How to Place a Bid for a Computer Job

Freelance computer work provides you more flexibility than a traditional office job.

Placing a bid for a computer job involves a lot of preparation, including finding the right job, discussing project specifications with potential clients, estimating how long the project will take and calculating an appropriate rate. Freelance computer professionals must consider many factors when calculating a bid for a computer job. Their rates should be much higher than a regular employee's because they must pay for all of their own taxes, business expenses and benefits. Unfortunately, not all potential clients understand this, so freelancers might need to explain their bids for projects.

Instructions

1. Find the type of computer job that you would like to bid on. Look through job want-ads for contract work or join a freelance organization to find a computer project online. Popular sites to find computer freelance work are iFreelance, Elance, Guru, Freelancer Jobs and GoFreelance. These sites list many computer-related jobs, including programming, database development, website design, networking, application development and hardware repair.

2. Discuss the project with the potential client, get all your questions answered and ensure this is a project you can do before making a bid.

3. Prepare your portfolio and resume, showcasing past projects most closely related to the one you will soon bid on. Some freelance websites allow its members to create a profile, which could replace the resume, and upload files for potential clients to review. If you do not have any relevant work to show, consider completing similar projects on your own first or volunteer to do some work for a local charity.

4. Calculate your hourly freelance rate, which should be much different from your rate as a regular employee. Calculate your monthly expenses to determine how much money you need to make per month to cover your expenses and have money left over to meet savings goals and profit. Include payments for self-employment tax, health insurance and any other estimated business expenses. Divide this number by the number of billable hours you can work in a typical month. Factor in holidays, vacation days and sick time. This is your hourly rate.

5. Estimate how many hours you will need to complete the specific computer project. Multiply this number by your hourly rate to get your bid for the computer project.

6. Research the going rate for similar projects, and compare what you find with the rate you calculated for yourself. The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers plenty of information regarding employer costs and employee compensation. Adjust your rate if necessary to remain competitive.

7. Prepare your proposal, which should include details of how you will complete the project, your price and payment terms. Submit your proposal to the potential client. Freelance websites make this process easy. Click "Bid" on the project description page to display the proposal page. Complete all required fields and click "OK."

Tips & Warnings

• Keep track of time spent on each project and detailed notes for why each project took that long. Once you have completed several projects, calculate your average time spent and use this number as the basis for estimating time needed for similar projects.

• If you are new to a freelance website, you may need to bid low until you build up your profile, reviews and reputation on the new site.

References

• iFreelance
• United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
• United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics: National Compensation Survey
• United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employee Benefits in Private Industry

Resources

• Freelance Switch: Hourly Rate Calculator