The time it takes a contractor to come up to speed depends on several key factors:

1. How well defined the role, key responsibilities, required outcomes and key relationships within your business are.
2. The level of knowledge and information available in your business to provide guidance in the early days.
3. The level and nature of contracting experience the contractor brings to the role.

All Management Response contractors are long term, senior commercial contractors who have worked in many businesses across multiple industries which gives them the focus on and ability to “hit the ground running”.

The main reasons for using a contractor include:

1. Providing interim cover for key skills and experience gaps within your business for a fixed time period (e.g., following resignation to replacement; provide mentoring, support, and guidance to new or existing team members).
2. Helping your business deliver an important project, where the contractor operates in either a project management or additional/specialist resource role.
3. Providing senior level skills and capability on a part time and on-going basis that your business doesn’t require and possibly can’t afford to employ full time.

All Management Response contractors have worked in these types of roles and are prepared to only work the hours required to deliver the outcomes being sought.

When we decide to work together, we agree:

1. A Client Engagement Agreement, and
2. An engagement plan which includes the activities to be undertaken by you and your team and where, when and how we will be involved.

Based on this plan we will also define a “review” date. If you determine there has been insufficient value delivered as of the review date and there is little or no benefit to you or your business in Management Response continuing its involvement, we will immediately end the engagement. Naturally, we would like to understand your reason whilst accepting your decision, and we will immediately end the engagement with a handshake and not charge for any services provided to that point.

In short, it’s our experience and approach that makes the difference.

Management Response’ Directors are long term, senior contractors in their own right, which brings a deep understanding and empathy for the challenges facing SMEs and NFPs. Having been in the contracting game longer than most, we also understand the concerns and potential pitfalls when engaging contract staff.

Our client engagement and senior contractor management approach mitigates the potential downsides, and ensures that you realise the full benefit an experienced contractor will bring to your business. We involve a senior manager with every client engagement who understands your business’ needs, confirms the scope of work, and monitors our progress ensuring potential roadblocks or concerns are quickly identified and addressed in delivering the required outcomes. The manager also provides mentoring, support, and guidance to our contractor. This ensures there are at least two people across the engagement to provide continuity in the event of a short-term absence, or in the unlikely event a replacement is required.

The key criteria in choosing a Senior Finance contractor includes:

1. Are they long term contractors with proven experience working in many businesses across multiple industries and delivering the required outcomes for their clients?
2. Are they a good fit to your business, both in terms of skills and experience and personality? As we all know, business is all about the people.

3. Do they have the capability and capacity, given the role and key responsibilities they are taking on, to deliver the required outcomes for your business?
4. Is this contractor option, compared with other options, a cost-competitive and cost-effective solution for the need your business has?

Once Management Response’ Client Engagement Agreement, which includes a commencement date, has been signed by both parties, the contractor who has been fully briefed by Management Response’ senior manager responsible for this engagement will get started in their role and “hit the ground running”.

Management Response’ senior manager will check in regularly with both the client and the contractor in the early days of the engagement (e.g., weekly for the first four weeks of a twelve week interim cover engagement) to ensure good progress is being made towards delivering the required outcomes and, in so doing, will identify and address any potential roadblocks or concerns. As time in the engagement progresses, and capability and performance expectations are being achieved this level of interaction will reduce by mutual agreement with the client..

Management Response’ Client Engagement Agreement recognises the Client’s wish to engage Management Response to provide some or all the identified services offered by Management Response to support them and their business. Each specific service including outcomes to be delivered will be agreed and documented in the Schedule(s) to this agreement.

The Client Engagement Agreement, written in plain English, contains the standard terms and conditions one would expect for two parties working together including each party’s responsibilities, conflicts of interest, payment terms, confidentiality, work product and intellectual property, limitations of liability and the agreement term and termination.

We also involve a senior manager with every client engagement who understands your business’ needs, confirms the scope of work, and monitors our progress ensuring potential roadblocks or concerns are quickly identified and addressed in delivering the required outcomes. The manager also provides mentoring, support, and guidance to our contractor. This ensures there are at least two people across the engagement to provide continuity in the event of a short-term absence, or in the unlikely event a replacement is required.