How does Tim Green operate? Well, that depends on what he's doing, of course.

Facilities:

Some projects might be most suitably done with Tim working from his own office. He has a network of modern computers connected to the Internet via a high speed connection. These are protected by virus scanning software and a hardware firewall, and he backs up the data on a regular basis. He has a good selection of software and the experience in using it. Of course he has telephones too. Tim Green... online for thee!

If you check out the What section, you'll see a number of projects that Tim has performed for remote clients working from his own office. In fact he has done many projects for clients he has never actually met in person. Working on his own premises with email as a primary means of communications is very cost-effective for all involved -- there is no setup time, no travel or lodging costs, and no extra people in your office. Best of all, using email checked frequently during the day, both you and Tim can work together without interruption according to your own schedules.

Of course, a project may require Tim's on-site presence; some of these are in the What section. When Tim travels on your behalf, he makes every effort to minimize expenses and will discuss them with you before the fact as far a possible. Of course he expects to be reimbursed promptly for reasonable or actual costs as agreed. You may be able to reduce costs further by providing transport or accommodation through existing arrangements you may have. Tim arrives equipped for the job at hand, bringing his own computers, cellphones, GPS, safety equipment, and environmental clothing as appropriate.

Contractual:

The amount of preliminary administrivia that you and Tim need before starting a project depends on the nature of the project. Most projects require a signed contract, a standard form tailored to the exact circumstances. This protects both you and Tim. In some cases, less stringent arrangements may work, especially for an established relationship combined with a pressing deadline.

If you believe that your project is not well-defined enough to tie into a contract, feel free to contact Tim to discuss the possibilities. Tim is flexible and can adapt quickly to getting on with solving your problem!

Deliverables:

It's important that you and Tim both agree what the deliverables are for any work he does for you. This needs to happen before starting work. Tim can handle the situation, though, where you might not know exactly what end result you want before Tim starts... in fact, defining ill-defined problems is one of the things at which Tim excels.

Deliverables could include items presented at the end of Tim's work with you, but will normally also include progress reports at a frequency and in a format agreed on before starting. These could be written on paper or in email, verbal over the phone, or in a formal presentation as elaborate as you need. Generally, Tim prefers to keep things as simple as possible.

Cost:

Tim's fee structure varies with the type of work he does for you, and he can be pretty flexible in meeting your requirements. Possibilities include:

• hourly rate. Tim usually uses an hourly rate for shorter projects where the time period over which he works on your problem cannot be easily estimated. He will report to you on how he uses the billable time... and no, he's not out to nickel and dime you!
  
  
• daily rate. Again for projects where there is not a definite time period involved, but where Tim's expertise will be involved for a longer period, say more than several weeks, a daily rate is more common. This is often the case when Tim works on-site. He recognizes that "office hours" generally don't apply in an operational context and is prepared to be flexible in getting the job done in exchange for you being reasonable.
  
  
• fixed price. If the project is fairly well-defined, you and Tim may be able to come to an agreement on a fixed price. You know how much it will cost you before the start of the project.