Characteristics of Interim Support Agreements
As with any type of agreement between a client and their supplier, the terms will differ based on a variety of factors. Some may be short term, some may be longer term. Some may only cover specific services whereas some may offer broad technical support. There are however a number of characteristics you can expect the majority of these agreements to have.
A specific timeframe
For interim retainers, there will usually be a specific timeframe defined within the agreement. This could for example be for 'x number of weeks' or it could be 'until x project is finished'. Often, development companies will offer flexibility around this as unforeseen circumstances and delays do happen and so they anticipate the need for flexibility upfront.
Guaranteed Availability
A characteristic that is common to many types of retainer agreements is that of guaranteed availability to resource(s) for a specified number of hours/days/weeks per month. The client will secure this access usually by way of upfront payment or deposit which in turn, allows the development team to block this time out and ensure it cannot be used elsewhere.
Upfront Payment
As alluded to above, the vast majority of retainer agreements require some sort of payment in advance in order to secure guaranteed access to the resource required. Depending on the length of the agreement (and other factors), some development companies may require full payment upfront - particularly if the agreement is short term. For agreements that are not as specific and may need to last 'until a replacement full time employee is found', there might be an initial deposit payment then on-going monthly payments for example.
Why Might I Consider an Interim Support Agreement?
The software development market is an extremely competitive one and UK based developers are generally always in high demand. It is a competitive industry and as a result, developers may move around a lot leaving skills gaps in their wake.
Recruitment Gap
An organisation may have had a developer leave the business which has led to the risk of projects not being delivered on time or to the quality expected due to the developer leaving. In order to ensure the project is delivered as originally intended, the company may choose to consider an interim support agreement.
A Specific Project That Requires Additional Skills
Businesses may also find that they have taken on a project that requires a skill set they simply do not have. Instead of turning down the project, an organisation may seek to bring in outside resource with the required skills for the duration of the project. You can learn more about the technologies we use and the skills we can offer here.
Projects That Requires Additional FTE
Similar to the above, organisations may find that they do have the internal skill sets needed, but not enough of them to deliver certain projects. An interim support agreement might be considered here with the view that the external developers would essentially act as an extension of the current team rather than providing specific consultancy.
Final Thoughts
At Cool Code Company, we can become a part of your existing IT team, offer expert consultancy or fill any resource gaps related to recruitment or otherwise. This ensures your operations run smoothly, even when you're facing challenges or short on developer resource.
Based in Nottingham, our team is available for on-site visits in the local area and can travel further afield with pre-arranged scheduling.
Our UK based full-stack developers bring over 30 years of experience across all areas of software engineering, with hands on expertise in a diverse range of technologies. If you need additional support, no matter the reason, reach out to us today—we’d be happy to become part of your team!
