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Thread: HOW TO BID ON A CONTRACT
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 5
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admin
Advanced Member Joined: Jun 14, 2003 Post Count: 2933 Status: Offline |
HOW TO BID ON A CONTRACT First thing you need to do is get a feel for how long it takes you to build websites. Keep accurate timesheets while you work, even on your own project sites. Then armed with this knowledge, you can calculate your time to build a site. Having said that, remember these key points: 1. Try to get a feel for the client - will they be picky bastards and try to micro-manage you, constantly asking for changes? If this is the case, you have to charge more. Remember that your time in meetings, doing revisions and taking calls is part of the job. Many people new to web design only count their time behind the monitor - this is a recipe for poverty. 2. One page or ten pages - it still takes the same time to create a look. I have had some debates about this; some of my web design buddies charge a flat fee for a site plus extra cash per page and per extra feature like a Flash movie or server side scripting. Some will charge $1000 base + $250 per page. While other I know will charge $2500 USD to start with up to 5 pages then charges extra per page. They both get work - it is all in the selling. Another approach is to just calculate your time and charge by the hour. 3. Projects always take longer than you thought. This is an old rule in project management that is time tested. Make your best calculations and then multiply that number by 2.4 and you get your real time to complete the project! So if you calculate 30 hrs, then count on 60. I would take the happy medium in my day. 4. Beginners are slower and will make less. When I first started building websites my skills were raw - I could get the job done but the resulting website was not nearly as good as what I can do today, and it took me much longer. At the end of day, the reality is that junior web designers need practice and ultimately should expect to make less for their time until their skills mature.� How can you tell when your skills are mature: Just look on the web and compare your work to other web design companies - not hobbyist sites. Today my public web design work�is minimalistic in nature�- I want them to be as simple as possible. Why? Because my websites are text-heavy informational websites. This brings me to my last point: 5. Design for the client not the technology! When building your websites, try not to get caught up with the technology � ex: don't find a way to use Flash. Instead you should only use it because it makes sense to. At the end of the day fast loading, easy to navigate web sites with good content will beat the hell out of slow-to-download multi-media rich websites that people can't make any sense of! ---------------------------------------- Stefan Mischook Video Tutorial Store | Web Templates |
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capmexbiz
Advanced Member Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Post Count: 113 Status: Offline |
1. Try to get a feel for the client - will they be picky bastards and try to micro-manage you, constantly asking for changes? I have met lots of these clients. If this is the case, you have to charge more. Remember that your time in meetings, doing revisions and taking calls is part of the job. Many people new to web design only count their time behind the monitor - this is a recipe for poverty. Excellent advice. ____________________ I would add the following: Before you start working ask for at least a 30% to 50% down payment. Consider that sometimes the client didn't provide on time the contents (text, images). Increasing the time to finish the job, your contract should consider this situation. ---------------------------------------- Need Web Design Advice? Webmaster Resources for Business Websites |
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LSW
Advanced Member USA Joined: Nov 27, 2003 Post Count: 6287 Status: Offline |
Good Point as I learned two weeks ago  ---------------------------------------- Gu.aal kwsh� yak'�i it�akw ijeet wugood�k LSW-WebDesign.com |
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SoulDesigns
Newbie Pakistan Joined: Sep 9, 2004 Post Count: 22 Status: Offline |
Great Advice, It took me last 5 years to learn these rules. However because I am in Pakistan, I have to charge too low then the prices you have mentioned. :( If I could charge even half of those I will be a rich guy. :D |
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se3kers
Stranger Philippines Joined: Mar 6, 2008 Post Count: 1 Status: Offline |
great advise.. it could be a great help to one of us.. thanks. |
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