Hishem Azzouz describes winning his first framework contract, then losing 12 contractors who were blocked from starting. He let them join a competitor instead of fighting it, prioritizing the relationship. He landed the contract again about a year later.
Chapters
We'd applied for the Framework and I remember Framework came, we got the notification and it was a Monday at like 9:30 in the morning and I was like, right, we're all finished for the day. I took off to some random karaoke bar. I think it was the earliest bar we could find that opened at like 12 in the afternoon and we just went on a mad run. When you're on Framework, things are different though. You are subject to a lot more like stricter margins. It's harder to negotiate rates and things like that, but It was good. There was one time I literally placed like, I had 12 contractors go to start in a service, told them we're off framework, off framework, off framework, all of that. And they'd all handed in their notice, left their jobs. And then like day before they're supposed to start and it's like, we just, we just, they just won't let me. And I was like, so what? And so these guys have left their jobs now and they've all got families to feed and everything. I just, in the end I took the hit and I let them sign up with another agency because I thought I'm playing the long game here, like, I'll come back in 6 months. And I did end up getting them. Sort of a year later, I got the contract and kept the relationship with the client.
