Hi,

I've been asked to transfer an exisiting static HTML site to a XOOPS website. I'm wondering what the standard pricing scheme people use to create these sites is? Or is there any?

Shujakku.

Depends on the amount of pages and what else the client wants you to do. I'm guessing that there are reasons for the client to move to a CMS instead of static HTML?

I usually use these rules of thumb:

1) How much is to be done? If not a lot, chances are there are few surprises and you don't have to take too much to account for feature uncertainty
2) If you think you can do something in 10 hours, it'll take 20
3) Be pessimistic, when calculating the hours/days/months it will take to complete the work - Remember that your offer will be the starting point of negotiation.
Depending on whether you have a good relationship with the customer, there are dangers with setting the price too high: If you don't know the client he may consider you too expensive and go elsewhere or he will feel that he is entitled to add feature requests even when the project has started. If you know him well, you may seem to be taking advantage of your relationship and try to "milk" the client. However, setting the price too low is equally dangerous as it can make you feel that the client is exploiting the relationship to HIS advantage - or you'll end up disgruntled because you have more work than anticipated, but still only get paid the same amount. This in turn leads to hurried solutions, lack of testing or documentation and/or a feeling that you should be working on other things.

All in all, you should (In my opinion) set a high price that you are comfortable with. Don't say $10.000 unless you can defend that price ("I have estimated that it will take 3 working days to establish the requirements so we are both on the same level as to what should be done by me and what should be done by you. It'll take 4 days setting up the site, ensuring that the basis is working as it should. Adding content will take another 3 days and then I'll be finishing up on documenting my work and how to use the system - another 3 days. After that, I am allocating 5 days for tweaking and making sure you are happy with the solution. End result: 18 days, corresponding to approx. 125 hours. With my hourly fee of $80, it amounts to a total of $10.000")

On the other hand, if the client can be a valuable customer in future projects, you can set the price a little lower - while still making sure you are satisfied - in the hope of landing future contracts.

Last advice: NEVER slack on the quality of your work. A client is only a good client if he is satisfied with your work. Making a rushed job can secure you a profit right now, but the best promotion for web developers is a portfolio - and clients that speak ill of you or switch your solution to another one after 6-12 months because they are not satisfied are not good portfolio material.

good luck with your work.

This sort of reminds me of hiring a plumber to flush your toilet or hiring an electrician to change your light bulb.

Not to say the skills of the electrician or plumber are not worth the value, but would you pay $80 per hour to flush your toilet or change your light bulb? Or more to the point will your client. I think the key to any project is to find out exactly what is expected (and manage your customers expectations) hire people to do the job that is required if programming is required then you know your going to have to pay top dollar if no programming is involved then the rate should be lower. Just call up any temp agency and ask how much it would be for a person to input data and you will find a much lower rate.

The pricing structure is, fair market value for the work performed.

Another issue that should be reviewed and that is often overlooked is know your client, there is nothing wrong with getting paid well to do a job but if the client is not able to or capable of paying the amount you submit as a bid then what’s the point.

General PM principles should always be followed.

I may have mis-read the original post, but I was, when writing, under the impression that he was the contractor, not the client. If it is the other way around, I guess my comment was a bit off.

However, I stand by what I wrote. The $80 were just an example on how one can justify the estimate. Although I don't take on much atm due to a full-time job, my going rates are $90 an hour for XOOPS programming. I don't do static site conversions unless there are additional requirements that require programming. Whether that is too much is up to the potential client. Whether it is needed to hire someone to move a static site to XOOPS is up to the potential client.

If the point of chess4us' comment was "you can do this just as well yourself" I don't disagree. Most people should be able to install XOOPS and a module for semi-static pages and set up such a site - at least that is the goal we aim for when developing XOOPS.

Don't misunderstand what I wrote, I think you are worth whatever amount you want to charge as a programmer / developer if someone contracts your services, my point was (whether he is the client or the contractor)that you would not hire a programmer / developer to convert a html site to XOOPS just to transfer data from one site to another, this would not be cost effective. You might budget in the services of a programmer /developer but alot of the work could be done at a much lower rate.

We are on the same page then

Thank you both for you input. :)