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meh sometimes fixed pricing makes sense i’ve paid fixed pricing and i’ve taken fixed pricing it depends on the situation my favorite way to charge is on a pe

meh sometimes fixed pricing makes sense i’ve paid fixed pricing and i’ve taken fixed pricing it depends on the situation my favorite way to charge is on a per month basis if they start to abuse you, push back, if you can’t or they are good at manipulation leave also different people have different preferences for some the tracking of hours is painful, for others it’s comforting and fair meet the client or the consultant where they are at

kjksf 2y ago
In the context of the article, fixed pricing means pricing per project. Charging per month of work is not that.
- Brian_K_White 2y ago
  They didn't suggest it was. They offered it as something that is neither fixed nor hourly.
jermaustin1 2y ago
I've done fixed pricing, but I also have an hours cap on that fixed pricing. I communicate how many hours are left in the project. Its less a fixed price deliverable, and more pre-buy some hours for a discounted rate. If the project is delivered and there are hours left, I came out ahead, if the hours run out, but I'm only a few hours from delivered, I will throw those in for free just to finish out the project.
- throwaway98797 2y ago
  yep fixed with an implicit or explicit cap
mstade 2y ago
Fixed pricing can be fine, but requires a lot of due diligence with both parties, and much more detailed contracts and crucially – scope. Expectation management is key. (Btw, what you’re describing sounds more like a retainer which isn’t quite the same.) My experience is that fixed price only works for very short (days and weeks, not months) projects that can be scoped very strictly. Even then, there’s a lot of risk of miscommunication and uncomfortable discussions. My rule of thumb is that if I’m doing a fixed price contract, it can’t be longer than two weeks. This usually amounts to very targeted fixes, upgrades, research projects. Things that are typically not so hard to time box.
- calvinmorrison 2y ago
  We do tons of fixed contracts. I find that we pretty much hit expectations and we can do change orders. I think its reasonable for a project that's 3 months. But we scope up front and build that into the fixed bid.
- throwaway98797 2y ago
  true it’s retaineresq i’ll roughly give you ~20 hours a week for the next 3 months but if you don’t use it you lose it granted if their utilization drops off too much the contract gets re priced or paused the most money i’ve made is when i can be comfortable having an uncomfortable conversation up front with occasional nope thrown and all that matters is that you deliver *visible* value
YetAnotherNick 2y ago
Also, if you really want to maximize what you earn, specially if you work part time, is to charge fixed price. Because pricing not only depends on how much work needs to be done, but also how much the client wants it/how fast they want it, and the ability for client to pay. Some client care too much about pricing, some clients doesn't care at all. Even in second bunch, its hard to inflate hourly price. But for fixed pricing, there is almost no limit on how much you can charge.

kjksf 2y ago

In the context of the article, fixed pricing means pricing per project. Charging per month of work is not that.

Brian_K_White 2y ago
They didn't suggest it was. They offered it as something that is neither fixed nor hourly.

jermaustin1 2y ago

I've done fixed pricing, but I also have an hours cap on that fixed pricing. I communicate how many hours are left in the project. Its less a fixed price deliverable, and more pre-buy some hours for a discounted rate. If the project is delivered and there are hours left, I came out ahead, if the hours run out, but I'm only a few hours from delivered, I will throw those in for free just to finish out the project.

throwaway98797 2y ago
yep fixed with an implicit or explicit cap

mstade 2y ago

Fixed pricing can be fine, but requires a lot of due diligence with both parties, and much more detailed contracts and crucially – scope. Expectation management is key. (Btw, what you’re describing sounds more like a retainer which isn’t quite the same.) My experience is that fixed price only works for very short (days and weeks, not months) projects that can be scoped very strictly. Even then, there’s a lot of risk of miscommunication and uncomfortable discussions. My rule of thumb is that if I’m doing a fixed price contract, it can’t be longer than two weeks. This usually amounts to very targeted fixes, upgrades, research projects. Things that are typically not so hard to time box.

calvinmorrison 2y ago
We do tons of fixed contracts. I find that we pretty much hit expectations and we can do change orders. I think its reasonable for a project that's 3 months. But we scope up front and build that into the fixed bid.
throwaway98797 2y ago
true it’s retaineresq i’ll roughly give you ~20 hours a week for the next 3 months but if you don’t use it you lose it granted if their utilization drops off too much the contract gets re priced or paused the most money i’ve made is when i can be comfortable having an uncomfortable conversation up front with occasional nope thrown and all that matters is that you deliver *visible* value

YetAnotherNick 2y ago

Also, if you really want to maximize what you earn, specially if you work part time, is to charge fixed price. Because pricing not only depends on how much work needs to be done, but also how much the client wants it/how fast they want it, and the ability for client to pay. Some client care too much about pricing, some clients doesn't care at all. Even in second bunch, its hard to inflate hourly price. But for fixed pricing, there is almost no limit on how much you can charge.