IT Contractors aren't mercenaries, yeah right....
So, you don't have the budget for professional services, its holiday season, or you have a skills shortage in a specific area and think that your only option is the contractor market through a typical agency.
What an earth can go wrong? Right?
'They are cheaper, I can sack them in a week if I need to, so no risk. No complicated statements of works and I get to tell them what to do and when to do it! I have complete control.
Perfect!'
Hmm, I think not. They are cheaper, yes,
Initially.
However, have you ever considered that the benefits you perceive, are actually the benefits contractors have when terms are flipped on their head?
The main reasons for why they are cheaper are:
They can leave you on a weeks notice, taking all the knowledge of your systems with them and thanking you for all the training you provided them when they are on-boarded, at no cost to them. Or of course, they can hold you to ransom by threatening to leave at a crucial project delivery stage.
They don't typically have any SLA's or deliverables via a statement of work, meaning quite simply, they don't need to deliver anything! In fact the less they delivery the better, as this will only extend their contract.
There are no guaranteed outcomes, as the contractor is completely under your control and management, and your control and management alone. Have you really got the time to manage these people and their output?
If you have a skills shortage, ask yourself this. If you don't have the skills required, how is it you feel confidant selecting the right candidate who does, in an over crowded contractor market?
And perhaps most importantly, there is no warranty for any period for what is produced.
'Well, thanks for that Ed, for pretty much telling me something I already know!! But, that's just the way it is....'
Well folks, stay tuned for the sequel to this post where I will highlight a happy medium, which decreases risk for all parties, and still allows customers to benefit from lower resource costs.