vv
I think it's a real bad idea to charge per investigation because you never know how deep the rabbit hole goes or how far your client needs/wants to go.
Forensic imaging should be done close to cost - it's a commodity service now. It should be priced on a per GB basis plus a documentation / chain of custody fee.
Setup charges for specific services (data storage, imaging, data extracts, file copying, etc.) but charge hourly for most everything else. Your rate should be inline with your local market and your expertise. If you underprice yourself, you won't be taken seriously. But don't charge more than someone with more experience.
I'd agree mostly with uzdcar, charge per hour but would be wary of breaking down your charges into too many different categories; confusing for the client and ultimately yourself.
Also agree that a big mistake is under-charging for your services.
Hmm, interesting. I know the market rate companies usually charge, but unsure about individual freelancers. Anythoughts?
Greetings,
I started off freelancing. I did a fair bit of research before setting my rates and was pretty comfortable with the ones I chose.
I recently joined an ediscovery firm and found that their rates are only fractionally higher than the ones I set for my consulting firm.
There are two things that went into my final decision on my rates
1) What can I reasonably justify charging based on my skills and experience?
2) What do the clients expect to pay?
#2 is a bit of a surprising question, but go ask it, and then think about your rates. I think you'll find that the answer is higher than you thought.
Bear in mind if you set higher rates, you need to walk the walk. Dress well, show up on time, use good equipment, write good reports, answer email and phone calls, etc.
-David
Fees are based on the market, not your expertise. However, this is very much a reputation business. So if your expertise is not up to snuff or you don't deliver, it won't matter what your fees are.
The only time expertise really comes into play is when your reputation and references allow you to charge a premium rate over the market rate. But I would suppose you would be so busy by that time, you would not want to accept cases that were not willing to pay a premium rate.
The bottom line is that computer forensics, per se, is fast becoming a service that is going to get crowded with people selling their services based on price rather than quality, since they will be entering the field without the requisite proven expertise to charge the appropriate fees for their work. Or they may just simply not have the expertise.
When it gets to the point where all an analyst has to do is click on the "find email, find internet history, find porn pictures generate report, give to attorney", stage, the value will be in the consulting level of the business, not in the analyst level.
Sadly the above is about all that is needed for most domestic cases.
Which is where most new people start since it is the low hanging fruit.