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Fractional COO proposal

Pricing, terms and how to start

Transparent pricing and straightforward terms. Every engagement starts with a scope call, then a written proposal you can take to your board.

Pricing

Three ways to engage, priced plainly

Rates depend on the depth of the mandate and are confirmed in a written proposal before any commitment. All prices exclude VAT.

Engagement

Advisory retainer

£1,500–£2,500 / month

Board advisory and Non-Executive Director mandates

A fixed monthly advisory commitment: board meetings, scheduled reviews and reasonable access between them. Suited to boards that want operational scrutiny without an embedded executive.

  • Board meeting preparation and attendance
  • Monthly operational review
  • Access for ad-hoc questions between sessions
  • Quarterly deep-dive on one operational area
Scope this engagement

Most common

Fractional COO

£900–£1,200 / day, 1–3 days per week

Scaling technology and manufacturing businesses

An embedded executive role on a retained weekly cadence. I hold the operating plan, lead the operational functions and own delivery — not advise from the sidelines.

  • Operating plan ownership and weekly leadership cadence
  • Direct leadership of operational functions
  • Availability for critical issues between committed days
  • Board and investor reporting
  • Defined outcomes and measurable KPIs
Scope this engagement

Engagement

Interim COO

£900–£1,300 / day, 4–5 days per week

Urgent turnarounds, transitions and scale-up sprints

A full-time executive mandate for a defined period — turnaround, post-raise scale-up, or covering a leadership gap with the job actually done, not held in stasis.

  • Full executive ownership of operations
  • Rapid diagnostic and stabilisation plan
  • Recruitment of the permanent successor where required
  • Structured handover and knowledge transfer
Scope this engagement

Engagement terms

The terms, up front

No surprises in the small print — the commercial terms are part of the proposal conversation from the start.

Minimum commitment
Fractional and advisory retainers run on an initial three-month commitment, then roll monthly. Interim mandates are fixed-term by agreement, reviewed monthly.
Notice period
One month's written notice on either side after the initial commitment. Interim mandates carry a two-week handover clause to protect continuity.
Invoicing and payment
Retainers are invoiced monthly in advance; day-rate work monthly in arrears. Payment terms are 14 days. GJM Consultants Ltd is a UK limited company (No. 17333662) and operates outside IR35 where the working arrangements support it.
Availability between days
Committed days are the working relationship; genuine urgencies between them are covered. This is leadership with continuity, not a hotline.
Conflicts and confidentiality
NDA and IP assignment are standard before any engagement begins. I hold no conflicting mandates in the same market at the same time.
Travel and on-site time
On-site days are expected where the operation is physical — manufacturing, fulfilment and audits need presence. Reasonable travel is included for UK engagements; international travel is agreed in advance.

IR35

Where a fractional COO engagement sits for IR35

Engagements are contracted business-to-business through GJM Consultants Ltd (No. 17333662). The working practices below are what support an outside-IR35 position — status is assessed properly at the outset, never assumed.

  • Contracted business-to-business through GJM Consultants Ltd, a UK limited company — not personal services to an individual.
  • Multiple concurrent clients, with no economic dependence on a single engagement.
  • Scope defined by outcomes and a written statement of work, not by supervision, direction and control of how the work is done.
  • A genuine right of substitution, with the company's own professional indemnity and public liability insurance in place.
  • Own equipment, workspace and overheads; no benefits, appraisal, holiday entitlement or other integration into the client's employment framework.
  • Status assessed at the outset — using CEST or independent advice — and reviewed if working practices change materially.

Who determines status

Under Chapter 10 ITEPA 2003, medium and large client organisations issue a Status Determination Statement and must take reasonable care in reaching it. Small companies — meeting two of: turnover under £10.2m, balance sheet under £5.1m, fewer than 50 employees — are exempt, and the intermediary determines its own status.

In practice the determination follows the reality of the engagement: outcome-based scope, no supervision of how the work is done, a genuine right of substitution, own equipment and insurance, and no integration into the client's employment framework. Where a client wants comfort, a status review using CEST or an independent assessment is arranged before the contract is signed. This page is general guidance, not tax advice.

More detail: COO models and IR35 comparison

Plain-English contracting examples

Status follows the reality of the engagement, not its label. Three illustrative cases — two that sit outside IR35 and one that does not.

  • Outside IR35

    Two days a week, fractional

    GJM Consultants Ltd holds the operating plan across two or three concurrent clients on a retained basis. Work is delivered to agreed outcomes against a statement of work, using the company's own equipment, professional indemnity and public liability cover. A named substitute can step in for defined tasks. No line manager, no holiday entitlement, no appraisal — the relationship is the supply of a service, not employment.

  • Inside IR35

    Full-time embedded interim

    A COO works four-to-five days a week for a single client, line-managed by the CEO, told what to do and how to do it, integrated into the team and using only the client's tools and processes. With supervision, direction and control, mutuality of obligation and no genuine substitution, the engagement is inside IR35 — and the interim day rate reflects that.

