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Gun.io contract options

Working with developers through Gun.io is flexible and seamless. Here’s how it all works.

The basics

Our goal is to make working with a contract developer incredibly simple. Whichever package you choose, working through Gun.io takes the pressure off of you to be a lawyer, accountant, and payroll manager in addition to your day job.

You might be wondering:

  • Does communication have to happen on the Gun.io platform? No. Unlike a “talent marketplace,” once we have an agreement in place, the developer you choose works directly with you in whatever way you like best.
  • Who owns the IP? You.
  • Is there a non-solicitation clause? Yes. It is in place on both sides (you and your developer) for two years. That said, if you’d prefer to bring your developer on as a full-time employee at any point, we’re able to waive this clause with a buyout fee.
  • Who handles agreements? Gun.io is the intermediary. You sign an agreement with us, and all developers have an agreement with us. We can send you examples of these in advance of signing.
  • Who do I pay? You pay Gun.io, and Gun.io pays the developers. We have no geographic restrictions for payments, so if your company can’t pay international contractors, we can help.
  • What happens if it doesn’t work out? We swap out the talent for someone else. If you’d rather just cancel, no sweat. We don’t do predatory contracts. You can cancel at any time.

Engagement options

1. Monthly retainer: Pre-book a portion of your developer’s time on a recurring monthly basis

This is our most popular package. It allows developers to manage their bandwidth and prioritize their work with you, and it lets you focus on the important things (output) rather than spend time tracking hours.

The monthly retainer is a great option if:

  • Your need for developer bandwidth is ongoing (3+ months of projected work).
  • You want to move fast without having to slow down to purchase new blocks of hours.

Payment is due at the beginning of each month, and you can scale up or down on capacity (or cancel altogether) as needed.

2. Accelerate package: purchase a single bucket of hours (in any amount) upfront

For shorter projects, we also offer a non-recurring package. You can quickly re-up your hours balance as needed. Unlike the retainer option, the Accelerate package does require that you keep tabs on hours used and purchase new packages as needed so work is not interrupted.

The Accelerate package is a great option if:

  • You want a quick trial before committing to anything longer-term.
  • You have a discrete project with a clear timeframe and set of deliverables.

Like the retainer, payment for an Accelerate package is due upfront. You can cancel at any time and any remaining hours can be used for the 30 days following cancellation.

3. Hire your developer directly as a salaried employee

Most developers on Gun.io are looking for contract engagements, but if your candidate is open to a salaried in-house offer, we can facilitate that. Our buy-out fee is 20% of the first year’s negotiated base salary. Naturally, once hired, the non-solicitation no longer applies. Gun.io is also no longer a mediator in the engagement, which means we won’t handle payments, agreements, or any disputes.

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