What is a Consultant Contractor?
In general terms, a consultant is an advisor, and a contractor does the work. A consultant is an expert in their field, follows industry best practice, and understands the theories behind it. A contractor is an expert in producing something. Although these are distinct functions, there is often an overlap, and knowledge of the theory allows a contractor to keep up to date, producing things more effectively that fit in with the bigger picture. We can advise on the most practical way forward, help an organisation to implement change, and carry out the required work.
Why hire a Consultant Contractor?
Often projects come up that temporarily require more resource or specialist skills that are best delivered by people outside of the organisation. It is most affective to hire a consultant contractor to "install" new business functionality. Projects of this type include;
- IT system upgrades and installs
- Staff training
- Generating standard operating procedures
- Developing new products and services
It is often possible to reallocate existing staff to perform these duties, but this is not normally the best approach. We have several advantages that save time and money.
Cost Savings
You only pay for the services you need when you need them. We will also help identify inefficiencies and cut costs.
Time Savings
The right consultant contractor will know the best practices to achieve specified goals in a time efficient manner. There is no need for the client to reinvent the wheel and repeat mistakes that we have seen before.
Advantages of the Consultant Contractor
Independence
We will not be swayed by the internal politics of an organisation and remain unbiased and objective. We can focus on the agreed objectives without getting caught up with internal distractions.
Creative thinking
Because we are not tied down to a clients way of doing things, and because we are not concerned about keeping permanent employment, we are able to deliver breakthrough insights and strategic thinking at odds with what employees might typically contemplate.
Value for money
Lower (or no) staff overheads (rent/rates, energy, equipment, holiday & sickness pay, tax/NI).
You will not be charged for anything not directly related to the task in hand (i.e. learning new technologies, learning new software CAD packages, fixing computer issues and Training).
Employee utilisation must be taken into account when comparing costs. You do not get 8 hours of work from an employee each day.
- Holiday leave
- Sick leave
- Training
- Computer problems
- Unproductive meetings
Speciality & Expertise
We often specialise in areas that a clients employees do not know very well. We get to see different areas of many businesses and keep up with current trends and developments, bringing best practices and efficient ways of working.
We can be a great source of technical capability, bringing new technologies and capabilities to the business.
Disadvantages of the Consultant Contractor
Leaking of intellectual property
You must try and ensure that nobody is going to leak your intellectual property, especially to your competitors. The knowledge gained while working for different organisations helps us to build expertise and adds value, but there's a line to be drawn between passing on best practice and competitive advantage. We will always make sure that client specific intellectual property is not communicated to other parties.
To help protect your organisation from IP leaks we will;
- sign a mutual NDA (non-disclosure agreement)
- not work for any known competitor for at least one year
Loss of in-house knowledge
Clients often worry that using contractors will not build and retain in-house knowledge, particularly concerning product development. Remember that we are not going anywhere and are actually less likely to become unavailable than your key employees, but to mitigate any risk and minimise dependency, we will make sure to;
- Document all work to a level understandable by someone trained in the field
- Handover/train in house staff when appropriate
Availability
Sometimes we may not be immediately available in an emergency. This is also true of employees, but it's possible that we may be engaged on another project for a considerable period of time. To mitigate this we work flexibly and are contactable to provide a fast response whenever possible.
In Summary
You must choose the right business partners to maximise the advantages for your organisation and minimise the potential pitfalls. We will always tell you if we are not a good fit for a project or organisation. We will always be transparent, honest, reputable, and improve the organisation without locking ourselves in to the day to day running of your business.
HamTEK Ltd
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