Q and A: Unexpected technical issues when contracting

I got a question from a friend who is doing some freelancing.

Perhaps an odd question, but when you do web work and run into issues that are only showing up in IE browsers, do you bill the client for the extra time it takes to try to figure out how to make the site work on that crappy browser? I know the web developer(s) we used for the farm calculator [a project for which he was the client] bill for everything, even if they are redoing something they screwed up… but I’m curious as to your way of handling things like this. I want to be fair to my client, and myself!

This is a great question, and goes beyond just “IE browser” issues.  Here was my answer:

When I run into an IE problem, I will usually stop and ask the client if making it work perfectly on IE is really important to them.  It would be useful to have stats for IE on their website (or the broader internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers ), so they can know if 10% of their users are on IE6 or 0.01%.  It also would be useful to have an estimate for how long it will take (as long as you’re clear that it is an estimate).

If I’m billing time and materials, and I’ve had this conversation, I absolutely bill the client, but try to keep them informed as to how long this is taking me.

If it is a fixed bid, then I might go to the client and say ‘I’ve run into this issue, for this browser, which is x% of your website traffic.  There’s solution A and solution B, but both of them are things I didn’t expect.  Can we talk about this additional work’.  If they say no, I grit my teeth and deal.

So, to make it more broadly applicable, if you run into issues that you didn’t expect, here’s my advice:

• Stop work and identify the issue.  Don’t keep spinning your wheels.
• Gather useful facts to help the client make an informed decision (IE browser % in the example above).  Include a rough estimate if you can, but make sure the client knows it is an estimate.
• Talk to the client about the issue and find some kind of resolution.
• If the resolution is you doing the work, then, if you are on a fixed bid, explain how you didn’t consider this particular issue and see if the client is flexible about paying for it.
• If the resolution is you doing the work, and you are on a time and materials contract, then bill for the extra work.
• In either case make sure you keep the client in the loop about time spent and schedule changes due to the issue.

Surprises come up all the time.  What is important is that you come to a fair accommodation with your client.