Question 1

How long does a retained search usually take?

Accepted Answer

Timelines depend on the seniority of the role, the size of the agreed universe, confidentiality constraints and how quickly interview panels can meet. We agree a target timeline in the engagement plan and report progress against it. We do not quote a standard number of days, because a number set before the market is mapped is a guess.

Question 2

What does retained mean in practice?

Accepted Answer

It means the assignment is exclusive to HCP One and fees are staged across the engagement rather than paid only on placement. In return you get committed research capacity, scheduled reporting and a documented process.

Question 3

Who owns the candidates you introduce?

Accepted Answer

Candidates are introduced to you in confidence for the assignment described. How introductions may be used, and for how long, is set out in the applicable agreement.

Question 4

Can a search be run confidentially?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Confidential and succession-sensitive assignments are a normal part of the practice. We agree approved messaging, control who is approached and how, and limit disclosure of your identity until the appropriate stage.

Question 5

What happens if the appointment does not work out?

Accepted Answer

Any replacement or continuation provisions are commercial terms and are defined in the applicable agreement rather than published here. What we do commit to operationally is post-appointment check-ins with both parties so that problems surface early.

Question 6

Do you conduct reference and background checks?

Accepted Answer

We conduct structured references against the role competencies where this is legally permitted in the relevant jurisdiction. Formal background screening can be arranged where the client requires it and the law allows it.

Question 7

Which geographies do you search in?

Accepted Answer

We work from offices in Atlanta, Bengaluru, Melbourne, London and Bogota, and support clients across the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. The search universe is always agreed with you before research begins.

Question 8

How do you evaluate candidates?

Accepted Answer

Against the written success profile, using competency-based interviewing and evidence of past performance. We examine qualifications, validate what a candidate actually did, and assess motivation, drivers and cultural alignment. The assessment is written down and shared.

Question 9

How often will we hear from you?

Accepted Answer

A reporting cadence is agreed in the engagement plan. You receive progress updates and market intelligence throughout the assignment, not only when candidates are ready to present.

Question 10

Can you help us define the role before we start?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If the shape of the role is still open, a short leadership advisory engagement is often the better first step. It is scoped separately and does not commit you to a search.

Question 11

Will you approach people at our competitors?

Accepted Answer

Only within the search universe you approve. Off-limits organizations and any restrictions carried from other engagements are agreed in writing at the start.

Question 12

What do you need from us to start?

Accepted Answer

Access to the hiring executive or board, context on strategy and structure, agreement on the success profile and search universe, and a realistic view of interview availability.

Question 13

How quickly can you submit candidates?

Accepted Answer

For well-defined roles where the market has supply, submissions typically move quickly once the intake is complete. Scarce skills and constrained locations take longer, and we will say so at intake rather than after two weeks of silence.

Question 14

What is the difference between contract, contract to hire and direct hire?

Accepted Answer

Contract means the professional is engaged through HCP One for a defined period. Contract to hire starts the same way with the intent to convert to your payroll later. Direct hire means you employ the person from day one. The comparison table on this page sets out when each fits.

Question 15

Do you handle payroll, compliance and timesheets for contractors?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For contract professionals engaged through HCP One we handle contracting, onboarding, compliance and timesheet administration.

Question 16

How do you screen technically?

Accepted Answer

Requirements are worked by recruiters covering that domain, and screening targets evidence of the specific work: what the person built, owned or remediated, in what environment, with what constraints. Notes are shared with every submission.

Question 17

Do you verify right to work and run background checks?

Accepted Answer

We verify right to work for every placement in line with the applicable jurisdiction. Background screening is arranged where the client requires it and the law permits it.

Question 18

Can you supply remote or offshore talent?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We support onshore, remote and India-based delivery, and blended arrangements. The right mix depends on your security, data and working-hours requirements.

Question 19

What information do you need to open a requirement?

Accepted Answer

Role context, the team it joins, must-have versus nice-to-have skills, location and working pattern, rate or salary range, and the approval and interview path.

Question 20

Can a contractor convert to a permanent employee?

Accepted Answer

Yes, under a contract to hire arrangement. Conversion terms and any associated fees are set out in the applicable agreement.

Question 21

How do you handle rates and margins?

Accepted Answer

Rate guidance is given at intake based on live market activity. Commercial terms are agreed in the applicable agreement rather than published here.

Question 22

What happens if a placement is not working out?

Accepted Answer

Tell us early. We hold regular check-ins with both the professional and the manager for exactly this reason. Replacement and notice provisions are defined in the applicable agreement.

Question 23

Can you support multiple roles or a whole team at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Where the roles form a team with shared delivery goals, a managed delivery pod is often a better structure than several separate requisitions.

Question 24

Which technologies do you cover?

Accepted Answer

AI and machine learning, data, cybersecurity, cloud, DevOps, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, software engineering, infrastructure, and QA and quality engineering.

Question 25

What exactly is a GCC?

