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  • 1.  What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-05-2024 12:14

    Hi all--

    Suppose one wants to bid on a job that either (1) requires some particular expertise that one does not have, or (2) needs just more hands on deck because it is a big job. What are ways that solo consultants can assemble a team in those circumstances, without hiring employees?

    Thanks.



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    Christopher Ryan
    Agency Statistical Consulting, LLC
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  • 2.  RE: What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-05-2024 12:35

    One could hire others as subcontractors. This is actually quite easy in the US. Just come to an agreement for payment and issue a 1099-NEC at the end of the year to each contractor. This is essential how freelance websites work (e.g. upwork, fiverr, freelancer). You could even go through one of these sites by having your chosen subcontractors sign up on an agreed upon site. Though, the sites usually charge a steep fee.

    Of course, you may want a written contract or need to address insurance matters. For that you'd need professioanl legal or insurance advice.



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    Daniel Coven
    Research Analyst
    College of Health Solutions
    Arizona State University
    Daniel.Coven@asu.edu
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-05-2024 17:13

    To be a bit less opaque but still stick to general concepts that might apply in other instances too:  this would be consulting with a municipality regarding a service they provide to their residents. The RFP has yet to come out, but news media reports are that they are looking for a description (I imagine quantitative and qualitative) of the current state of affairs with that service, with respect to probably many indicators/metrics. And then recommendations on how provision of that service could be made more effective and more efficient. I believe I'm OK with the first part, the present-state analysis. I'm quite familiar with the data sources and the epidemiology of this topic. The recommendations part would, I believe, require operational/leadership/management/financial expertise, meaning disciplines beyond statistics and people other than statisticians. I know many such people here, but they are not currently organized as a business entity.



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    Christopher Ryan
    Agency Statistical Consulting, LLC
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-05-2024 17:28

    Hi Christopher and Daniel

    In case it's helpful, Instats (instats.org) offers a marketplace for statistical and related forms of research consulting. Just go to 'Collaborators' and filter by consultants:

    https://instats.org/?v=&exptype=consult&explistsize=81&expertliststart=1

    You can search for specific skillsets or disciplines. Anyone with a PhD or equivalent can freely offer their services through the platform, which has integrated billing/invoicing and global payment processing services in the back-end.

    If anyone with a PhD or equivalent would like to have a profile on the platform, please get in touch with me and I'm happy to help (mzyphur@instats.org). Instats also has a new tutorial and demonstration of our platform's partner features, which make creating new seminars and workshops extremely easy with our AI-enabled content builder. Feel free to check out the on-demand streaming video here and get in touch if you'd like to join the platform. We're all academics, so the platform is free to use and we never try to own anyone's IP or sell their data.

    Best wishes

    Mike



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    Michael Zyphur
    Director
    Institute for Statistical and Data Science
    instats.org
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-10-2024 11:18

    I maintain a 1099 contractors pool. Each time I meet someone who has a particular expertise that I think I may need in the future, I invite them to list their contact information expertise, and rate (or range for rate) in my contractors pool (a Google form). I generally reach out semi-annually just to share some information and/or describe opportunities on the horizon; this helps me develop/maintain a rapport with people I might hire. Each January, I also invite them to update their contact information, etc. Having a pool makes it easier for me to hire people:  (1) to do work I don't want to do, and (2) to do work that is out of my domain of expertise. Therefore, I invite people with a BS, MS, and PhD degree into my pool.



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    Monica Johnston
    Statistical Consultant & Instructor
    M. Lee & Company
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-11-2024 14:04

     If you only need additional statisticians you may also consider finding statisticians on the ASA directory of consulting statisticians . 

    https://ww2.amstat.org/consultantdirectory/  



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    Chris Barker, Ph.D.
    Past Chair
    Statistical Consulting Section
    Consultant and
    Adjunct Associate Professor of Biostatistics
    www.barkerstats.com


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    "In composition you have all the time you want to decide what to say in 15 seconds, in improvisation you have 15 seconds."
    -Steve Lacy
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: What are the various ways that solo consultants work with other people for big or complex jobs?

    Posted 11-12-2024 10:28

    ​If the work at least partially constitutes research, partnering with the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS.org) through its research fellows program allows potential partnership throughout our affiliates network of 50+ organizations. NISS is a research non-profit that was founded by the ASA, IMS, IBS and others 30+ years ago to support cross-disciplinary and cross-sector research and to advance research across our profession. 

    Prior research project examples: https://www.niss.org/research

    More information on NISS affiliates: https://www.niss.org/affiliate-program-information

    ~David



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    David S. Matteson
    Professor & Associate Department Chair
    Statistics & Data Science, Cornell University
    Director, National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS.org)
    Chair, Business & Economic Statistics Section
    Editor-in-Chief, ASA Data Science in Science
    tandfonline.com/journals/udss20
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    Original Message