How long is "too long" for a contact to be open without work?

Mouiad A · Oct 8, 2018 04:06:29 AM

I have some hourly contracts active with some clients that I've done ongoing work for. However, there is currently no work and last I heard from the clients, they "will have more work for me later".

I know that leaving a contract open for too long without any work hurts your score. But what exactly is considered "too long"?

Petra R · Oct 8, 2018 04:29:44 AM

@Mouiad A wrote:
I have some hourly contracts active with some clients that I've done ongoing work for. However, there is currently no work and last I heard from the clients, they "will have more work for me later".

I know that leaving a contract open for too long without any work hurts your score. But what exactly is considered "too long"?

You know wrong. (Or know old ideas that are no longer the case, if they ever were)

As long as money has (ever) been paid under a contract and you do not have a load of those, it won't hurt you.

What does hurt are open contracts with no payment (EVER) for a long time. They also hurt when closed without feedback.

Mouiad A · Oct 9, 2018 05:21:42 AM

And this is true for both hourly and fixed rate contracts, correct? I also have a fixed rate contract that has had payments in the past, but it hasn't had any active milestones in a while.

Petra R · Oct 9, 2018 05:44:15 AM

@Mouiad A wrote:
And this is true for both hourly and fixed rate contracts, correct?

Yes.

Will L · Oct 8, 2018 05:20:33 AM

Another consideration with lots of "active" projects you are not actually working on is having potential new clients thinking you are too busy to work on their projects so they don't invite you to submit a proposal on their projects or respond to your proposals if you aren't invited.

I don't know at what level that becomes a problem, but I have a couple of times had potential clients ask me if I had the time to devote to their projects with so many other active projects keeping me busy.