Request a recruiting proposal

What does a recruiting proposal from us contain?

It sets out the roles in scope, the locations, what each search includes, how candidates are introduced, the contingency fee basis and when it becomes payable, the guarantee and how either side can end the agreement. It is written for your approvers and procurement team, so the terms can be checked before anyone signs.

The proposal follows a conversation, not a template sent cold. We ask about the roles, the urgency and the approval path first, so the document answers the questions your finance or legal team will actually raise.

If you need specific clauses, such as insurance, data handling or a supplier code of conduct, tell us early. We will say which we can accept and which we cannot.

Why ask for a proposal before sending a role?

Many employers cannot share a role with an outside recruiter until terms are approved. Procurement rules, supplier onboarding or a board-level search may all require a written agreement first. A proposal lets you clear those steps without exposing role details, then start the search once the paperwork is in place.

It also helps when several managers will use the same agreement. One approved document covering a group of roles saves each hiring manager from negotiating terms separately.

If you are free to share the role now, the main request form is simpler. You can still ask for the written terms on the first call.

How does contingency work in a proposal?

Under contingency terms, the fee is earned only when you hire a candidate we introduced. There is no retainer and no charge for the research, outreach or qualification that comes before. The proposal states the fee basis, when it is invoiced and what counts as an introduction, so there is no ambiguity later.

Contingency suits most direct-hire data center roles. For an unusually sensitive or senior search, we may discuss a different structure, but only if it serves you better, and only in writing.

Our fees page explains the fee basis in more depth, including what triggers payment and how the guarantee works.

Who should request the proposal?

Anyone with authority to start the approval process: a hiring manager, a site or regional leader, a talent acquisition lead or someone in procurement. The form asks for your work email and company so the proposal goes to the right person. Phone is optional. Add colleagues later once the document is drafted.

If procurement owns supplier onboarding, it often helps to involve them from the start. Our proposal can sit alongside your own supplier forms rather than replacing them.

How do supplier onboarding and procurement fit around a proposal?

The proposal is usually the first document your procurement team sees, and supplier onboarding follows once it is accepted. We complete your supplier forms, provide the company details you need and work within your purchase order process. Searches start only after both the proposal and any onboarding steps your organization requires are complete.

Large operators and contractors often have their own master service agreement for recruiting suppliers. If you have one, send it with your request. We review it against our standard terms and tell you which clauses we can sign as written and which we would like to discuss.

Smaller employers may have no formal process at all. In that case the proposal itself becomes the agreement once signed, and it is written to be clear enough to stand on its own without legal support on either side.

Whichever route applies, the important points stay the same: the roles in scope, the contingency fee basis, when payment is due and the guarantee. Those are agreed before any outreach begins.

What does a proposal not commit you to?

It commits you to nothing until you sign. Requesting a proposal does not start a search, give us exclusivity or create any fee. Even after signing, you pay only when you hire someone we introduced. If the proposal does not fit your needs, you can decline it, and we will not chase you.

We also will not pad the proposal with services you did not ask for. It covers direct-hire recruiting for the roles agreed, and nothing else.

A proposal is also not a price negotiation dressed up as paperwork. We would rather explain our terms clearly and let you decide than offer a low figure that changes once the search is under way. The fee basis in the document is the one you pay if you hire, with no extra charges added later for research, advertising or travel unless you agreed to them in writing first.

If your hiring plans change after signing, tell us. What happens to an active search in that case, and any obligations on either side, depends on the signed agreement, so the proposal should state it in writing.

If your procurement team needs revisions, we discuss them openly. Some terms we can change and some we cannot, and we say which is which.