Engineering Service Charges

Hello Joel,

It was a great discussion. Another topic would be how to find consultants. Other than advertising there seems to be a vacuum. I found that out the hard way when I needed an expert who could design parts for injection molding. Unless you know someone or know someone who has a friend who might know somebody it's tough. We ended up doing it in-house.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Tim,

Sounds great. So I'll ask you when that happens again ;-)

But seriously, how do people find your company, mine or another after they just hit a brick wall with a design and their CEO is about to blow a gasket? Usually it is pure coincidence. I did have the occasional contact after somebody used Google but that happens very rarely.

There are some databases out there but often they are rather kludgy and not well or not at all maintained. Usually they aren't advertised either, meaning while you pay a fee most managers in need don't know about it.

Regards, Joerg

It would seem that in this day of terabyte information that a database of consultants could be maintained and perhaps a fee (percentage of the contract???) charged for placing one's name in the database. No jobs? No fee. Seems to me that it would be an incentive of the owner of the database to promulgate the service and perhaps a rating system of the consultant by the client might be an option.

Just a thought, mindya...

Jim

I believe the IEEE offers a similar service.

RL

In my experience there is no easy solution. It seems to always rely on asking around until someone you ask can finger a suspect. If more than one person fingers the same suspect, you've found a likely candidate - or someone who advertises heavily.

If someone knows a better approach I'd also like to hear it.

Well, you could ask me.

Thanks, Rich

There are many such databases (guru.com comes to mind), which is precisely the problem; the information is too fragmented. The only moderately useful database is Google's search database.

I'm a subscriber to several databases of this kind, and the filters they use to match employers to consultants are so crude that practically all the leads I get this way are worthless.

Ditto that. I looked and was so unimpressed I didn't bother putting in my resume.

Most services of this type seem to be geared toward engineers as a commodity; they neither want nor understand that folks may have special abilities. I have worked with individuals who could put five resumes into my hands that resulted in three or four interviews but for the most part such things are pretty indescriminate.

Now, how could one go about making that happen, and either put the IEEE up to doing it right, or make enough money from it to make it worthwhile...

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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Last I looked at teh IEEE (admitadly thirty years ago) they were "owned" by the corporate mucky-mucks. Why do I rant to pay for that? I already work for the same people. The IEEE is unlike most "professional" organization because the officers represent management, not labor.

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  Keith

Yes, but none of the company managers I ever asked about the IEEE consultant's database knew it existed. IEEE doesn't seem to advertise it at all outside the IEEE. It's also not maintained well at times. Occasionally I have seen multiple blank entries on the assignment board which is pretty embarrassing. The number of requests on the assignment board is very low as well. IIRC it is free of charge to post there so I guess they didn't reach critical mass because of the lack of advertising.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Tim,

Plus it'll cost you a yearly fee.

It will require getting lots of good resumes, allowing posting for free for a while, then lots of upfront cost for advertising until it is known. IEEE did the right thing but then failed to advertise. I have occasionally tried to get some things going at IEEE but it felt like kicking a large oak tree. It would be much better if Monster had a true "consultant's corner" because they have a brand recognition like nobody else.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Keith,

That has changed a bit. Today IEEE is lamenting outsourcing and all so they are often speaking for the employees rather than employers. But for my taste IEEE is way to far into academia and does way too little for the regular dues paying engineer. That needs to change or the membership will begin to drop when the EE situation degrades more. Then people will have to turn every stone from a cost-benefit point of view to see where they can save money.

Regards, Joerg

I thought I did .....

That's been my bitch with the IEEE forever. Only the academics and management can afford the time/expense to become IEEE execs. Their interests aren't in line with the working grunts. It's an intellectual society, rather than professional. I don't see any reason to send them my money.

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  Keith

Could you be a little more specific?

I get $60.00/hour for stuff that I already know how to do, and $120.00/hour for stuff that I need to buy new equipment for.

;-P

I'm feeling a little exuberant because I just sold an outrageous bid - I get paid for 40 hours' design time, to draw a picture of a pallet and a shroud. There are a good couple solid hours' work in there, googling for components and stuff.

Maybe I should ask them, "Do you want this style of latch? McMaster-Carr page 2788. Or 2790. they got all frames and stuff, so I don't know yet how to - wait a minute - that's off-topic and I'm under the affluence.

But when I'm sober I'm Real Good!

Thanks, Rich

No, actually, I was trying to be specific in my own way - "If you're looking for a consultant, I'm available. What do you want done?" kind of thing.

As to "how to find a consultant," I haven't got any more clue than anyone else seems to have proffered. :-)

Thanks! Rich

I thought I had been.

"In my experience there is no easy solution. It seems to always rely on asking around until someone you ask can finger a suspect. If more than one person fingers the same suspect, you've found a likely candidate - or someone who advertises heavily.

If someone knows a better approach I'd also like to hear it."

So do you have a better approach than asking around the "network"?

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