Accepted Answer

A Global Capability Center is an offshore unit that performs work as part of the parent organization rather than as an outsourced supplier. It typically covers engineering, data, security, enterprise platforms, support or business operations, and it is staffed and managed as an extension of the company.

Question 26

Do we need our own legal entity in India?

Accepted Answer

The entity path depends on the model you choose and on your own legal and tax advice. Under a Build, Operate, Transfer arrangement the early phases can run without you establishing an entity immediately. Entity structure, timing and obligations are matters for your legal and tax advisers, and are reflected in the final agreements.

Question 27

Who employs the team during the operate phase?

Accepted Answer

During the operate phase the team is engaged through the operating arrangement agreed with HCP One. Employment arrangements after transfer are defined in the final agreements and subject to applicable law.

Question 28

How is the transfer actually done?

Accepted Answer

Against a transfer plan agreed at the start. It covers people, processes, assets and operating knowledge, with documentation standards maintained throughout the operate phase. The mechanics depend on the final agreements and applicable law, including employee consent requirements.

Question 29

Do employees have to consent to transfer?

Accepted Answer

Employee transfer is subject to applicable Indian employment law and to the terms in the final agreements. We plan for consent and retention early because the handover is the part of the model that carries the most risk.

Question 30

Which Indian city should we choose?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the skills you need, competition for those skills, cost profile and your travel and operating preferences. HCP One is based in Bengaluru and will give you a considered recommendation as part of the readiness assessment rather than a default answer.

Question 31

How does intellectual property work?

Accepted Answer

Ownership of intellectual property and work product is defined in the applicable agreements. Our standard expectation is that client work product and client data belong to the client throughout, including during the operate phase.

Question 32

How do you handle security and data protection?

Accepted Answer

Access, environment and data handling requirements are agreed before delivery starts, and the center operates within your controls and tooling. Specific regulatory obligations are addressed with your own compliance function.

Question 33

How long does it take to build a center?

Accepted Answer

It depends on scope, roles, city, entity path and how quickly leadership can be appointed. We do not publish a standard timeline, because the honest answer only exists after the readiness assessment.

Question 34

What does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends on role mix, seniority, city, facilities and the operating scope. We do not publish savings percentages or benchmark cost claims. A cost model specific to your scope is produced during the readiness assessment.

Question 35

How is governance handled?

Accepted Answer

Service levels, reporting format, escalation paths and a review cadence are agreed before the operate phase begins, and performance is reported against them.

Question 36

What if we want to exit early?

Accepted Answer

Exit and wind-down provisions are commercial terms defined in the applicable agreement. We recommend agreeing them during the build phase, when there is no pressure, rather than later.

Question 37

Can we start smaller?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and often you should. A managed delivery team can prove the work offshore first and later become the seed of a capability center.

Question 38

How many people does a center need to make sense?

Accepted Answer

There is no universal number. The threshold depends on how much sustained work exists and whether the scope can support leadership, recruiting and support functions. The readiness assessment addresses this directly.

Question 39

Who delivers the technology work?

Accepted Answer

Technology delivery capabilities are supported through INXL Digital.

Question 40

Is this a psychometric assessment service?

Accepted Answer

No. HCP One does not sell a proprietary assessment product or licensed instrument. Our assessment work is competency-based, uses structured interviewing and evidence of past performance, and can sit alongside any instrument your organization already uses.

Question 41

Can we use advisory work without committing to a search?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Advisory engagements are scoped and contracted separately. Many clients use them to decide whether a search is needed at all.

Question 42

How long does an advisory engagement take?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the number of participants and the depth of benchmarking. Scope, participants and timeline are agreed in writing before the work starts.

Question 43

Who sees individual assessment feedback?

Accepted Answer

That is agreed up front. Usually the individual receives their own feedback and the sponsor receives a view calibrated to the decision being made. We will not share individual material outside what has been agreed.

Question 44

Can you assess internal succession candidates fairly?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we will say plainly when an internal candidate is the stronger option. Assessing internal and external candidates against the same profile is often the point of the engagement.

Question 45

Do you work with boards directly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We support chairs, nominating committees and CEOs on succession, structure and appointment risk.

Question 46

What if the recommendation is that we should not hire?

Accepted Answer

Then that is the recommendation. Restructuring an existing team, redistributing scope or delaying an appointment are all legitimate outcomes.

Question 47

How does this connect to workforce planning for technology teams?

Accepted Answer

Directly. The same engagement can cover leadership structure and the build, buy or partner question for specialist technology capability, including managed teams and India capability centers.

Question 48

Will you benchmark compensation?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for the roles in scope, using benchmarks drawn from our live search and staffing activity in the relevant markets.

Question 49

What is the first step?

Accepted Answer

A framing conversation. We agree the question, the participants and the deliverable before any proposal is written.

Question 50

How is this different from staffing?

Accepted Answer

With staffing you hire people and manage them yourself. With a managed team you agree an outcome or a cadence, and HCP One supplies delivery leadership and is accountable for running the team against what was agreed.

Question 51

Who owns the work product?

