I am based in the UK and until a couple of years ago worked as a contract developer for years and enjoyed very healthy rates! Even 5 years ago the “going rate” for a SharePoint developer was £400 – £500 day. Has that changed nowadays, what rates are on offer where you are ? SharePoint Admins were usually about 50 – 100 lower, has that gap closed ?
There’s now way more people on the market – SharePoint is massive, so what’s that done to rates ? Is it still a gravy train ? Has Outsourcing / Off-shoring changed things ?
Given that ” people lack the understanding to be able to select appropriately” and are “many different roles that it takes to build and then support it” it’s difficult to talk about simple flat rates and engage the right people/partner. Let’s not forget the importance of SharePoint implementation maturity and how critical (or not that important) is for the company.
As for outsourcing it depend whether you talk about SharePoint product development, SharePoint deployment or maintenance & support.The costs very probably affects the 1st and partially the last as for implementation this cannot be done easily remote because consulting skills are needed first instead of development (which can be close to 0 in the first phase). Still, if outsourcing (would) mean to externalize non-core services that can be performed better, faster and bring a cost optimization, then nearshore is the alternative and gain ground for SharePoint deployments too.
Anyway, you get what you pay but be careful to get what you need 😉
