causing yourself to work harder to stay in the same place." —from The Consultant's Survival Guide When businesses, government agencies, and other organizations are faced with problems they can't solve on their own, they turn to you, the management consultant, for expertise, perspective, and rational solutions. But what happens when your business is threatened by forces you can't control? Who helps you put your problems in perspective, analyze your situation, and find a remedy? Is there a consultant's consultant? There is now! In her thirty years as a management consultant, Marsha D. Lewin hasseen it all--the booms, the busts, the endless uncertainties. She knows that some consultants ride out the tough times with relative ease, while others, equally talented, are quickly overwhelmed. In The Consultant's Survival Guide she reveals 14 strategies that will keep your consulting practice going through good times and bad, and she offers specific tactics you can use to make sure your strategies succeed. You'll learn how to: Cut expenses in hard times without undercutting the quality ofyour services Keep your fees up and your clients smiling Avoid giving away the store when writing a proposal Ensure that your work produces a tangible result for clients Use downtime to build up your business Expand the geographical perimeters of your client base Market your services without spending a dime Develop and maintain a reputation as a competent, conscientious, reliable consultant Many of the strategies and tactics you'll discover in this book will help boost your profits in any business climate. Others arerules to live by that should influence every action of your professional life. All are practical steps that you can implementeasily to make your practice stronger, more profitable, and morefit for survival--starting today!

A manual for researchers writers, editors, lecturers, and Librarians.