Buying recruiting services · 6 MIN READ
By Alivio Search Partners ·
Sources checked September 21, 2026. Examples and templates are illustrative, not client results.
Retained recruiting and contingency recruiting differ primarily in how the search engagement is commissioned and when fees become payable. In a retained engagement, an employer commissions a defined search, often with payments tied to agreed stages. In a contingency arrangement, a placement commonly triggers the fee. The actual contract—not the label—determines exclusivity, payment obligations, scope, and any replacement terms.
The better choice depends on the role and the work you need the firm to do. A difficult leadership search and a repeatable hiring requirement may need different approaches. This guide provides questions for evaluating proposals, not a universal fee schedule or legal interpretation.
Compare the work before comparing the price
Two recruiting proposals can use different labels while covering very different services. One may include research, outreach, structured candidate assessment, and detailed progress reporting. Another may focus on introducing available candidates. Neither description tells you enough on its own to make a decision.
Ask both firms to explain what happens between the kickoff conversation and a candidate introduction. Who researches the market? Who conducts outreach? What evidence accompanies an introduction? Who coordinates interviews, and how are unanswered questions handled?
The Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants’ professional standards provide a useful reference when evaluating executive-search conduct. Referencing that standard does not imply Alivio is an AESC member. The proposal and your written agreement should state the services you are actually buying.
A practical comparison of engagement questions
| Question | Retained proposal: what to clarify | Contingency proposal: what to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| When are fees due? | Initial payment, milestone definitions, balance, and any expenses | Placement trigger, calculation basis, invoice timing, and exceptions |
| Is the assignment exclusive? | Exact scope and duration of any exclusivity | Whether other firms and your internal team can work the role |
| What work is committed? | Research, outreach, assessment, reporting, and coordination | Candidate sourcing, screening, introduction, and follow-up obligations |
| Who owns decisions? | Named search lead and employer decision-makers | Named recruiting contact and employer decision-makers |
| What if the brief changes? | Revised scope, fees, timing, and pause or cancellation terms | Effect on introductions, fee obligations, and candidate consideration |
| What happens after a hire? | Any agreed follow-up or replacement provisions | Any agreed follow-up or replacement provisions |
Do not assume that a particular model includes a guarantee, a fixed number of introductions, or unlimited work. Those are separate terms to review.
When to discuss retained search
A retained engagement may be worth discussing when the assignment requires a deliberate research effort, a clearly owned search process, or sustained attention to a narrow set of requirements. For example, a leadership role may require the team to agree on the mandate before deciding which backgrounds are relevant.
A confidential search creates additional questions about who may be contacted, what information can be disclosed, and who approves outreach. Do not assume that the word “retained” answers those questions. Specify the confidentiality process and access to information in the engagement discussion.
If your internal team cannot provide timely feedback or agree on the brief, commissioning a search will not automatically resolve those constraints. Identify the decision-maker and make the role ready for the work you are commissioning.
When to discuss a contingency arrangement
A contingency proposal may be worth evaluating when the hiring requirement is well understood and your team can manage the interview and selection process. Ask how the firm decides which assignments receive attention, how it screens candidates, and how it handles introductions also received through other sources.
Where multiple firms are involved, agree on how candidate submissions will be recorded and considered. The goal is a clear process for the hiring team and a consistent experience for candidates. Resolve duplicate-introduction and fee questions through the contract rather than improvising after an offer.
Alivio’s current published services emphasize retained search and managed recruiting. This comparison is educational; it is not an offer of an Alivio contingency service.
A third question: do you need ongoing recruiting capacity?
If the problem is a continuing workload across several roles, compare a single-search engagement with managed recruiting. The useful question may be who will own the recurring work: intake, sourcing, screening, coordination, reporting, and process improvement.
Map the work your team already handles and the work that lacks an owner. That exercise helps you evaluate an ongoing service without treating a monthly fee as automatically cheaper or more comprehensive. Confirm capacity, included activities, and the process for changing priorities.
Why a headline fee is not a complete comparison
An apparently lower fee can cover less work. A higher fee does not, by itself, establish better execution. Compare the scope, payment triggers, exclusions, expenses, and conditions for ending or changing the engagement.
Avoid filling unknown costs with invented benchmarks. Build a comparison using actual proposals and your own operating assumptions. If you include the cost of a vacancy, label the inputs: work deferred, coverage costs, or another measure your organization can support. Keep estimates distinct from recorded costs.
Our guide to retained search costs explains the information that helps scope an Alivio proposal. There is no universal Alivio fee quoted in this article.
An illustrative decision exercise
Consider a company appointing its first engineering leader. The team agrees that the person must establish delivery discipline, develop engineers, and work with commercial leadership, but it has not decided which responsibilities are most important in the first six months.
Before choosing a fee model, the company should clarify those outcomes and how it will assess them. It can then ask prospective partners how they would research relevant backgrounds, present evidence, and manage the search. If the company instead needs several repeatable individual-contributor hires and already has a capable interviewing team, it should describe that different workload and compare the proposed services accordingly.
These are hypothetical situations. They illustrate how the role and internal capacity shape the buying decision, not a rule that one model always wins.
A checklist before you sign
- Confirm the role outcomes, essential requirements, location, and compensation parameters.
- Identify the search lead and employer decision-maker.
- List included deliverables and any exclusions.
- Clarify fees, payment triggers, expenses, exclusivity, and candidate-introduction terms.
- Agree on communication, feedback, and the process for changing the brief.
- Read pause, cancellation, and any replacement provisions in the agreement.
Use the sample search brief and progress report to make the discussion concrete. If you are considering retained search with Alivio, send a hiring brief describing the role and your internal hiring capacity.
Frequently asked questions
Is retained recruiting always exclusive?
Exclusivity is common in discussions of retained search, but you should confirm its scope and duration in the actual proposal. A label is not a substitute for an agreed term.
Does contingency recruiting mean there is no financial risk?
It describes a common fee trigger, not every obligation in an agreement. Review the contract’s payment, introduction, and other provisions with the appropriate advisers.
Which model fills roles faster?
The label alone cannot establish a timeline. Role requirements, candidate availability, search execution, compensation, and employer decisions all affect the process. Ask for a proposed plan with explicit assumptions.