I am looking for experienced contractors / freelancers (3+ years of practical experience with the given technology) for a new long-term project for a foreign client.
What information should be provided to make the offer meaningful?
Different freelancers have different criteria about projects. A freelancer can come in for a short time FTE replacement, or can be a strategic or management consultant, or can be an "outsourcing partner". Here are some of the issues that can be part of the decision-making process.
Can this project be done remotely or does this project need onsite visits or does this project have to be done totally onsite?
Are there specific hours when the freelancer has to be actively working on this project or can the freelancer manage their own work schedule?
How much interaction is needed with the rest of the team? How big is the team? How is that interaction to be accomplished, through email, through Zoom meetings scheduled or unplanned, through Slack, through daily standups, or what?
Are there any legal restrictions on who can work on this project? For example, some projects require that all workers be citizens of a country.
Is the pay based on a 40-hour work week or on the "professional hour" where only work on that project is billed? The rate for a "professional hour" can be 2-3 times that of a 40-hour work week rate but wind up with the same cost per actual work done.
Who is doing the project design and how is that design being done and managed? Is the freelancer being asked to come in, analyze the situation, propose and design the solution, and build it? Or is the freelancer handed a design and being asked to build that?
Is this project well defined or is the business owner needing help with defining what needs to be done?
This is a very general question. Some considerations are: 1)research rates before hiring. If the person is charging a lot more or less than the median, ask why and get a thorough answer. You may turn up a response that means the person is not suitable for your project or misunderstands the role. That being said, clarify the rate structure (such as simply by the hour, day, project vs. time and materials), make sure you are not treating the person like a salaried employee (tax issues), do a simple contract with clear points, and address how to deal with scope creep, unintended time extensions, and time off. 2)treat the person fairly and pay quickly. I stayed with a really irritating client because even with his difficulties he always paid immediately and never questioned my hours. That being said, I always submit timesheets with my invoices.
