How to find work as a Contractor

[lancer360]

I have 11 years of experience and have been working contract for the past 3 years as a mechanical/ocean engineer. I spend about 1/3 of the year traveling, mostly oversees typically a month at a time and the rest of the time working from my home office. About 95% of my work has come from one client and they have been keeping me busy enough I really haven't been able to take on any other clients. They have informed me that management has decided to no longer use contractors after the end of the year, so I need to come up with some new clients. I have my own S-Corp so I don't want to be an employee of a contract firm, but I have found one contract firm that seems at least interested in marketing me for a portion of the proceeds. How much remains to be seen. What advice and methods would you recommend for locating new clients? Do any of you use a recruiter or contracting firm?

 

[TheTick]

I have worked contract for about 1/4 of my career (mechanical design). First job was by answering an ad. Now I maintain relationships with a handful of solid contract firms. I've never been completely independent.

 

[cedarbluffranch]

What your looking for is you want to be a vendor to a company supply engineering resources rather than be a contractor.

Contractors are employed by a contract house, while vendors are corporations that are contracted to do work for a company.

 

[lancer360]

That is a better way to put it. My biggest issue is most of my experience is in offshore oilfield from when I lived in Houston. I currently live up on the east coast and many of the companies I have cold called have said they don't mind using hired guns, but they need to be local.