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> A consulting company I have a light relationship wants me to help them =
work =
> on an RFP.
> This will take about 2 days of my time.
> They said that they would give me a job on the project if it gets appro=
ved.
> How do I deal with the fact that they want 2 days of my time =96 for fr=
ee. =
> Should I charge to help write an RFP?
The way I look at it, you have to ask yourself a question: `If I do this=
work and the project isn't approved, will I feel like a chump?'
If the answer is yes, don't do it. It's -obvious- that you don't want to=
give your services away. On the other hand, if you're not doing anything=
else (i.e., you're just job-hunting and you don't have a bunch of other
consulting gigs queued up waiting), I don't see how wagering two days of
your time against getting a gig on the project is inherently bad.
Perhaps I'm biased---I have a fair amount of experience with startups,
starting from the pre-funding phase. In a lot of cases, you end up throw=
ing
a lot of effort down a hole, to no visible effect. Of course you always
end up a little more experienced, you know a few more people, and you hav=
e
a couple more contacts. But you can't write a check against any of that.=
If you're willing to accept a risk on those terms, and are able to shrug =
it
off if it doesn't pan out, then it's probably worth it.
That all being said, I'm inherently suspicious of anyone who wants me to
put forth a substantial amount of effort up front without any commitment =
on
their part. If you've done business with these people before, know them
personally, or have a good feeling about it and trust your instincts then=
this may mitigate your suspicion.
My hunch, however, is that you have a bad feeling about the situation. O=
therwise,
why the heck would you be asking a mailing list about it? And if you do
have a bad feeling about it, don't do it.
- -spb
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