In the past, I have been picked up on some projects for my specialty with Groovy DSLs, GORM, and Grails infrastructure. I am a specialist in those areas, and my rate reflects that. The problem came in if there wasn’t enough DSL/GORM/infrastructure work to be doing: I would then be shifted to other development tasks, and although I am capable in these other areas, it’s not where I bring the most value.
The retainer model establishes a monthly flat rate where I just do the work within my specialty, where I bring the most value for my billable hour. My billable hours under the retainer system could be used for tackling development tasks directly, but a better use is to have them be pair programming or Q&A/training sessions, so that I can communicate the skills I have directly to your project.
In addition, bringing me on as retainer for your project brings in active e-mail support and can be a great way to drive the development of GORM Labs, Autobase, and Robert’s other open source projects.
For more information and rates, see Grails Retainer on SmokejumperIT.com.
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