On Fri, 4 Jan 2008 15:29:01 -0800 (PST), Carl M
wrote:

I can't believe it's come to this. At work I'm getting really
busy, really quickly, and one R&D project alone I could devote the
next six months to full time, unfortunately at the loss of my other
projects. It was suggested by the project manager of that particular
project that I see if I could find someone outside my company that
would be willing to help me out with a bunch of the work. The bulk of
the work that I need help with is wiring control panels, done off
premise, which is not as value-added as my uppers would like it to be.
I'm in the Seattle area and while I understand that all the
skilled folks are working full time, so I'm kinda thinking someone
retired, other folks looking for side work, or small shops. Most of
the equipment relates to heater controls, thermocouple wiring, RS-232,
smart motors, relays, 4-20mA, and other signal wiring. Most stuff is
in 19" boxes. This person would be working directly for me, not the
company, although someone else in the company on the project would be
providing payment on a direct basis (no fancy contracts, mostly word
of mouth.) I'd provide all the major parts, a lot of the smaller
stuff, diagrams (some pencil on paper, some wire lists, some worse,)
and high quality expectations. I'm easy to work for, providing that I
don't need to hold anyone's hand, and am casual about everything but
good quality work.
If anyone is interested or knows of someone or a small shop that
is capable of the work, I'm highly interested. I've never been in
this sort of position before, so I'm at a loss about how to go about
dealing with this, so any guidance someone would like to offer would
be greatly appreciated. You can reply to me directly if you'd like.

"Casual" is fine if it doesn't conflict with "high quality
expectations". Don't expect others to take a casual attitude about
being paid in full and on time. I'm not inferring anything at all
about you, but independents do look for disconnects between
"engineering" and "the office". Been there, done that, got the tee
shirt.

This infers that if the job you get meets the requirements you stated
and is of good workmanship, it is acceptable -- even if it isn't quite
what you expected. You do need to convey *all* of your expectations,
including some definition of what you regard as "high quality". This
could be a simple statement of required functionality realized in a
workmanlike fashion -- but, for example, if you expect it to be made
of aluminum rather than steel or rectangular rather than round, you'd
better say so. In a "casual" setup, if it does what you said it must
do and meets your stated expectations, then it is acceptable whether
or not it was done the way you would have done it or meets any
unstated expectations.

Some expectations are often implicit in an "in house" situation. Folks
learn "how we do things here" by doing things there.

You made no mention of compensation level or business terms. By the
job or by the hour? Who does the estimating? What are your
expectations there? How would you handle mid-course corrections e.g.
changes in scope or requirements after initial quote, estimate or
whatever. Are you open re location using UPS or FedEX for goods
transport and email for communications?

Independents quickly learn that they ultimately work for whomever
signs the checks. You might provide task assignments and/or work
direction, but there also must be a valid agreement in place with
someone having authority, ability and willingness to pay. Along with a
technical understanding, there must be a clear business arrangement.
Expect to be asked for business references regarding history of prompt
payment.