How much to charge?

mgaw

Need some advise please..

I have been approached by a local free school to design and oversee the installation of their catering department and a bespoke teaching kitchen. Also will be organising the menus etc....this will be for 700 students plus staff and its a new build school.

What would a reasonable rate for me to ask for be?

mart

How many hours of work will it involve, what's your hourly rate, and how much do you want to reduce this because it's a free school and/or you want to do the work?

mgaw

i dont know how many hours yet still working that out, as for hourly rates i was waiting to see what more experienced folks on here thought first, wont be making any reduction and yep i do want the work and am in prime position to get it as i know the founders very well...

mart

A few years ago I just decided to fix an hourly rate for myself for no matter what the job is. It's the value I place on my time - I think of it as my "worth-getting-out-of-bed-for" rate. I apply it to every job. If I'm insufficiently skilled for the particular job, so the rate is too high, then fine, they'll get someone else in instead.

I have the luxury that I don't need to do any freelance work, so if nobody accepts my price that's no problem for me. But even if that weren't the case, I think I'd still start with a basic rate, but adjust it down according to how much I needed the job.

mart

I guess another approach would be to start with the thought "if they offered me £100, would I be prepared to do it?" Probably not. What if they offered £1000? £10,000? £100,000? Start low and just carry on increasing until your gut instinct tells you what price you want.

ESBlonde

Charge in two parts. Design as a decent fixed cost and supervise the build at a real world hourly rate because they might use a cheap crappy builder and you get all the hours and stress. Also on your bill show the full price and put a line of credit for your donation on it - say £500 off whatever the bill is (could be many thousands). Who else donates that much?
If they don't like the hourly rate bit just design and pocket the fixed fee.
P.S.
Put in a clause for redesign at hourly rate in case they don't like your first offering or the builder is incompetent. 

Sporky

Also include a soft-landings allowance. They're jolly trendy in construction these days.

thecolourbox

Can I just check, do you do this for a living or hobby to start with? If it's a task you've never done before that may well affect the price you could command

mgaw

no i have done this in the past...