We are talking about outsouring anywhere. Not SA per se. You can be anywhere in the world.

>I am curious, is this something that can be done from outside, or do you need someone living in RSA?
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>Actually I have no idea about how this is usually done; personally I would perfer to charge by the hour, since it is very difficult to estimate in advance how much time must be invested into a project.
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>>Hi All,
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>>I need to get an idea of operatonal / logistical models and costs involved in outsourcing the maintenance and continued future development of an established system that we have.
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>>The program is a VFP9 application that uses various 3rd party tools. It uses normal VFP tables to store data. It is primarily an output system, i.e. an application that outputs the results of manupulating data that is stored in the various tables and files. Outputs are in report and charting formating. This is versus a data capturing system such as an accounting or stock control system.
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>>I dont think the system is rocket science, in fact I think it's quite a straight forward application. Really nothing very complex. Future enhancements may include convertions to SQL databases (maybe), more reporting outputs, etc.
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>>I am new to this aspect of business and have not outsourced anything before. We have hired 3rd party developers but never handed over an existing application for futher and continued development.
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>>How does this work normally? What sort of pricing models do companies use? Does it work on retainers or per hour or how? If you want you can email me directly. I am mainly interested to understand how outsourcing would work with you / your company and the types of costs involved.
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>>Thanks.
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>>UPDATE: Sorry, actually it will be for taking over several systems, not just the one. Various applications will be involved.