Dennis,

Your questions are very broad and I am sure you will get a wide range of answers.

>What hourly rate range would be typical for a company to pay a high quality VPF contractor?

Here, in the northeast, the range of hourly rates is very wide. Anywhere from ~$35/hour to ~$250/Hour is not uncommon.

>What other costs would the company typically pay (e.g. travel, lodging, etc.) for out-of-town contractors?

Mu contracts all pay my hourly rate plus expenses for travel and lodging. Personally, I don't charge food to my clientes because I figure that I ahve to eat whether I am at their place or mine.

>What methods are most effective for finding high quality contractors?

Finding high contractors can be a very subjective endeavor. You can't know, fully, the quality of a contractor until you have retained them and worked with them. Many issues related to "high quality" are related to how well the contractor will work with you and your company. You can check references to try and insure a better match, but you won't really know hte answer until they have worked with you.

In searching for contractors, try the local user's group, try posting a help wanted message here or on www.foxforum.com, or in the MS newsgroups. Network with your colleagues to see who they have used in the past with good results.