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Re: Archival Consultant fees



Actually, the figures are not for a business, so "profit" does not enter
in to my rule of thumb.  This is just a rough and ready way  to estimate
what you have to charge to have equivalent remuneration with someone who
is salaried.  [Figuring vacation/holiday/sick time at about 20%,
self-employment tax at around 12% (remember, some comes back as a tax
deduction...), one is left with about 18% to cover insurance etc.]  This
is also a good formula to show those clients who are getting watery in
the knees.

As for running a business with bids, RFP's, etc., that places another
layer of overhead.  The query at hand did not seem to require that level
of complexity...  Still, there's a real problem out there.  Recently, I
have been exploring the possibility of using two or three small libraries
and museums as "fronts" to given me a chance to apply for some grant
opportunities that would require non-profit status.  This would require
the more complex accounting you suggest, but then, granting agencies are
a lot more friendly to paying reasonable professional fees.

As I say, the query did not seem to require more than a rule of thumb.
Most contract work I have run into is simply a case of some organization
trying to get archives organized (usually with no clear idea of what that
entails), using contract labor to avoid the costs and paperwork of
actually employing someone.  Most consultants and contractors--myself
included--are members of what I call the "lumpen-bourgeoisie."  To all
intents and purposes we are employees, but are not allowed to enjoy the
benefits of real employees.

Normally, our clients have no idea what sort of work is to be done.   I
have taken to doing a rapid two or three hour survey of the pile, er,
"collection," and the players, and then present a general proposal very
close to what I think you are calling a RFP, Peter, in which I make it
very clear that the very first task will be to do a comprehensive
inventory of the collection with an eye to isolating and prioritizing
discrete tasks and making more coherent bids for each one of them.  The
inventory and time and materials estimates--which to me are the hardest
part--are definitely not free.

++++++++++

In answer to a different response to this subject line, I would say we
lumpen archivists are simply not considered as critical as your plumber
or your car repairman.  After all, what we do may require as much or more
expertise and, if we do it well, will certainly last longer and create
more value, but it's not critical--no one will miss work or have to use
the facilities at the corner gas station, if they don't get their
archives done in a timely manner.  Given that, I think it behooves us to
be a little more gentle with our clients, and to understand that while we
do not want to be underpaid, we certainly don't want to abandon available
work through an overweaning sense of our own worth.

John Howard Fowler, PhD, MLIS
Consulting Archivist
3221 W. 177th
Torrance, CA  90504-4003
310-327-5848

On Fri, 23 Feb 2001 18:32:46 -0500 Peter Kurilecz <pakurilecz@AOL.COM>
writes:
> On Fri, 23 Feb 2001 14:27:39 -0800, John Fowler
> <johnhowardfowler@JUNO.COM>
> wrote:
> John
> Does this allow for any profit? Does it take into account the 15%
> payroll
> tax. Does this take into account travel and expenses, office
> overhead, etc.
>
....

> I can understand why clients would grow pale, I think that archival
> and
> records management consultants have been selling themselves and
> their
> services short for far too long.
>
> The hourly fee charge should not be the only factor used in
> selecting a
> consultant. As you pointed out in post experience and other factors
> need to
> be taken into account. And yes a consultant has an ethical duty to
> do the
> job quickly and efficiently, but at the same time the client has an
> ethical
> duty to fully describe the work required and to specify exactly what
> the
> deliverables will be. That is why I suggested earlier that the
> institution
> issue either an RFI (Request for Information) or a RFP (Request for
> Proposal).
>
> A well written RFP will result in proposals that meet the client's
> needs.
>
> Peter Kurilecz
> pakurilecz@aol.com

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