EE's please help

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Thomp

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Okay all you Electrical Engineers out there I need your help. Tell me all you know about Retainer Contracts. I know that you are retained all the time for consulting fees. I have a large GC in my area that wants to retain me for specific knowledge I have about an area they wish to develop. Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance. Thomp
 
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Never been there, nor have I done that. I would be careful to read any contract they present very thoroughly. I would not sign it when it is presented, but would take it home to read it in private. My concern would be over payment terms (How often would you send them a bill? When would you get a check?), insurance (Who pays for E&O policy?), exclusive rights (Are you forbidden to do similar work for their competitors), and the degree of your involvement in any given project (Will they try to give you a completed design and have you sign and seal it as though it had been done under your supervision?).
 
Thomp said:
Okay all you Electrical Engineers out there I need your help. Tell me all you know about Retainer Contracts. I know that you are retained all the time for consulting fees. I have a large GC in my area that wants to retain me for specific knowledge I have about an area they wish to develop. Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance. Thomp
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Are you a PE? If not, it may not be legal to engage in the business of engineering, although just what that entails is pretty vague in most areas.

If you are talking mostly about general business advice in developing a new market, that would not be an issue.

If there is a significant amount of money involved, I would run any contract past your lawyer before signing it. many contracts are written in such a way that they are very one sided, and all but impossible to understand to boot.
 
petersonra said:
Are you a PE?
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Good question, Bob. I failed to take note, earlier, that the OP's profile says "EC," not "EE."

So am I to understand that the other company wants to hire you out as an electrical contractor, to assist with certain kinds of tasks for which you have the skills and they do not? My answer (and Bob's) about being careful about the wording of the contract still stands. But now it becomes relevant whether you are licensed in the area for the type of work they want you to do.
 
Thanks Guys, you brought up many issues I hadn't thought about. I am an EC and have knowledge about an area where there are no underground prints for an large facility. The Developer can save many man hours with my knowledge.
 
Thomp said:
Thanks Guys, you brought up many issues I hadn't thought about. I am an EC and have knowledge about an area where there are no underground prints for an large facility. The Developer can save many man hours with my knowledge.
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Talk to a lawyer if it is more than $10K. Estimate the savings and offer your services for 50% of the savings. If not, tip your hat and say goodbye.:cool:
 
Just to watch your back, you best consult another firm to cover your *ss. I wasn't the first to say this, and I hope you can appreciate the advice that is given. Get someone else in to back you up!
 
That contract better be pretty specific, or they can own your butt 24/7. A former college roommate of mine worked in the RF drying field, and opened his own company after a period of time. His original employer kept him on as a consultant, and he ended up working for them pretty much the same amout of time as before he quit to open his own show. The contract was way lopsided. He got out of it by doing a bad job for them, so they no longer neded his services.
 
Retainers

Retainers

Thomp said:
Okay all you Electrical Engineers out there I need your help. Tell me all you know about Retainer Contracts. I know that you are retained all the time for consulting fees. I have a large GC in my area that wants to retain me for specific knowledge I have about an area they wish to develop. Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance. Thomp
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Thomp,
Contact Alex Orloff of Orloff Computer Services and he is an older Electrical Engineer with tremendous Knowledge. He has helped lots of people and will assist you. His website is on the internet and he has a separate website for the electrical engineering. This links from Orloff Computer Services.

I Hope that this helps

Cadishead
 
Thomp said:
Thanks Guys, you brought up many issues I hadn't thought about. I am an EC and have knowledge about an area where there are no underground prints for an large facility. The Developer can save many man hours with my knowledge.
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I suspect your knowledge is mostly from some level of familiarity with this install, and they would like to tap into that knowledge base.

I don't see that explaining what is actually there to the developer (or his engineers) is engaging in the business of either engineering or contracting, or any other field requring licensing.

I would also guess that we are talking about a pretty limited value.
 
I would approach this as a contract job. Basically, if you want 10 or 12 grand a month for your services, you need to make sure you are ahead of them with the money. I would take a 10 or 12 grand retainer for one month and work against it the first month. The second month would be the same arrangement. Base your presence on the site as 4 -10 hour days. The fifth day would count into the next weeks time. It might be possible that you could bill an extra week per month with the 4-10s structure.
Be professional, always keep notes of your activities such as time of day, those present, site location, minutes of who said what, and whatever else you can record. Best wishes. Sounds like they need you more than you need them. Not a bad position to be in.
 
jrannis said:
I would approach this as a contract job. Basically, if you want 10 or 12 grand a month for your services, you need to make sure you are ahead of them with the money. I would take a 10 or 12 grand retainer for one month and work against it the first month. The second month would be the same arrangement. Base your presence on the site as 4 -10 hour days. The fifth day would count into the next weeks time. It might be possible that you could bill an extra week per month with the 4-10s structure.
Be professional, always keep notes of your activities such as time of day, those present, site location, minutes of who said what, and whatever else you can record. Best wishes. Sounds like they need you more than you need them. Not a bad position to be in.
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Thanks jrannis, your input was very helpful.
 
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