  • Small company exemption

    Early-stage, under thresholds

    An early-stage hardware business meeting two of: turnover under £10.2m, balance sheet total under £5.1m, fewer than 50 employees. The off-payroll rules do not apply and the intermediary (GJM Consultants Ltd) carries out its own status assessment. Working practices are still set up to reflect genuine self-employment, so the position holds if the company later grows through the thresholds.

IR35, in plain English

The questions UK founders, finance teams and boards ask before signing. General guidance, not tax advice — confirm your position with a qualified adviser.

Will my business have to determine IR35 status?
If you are a medium or large private-sector organisation, yes — since April 2021 the client, not the contractor, determines status and issues a Status Determination Statement. Small companies are exempt and the determination stays with GJM Consultants Ltd. Company size uses the Companies Act tests: turnover under £10.2m, balance sheet total under £5.1m, and fewer than 50 employees — meeting two of three qualifies as small.
What is a Status Determination Statement (SDS)?
An SDS is the written conclusion, with reasons, that a medium or large client must give stating whether an engagement is inside or outside IR35. It must take reasonable care, be issued before payment, and be passed down the chain. We support the SDS with the working-practices evidence behind the determination rather than leaving the client to assert it.
Could a fractional COO engagement ever be inside IR35?
Yes — status turns on the actual working relationship, not the title. A part-time COO who is told exactly what to do and how, line-managed, using only the client's systems, with no right of substitution and effectively one client, could be inside IR35 even at two days a week. We structure engagements deliberately the other way so the reality — not just the paperwork — supports an outside position.
Does the contract wording decide IR35 status?
No. HMRC tests working practices — supervision, direction and control, mutuality of obligation, substitution — ahead of the contract's wording. A well-drafted contract that matches reality is good evidence; a contract that says one thing while the engagement runs differently carries little weight. We keep the written terms and the day-to-day reality aligned.
How does the right of substitution actually work for an executive?
It does not mean an unknown person turns up to run your operation. It means GJM Consultants Ltd, not an individual, contracts to deliver the work and may use an agreed substitute for defined tasks — a specialist for a supply-chain audit or quality-system review, for example — while senior ownership stays with Gareth. A substitution clause that could never be exercised is a weak indicator; one that is genuinely available is a strong one.
What evidence do you provide to support our determination?
A consultancy agreement and statement of work scoped around outcomes, a substitution clause, confirmation of own equipment and insurance, and a working-practices summary. Where a client wants comfort, we arrange a status check using HMRC's CEST tool or an independent review before signing. This is commercial guidance, not tax advice — your accountant or IR35 specialist should confirm.

Downloadable quote

Take a costed option to your board

A two-page PDF with the full rate card, indicative monthly and quarterly cost by cadence, the IR35 position, what is included and excluded, and a quote sheet to complete. Prices exclude VAT and are confirmed in a written proposal.

Download the quote template (PDF)Request a tailored quote
Full rate card
Advisory retainer, fractional COO and interim COO rates, with what each covers and the commitment attached.
Cost by cadence
Indicative monthly and quarterly cost for one, two, three and four-to-five day per week engagements.
IR35 position
The working practices supporting an outside-IR35 engagement and who issues the Status Determination Statement.
Quote sheet
A page to complete with your cadence, term, start date and first-quarter outcomes before the scope call.

How it starts

From first call to first week

  1. 1

    Scope call

    A confidential 30–45 minute call on the objective, the constraint and the timing. No charge, no obligation.

  2. 2

    Written proposal

    A one-to-two page proposal within two working days: scope, cadence, outcomes, pricing and start date.

  3. 3

    Agreement and onboarding

    Consultancy agreement and NDA signed, systems access arranged, and a structured first week — usually starting within a fortnight.

Request a written proposal

A few lines on the objective, the constraint and the timing is enough to start. You receive a written proposal within two working days of the scope call.

Prefer email? Write directly to gareth@gjm-consultants.com.

Common questions

Commercial questions, answered

How is the day rate set?
By the depth of the mandate: executive ownership with P&L responsibility sits at the top of the range; narrower operational scopes sit lower. The proposal states a fixed rate before any commitment.
Can an engagement start smaller and grow?
Yes. A common pattern is a two-day-per-week start, scaling up around a funding round, a product transfer or a peak period — and back down as the internal team is built.
Is there a deposit?
No. Retainers are invoiced monthly in advance, so no deposit is required. The initial three-month commitment is the guarantee on both sides.
What happens at the end of an engagement?
The goal is always independence: documented operating systems, a leadership team that owns them, and a structured handover. Many clients move to a light advisory retainer afterwards.

More about the role itself: what a fractional COO is, the experience behind it, and frequently asked questions.