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Re: Quality problem with a contractor--advice needed
Subject:Re: Quality problem with a contractor--advice needed From:Averil Strauss <averil -at- LEGENDCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 21 Jun 1996 12:08:11 -0400
Has anyone talked with the contract writer?! Please do so. Many times a
solution can be reached easily, if both sides talk. The writer may be
expecting to hear from your company. Allow the person a chance to salvage
reputation.
> I know there's a lot of contractors on this list, so I hope you'll be
> able to help me with a situation my company is dealing with right now.
> We engaged a contract tech writer through a local placement agency to
> do a 1 month contract that involved revising an existing procedure
> manual as well as creating some new procedures. The revisions went OK,
> but the new material was nowhere near detailed enough to be considered
> a complete and useful document. The writer delivered the draft only a
> few days before the contract was up, so there was not sufficient time
> for it to be properly reviewed, much less revised by the writer.
> Now, the manager who engaged the writer doesn't want to pay the
> remaining bills to the agency for what he considers a virtually
> useless document. The agency said they have already paid the writer,
> and they can't afford to have more work done at their expense, but
> they can offer us another writer to finish the project if we're
> willing to pay.
> Please realize that I'm somewhat of an observer to all this. I offered
> to find a contractor for this area of the company since I did not have
> staff available for this project, but after the selection was made I
> had nothing to do with the management of the project.
> BTW, the project specifications were made quite clear to the
> writer--how many pages needed to be revised, what new processes needed
> to be documented, and sample procedures from the existing manual were
> available for review.
> Well, what do you think? What is the agency's obligation to us, and
> vice versa, and how do you think we can get this resolved? I
> certainly have my own opinions, but I'm curious to hear what others
> have to say.
> Brett Peruzzi
> First Data Investor Services Group
> Boston, MA
> Brett -dot- Peruzzi -at- fdc-invest -dot- com
> **Still only speaking for myself, not my employer**
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Averil
Legend Communications, Inc.
Makers of PostScript and Imposition Software http://www.legendcomm.com
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