Using IT Contractors could bring you Cost Savings, Expertise, Solutions and Flexibility

It’s been a few weeks since my last blog but I haven’t forgotten about the counter arguments regarding my last post. However, there are a few bits of news I want to pick up on first.

The last couple of months have seen a marked upturn in the IT market, companies have started recruiting again and this has certainly helped the contract market after a barren 18 months. In addition, the General election has been called for the 6th of May and it will be interesting to see how the nation votes and whether we’ll see a slow in this small recovery during the run up to polling day and beyond - some interesting times ahead!

Right, back to the topic in hand:

As you know, my last blog covered the benefits of a large consultancy based solution, however, I do feel the contractor solution is often overlooked and can provide a level of service that equals it, sometimes with added benefits:

Cost savings, expertise, solutions and flexibility:

It is no secret that the independent contract solution holds cost saving benefits in terms of the price and work completed. The savings that this method provides is significant and can at times be 70%/ 80% cheaper. Large consultancies are also criticised for winning the project and brining in independent contractors to do the work, thus creating an additional layer of cost for the same level of service.

It can also be argued that independent contractors will bring a high level of expertise to a project, and significant experience that is not always available within a large consultancy.

This expertise is often instrumental in delivering a project or solving unseen problems that arise during the life of a project, a common outcome is that the independent contractor has drawn from a solution gained from a previous project.

In addition to the above, I also feel the independent contractor offers a flexible resource, they are not tied to religious working practices which often slow the delivery, and can work additional hours or flexible hours outside of normal time constraints. Whatever your view, there are pro’s and con’s to both arguments and in my experience I have found that a project which has a balance between both approaches and both parties find a common ground the outcome is normally successful.

All Comments Welcome!