The short answer
The rate is the term everyone negotiates and rarely the one that causes problems. Notice, ownership and handover are what matter when an arrangement ends, which every arrangement eventually does.
Settle those at the start, when both sides are relaxed about it.
The terms that matter
| Term | Why |
|---|---|
| Notice, both directions | Protects both sides from a sudden end |
| Intellectual property | Work must be assigned to you clearly |
| Handover obligations | What you get at the end, specifically |
| Confidentiality | Ordinary, but check its scope |
| Substitution | Whether the named person can be swapped |
The substitution row is worth pinning down. Agreeing a person and receiving somebody else is a common complaint and is easily prevented by saying so in writing.
Define handover before you need it
- Documentation of what was built and why.
- Any credentials or access held, returned or transferred.
- A period of availability for questions after the end.
- Confirmation that nothing depends on their personal accounts.
- A walkthrough with whoever picks up the work.
Point three is worth a small retained amount. Questions surface for weeks after someone leaves and an hour of their time is disproportionately valuable.
Be careful about status
How a contracting arrangement is structured can have tax and employment implications depending on where everyone is. That is a question for your accountant or adviser rather than something to guess at.
It is worth asking before the arrangement is long established, because the answer may affect how you structure it.
Notice protects you too
- Time to find a replacement
- Time for handover while they are still engaged
- A predictable cost you can plan around
- A clear point at which access is removed
- Less pressure to make a hurried decision
Symmetrical notice is easier to agree and fairer in practice. One-sided terms tend to be resisted and rarely help as much as they appear to.