Engagement models
Six ways to put our engineers to work.
The same teams, contracted the way your problem actually needs: by the person, by the outcome, by the milestone, or by the hour — with two models for when you need us on standby or need the capability handed over entirely.
Staff Augmentation
Dedicated engineers/consultants embedded in the client's team, billed monthly per resource.
Best when: You have the roadmap and the management, but not the hands — and hiring the skill set yourself would take two quarters you do not have.
Managed Services
Outcome-based operations with SLAs (e.g., managed network, managed cloud, NOC).
Best when: You want an outcome — uptime, response times, patch cadence — and would rather hold an SLA than a headcount.
Project-Based Delivery
Fixed-scope, fixed-price projects with defined milestones and deliverables.
Best when: The scope is known, the budget must be fixed, and success can be written down before the first line of work starts.
Time & Materials
Flexible engagement billed on actual effort, ideal for evolving scopes.
Best when: The scope is still moving — discovery work, R&D, or a system that only reveals its real requirements as you build it.
Retainer / On-Call Support
Reserved capacity for advisory, support, and rapid-response needs.
Best when: You need senior engineers reachable this week — not after a procurement cycle — for advisory questions, escalations, and incidents.
Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)
We build and run a team or capability, then transfer it to the client.
Best when: The capability must end up in-house. We stand it up, run it to stability, then hand over the team, the runbooks, and the keys.
Side by side
Compare the six models
Four questions separate them: how you pay, how scope is fixed, who runs the work, and how long it runs.
| Model | How it is billed | How scope is set | Who directs the work | Typical horizon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Augmentation | Monthly, per engineer | Open — driven by your backlog | You direct the work day to day | 3–12 months, renewable |
| Managed Services | Fixed monthly fee, SLA-backed | Defined service boundary | We operate to the SLA | 12 months and up |
| Project-Based Delivery | Fixed price, per milestone | Fixed and agreed up front | We manage delivery to milestones | Weeks to months, per project |
| Time & Materials | Actual effort, invoiced as worked | Evolving, re-planned as learned | Shared — priorities set together | As long as it keeps paying off |
| Retainer / On-Call Support | Fixed monthly reserve | Advisory + rapid response | You call, we respond | Rolling monthly or quarterly |
| Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) | Phased: build → operate → transfer | A full capability, end to end | We manage, then transfer control | 12–36 months, three phases |
Not sure which fits?
Describe the problem and the constraints — team, budget shape, deadline — and we will recommend a model in the first reply. Engagements can also change shape: many project-based deliveries hand off into a retainer.