work agreements/contract advice

M

mojovideo

Member
Hey All-
I just did a freelance job recently. It is completed, and I got paid, but I underbid the job. The client told me they needed xy and z done, so I bid what I thought was a fair amount. However, the client came back and wanted abcd in addition to xy and z. I already had my bid in, so I was held to that price. Anyone have any suggestions/advice? Anyone have any contracts or websites with contracts I could use for a idea for the future? Any CONSTRUCTIVE comments/advice appreciated.
Thanks
brian
 
this sounds like a normal contract job to me. I mean, it happens in every field, when you handle the contract yourself.
The idea is that the agreement should always be put on paper in a very detailed way to avoid problems like this.
On the other hand, often something extra or not written in the contract is done, either because you also think the extra work will be good for the final result (after all you name will be under that), or just because especially at the beginning of your career you dont wanna build a "troublemaker" reputation for yourself...

anyway, the trick, like always in life, is to make things very clear from the beginning.

Andrea
 
Baluardo said:
this sounds like a normal contract job to me. I mean, it happens in every field, when you handle the contract yourself.
The idea is that the agreement should always be put on paper in a very detailed way to avoid problems like this.
On the other hand, often something extra or not written in the contract is done, either because you also think the extra work will be good for the final result (after all you name will be under that), or just because especially at the beginning of your career you dont wanna build a "troublemaker" reputation for yourself...

anyway, the trick, like always in life, is to make things very clear from the beginning.

Andrea
Click to expand...

What he said! Your contract should state in detail what the job is and what the rate is. There should also be a clause that covers additional requests from the client.
 
freelance work contracts

freelance work contracts

I get what you guys are saying. However, the question was, do you have any websites or suggestions for prewritten contracts to insure all my bases are covered and the job requirements and the fee are clearly stated? I could create one myself, but I want to see what others have used, which may include things I have overlooked.
Thanks
Mojovideo
 
my advice is to ask for professional advice (entertainment layer, etc) so you build together a standard contract you will use in all occasions.

Andrea
 
There's a book out called 'This Business of Television' that has a lot of useful blank contracts in it for our business. You should be able to find it at amazon.com. I've pulled several boiler plat contracts from it to make them my own.
 
why were you held to your original bid ?
if you bid on xy and z at a fair price ..
they then later added abcd + xy & z and you gave it to them for same price then you did not under bid the project you didn't charge them for the additional work ...
 
After about 12 years of dealing directly with clients, I'm starting to believe there's no perfect answer. Your contract can be extremely detailed, yet there will be situations where you do more for the sake of the relationship and the word-of-mouth.

Some clients see this generosity as a blank check and try to milk you for everything, and then you have to draw the line.

Others, tho, appreciate your willingness to go the extra mile. One of the latter, who only gives me small jobs that I underprice to keep him happy, has been incredible in recommending me to people who end up giving me really high-paying jobs. He doesn't talk price to them, only quality and reliability. And his word is so well respected, I don't even have to compete for the work.
 
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