Accepted Answer

Ownership of deliverables and intellectual property is set out in the applicable agreement. Our standard expectation is that client work product belongs to the client.

Question 52

How quickly can a pod start?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the roles, the locations and your access and security requirements. We give an honest ramp view during discovery rather than a standard number.

Question 53

Can the team be onshore, offshore or blended?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We run onshore, India-based and blended teams. The right mix depends on your working hours, data handling requirements and budget.

Question 54

How do you report progress?

Accepted Answer

A cadence and reporting format are agreed before delivery starts, covering progress against plan, risks, dependencies and any change requests.

Question 55

What happens when scope changes?

Accepted Answer

Under a statement of work, through an agreed change control process. Under a managed pod, through reprioritization at agreed review points.

Question 56

Can we scale the team up or down?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at the review points and notice periods set in the agreement. That flexibility is one of the reasons clients choose a pod over permanent hiring.

Question 57

What happens at the end of the engagement?

Accepted Answer

A documented handover. Knowledge transfer material, documentation and, where relevant, a transition plan into your team or your India capability center.

Question 58

Do you take on fixed-price work?

Accepted Answer

Where scope is clear enough to be defined and accepted, a statement of work can be structured accordingly. Commercial structure is agreed case by case in the applicable agreement.

Question 59

How do you handle security and access?

Accepted Answer

Access, environment and data handling requirements are agreed before the team starts. We work within your controls and tooling rather than asking you to work within ours.

Question 60

Can a managed team later become our own team?

Accepted Answer

That is a common path, either through direct conversion of individuals or by transitioning the work into an India capability center under a Build, Operate, Transfer arrangement.

Question 61

Who do we escalate to?

Accepted Answer

The named delivery lead first, then the agreed HCP One engagement contact. The escalation path is written into the governance model.

Question 62

Does HCP One have its own AI platform or product?

Accepted Answer

No. HCP One provides leadership, specialist talent, managed delivery teams and capability centers. We do not sell proprietary AI software, a live talent graph, an automated scoring engine or a client delivery console. Anything of that kind shown on this site would be labelled clearly as a sample concept.

Question 63

Can you help us decide what to do with AI at all?

Accepted Answer

Yes, through a short advisory engagement that assesses readiness and produces a prioritized set of candidate use cases. It is scoped separately from any delivery work.

Question 64

Who owns the models, code and data?

Accepted Answer

Ownership of work product and intellectual property is set out in the applicable agreement. Our standard expectation is that client work product and client data belong to the client.

Answers before you ask the question twice

Still have a question that is not here?

Answers before you ask the question twice

Executive SearchHow long does a retained search usually take?

Executive SearchWhat does retained mean in practice?

Executive SearchWho owns the candidates you introduce?

Executive SearchCan a search be run confidentially?

Executive SearchWhat happens if the appointment does not work out?

Executive SearchDo you conduct reference and background checks?

Executive SearchWhich geographies do you search in?

Executive SearchHow do you evaluate candidates?

Executive SearchHow often will we hear from you?

Executive SearchCan you help us define the role before we start?

Executive SearchWill you approach people at our competitors?

Executive SearchWhat do you need from us to start?

Staffing SolutionsHow quickly can you submit candidates?

Staffing SolutionsWhat is the difference between contract, contract to hire and direct hire?

Staffing SolutionsDo you handle payroll, compliance and timesheets for contractors?

Staffing SolutionsHow do you screen technically?

Staffing SolutionsDo you verify right to work and run background checks?

Staffing SolutionsCan you supply remote or offshore talent?

Staffing SolutionsWhat information do you need to open a requirement?

Staffing SolutionsCan a contractor convert to a permanent employee?

Staffing SolutionsHow do you handle rates and margins?

Staffing SolutionsWhat happens if a placement is not working out?

Staffing SolutionsCan you support multiple roles or a whole team at once?

Staffing SolutionsWhich technologies do you cover?

GCC ServicesWhat exactly is a GCC?

GCC ServicesDo we need our own legal entity in India?

GCC ServicesWho employs the team during the operate phase?

GCC ServicesHow is the transfer actually done?

GCC ServicesDo employees have to consent to transfer?

GCC ServicesWhich Indian city should we choose?

GCC ServicesHow does intellectual property work?

GCC ServicesHow do you handle security and data protection?

GCC ServicesHow long does it take to build a center?

GCC ServicesWhat does it cost?

GCC ServicesHow is governance handled?

GCC ServicesWhat if we want to exit early?

GCC ServicesCan we start smaller?

GCC ServicesHow many people does a center need to make sense?

GCC ServicesWho delivers the technology work?

Leadership AdvisoryIs this a psychometric assessment service?

Leadership AdvisoryCan we use advisory work without committing to a search?

Leadership AdvisoryHow long does an advisory engagement take?

Leadership AdvisoryWho sees individual assessment feedback?

Leadership AdvisoryCan you assess internal succession candidates fairly?

Leadership AdvisoryDo you work with boards directly?

Leadership AdvisoryWhat if the recommendation is that we should not hire?

Leadership AdvisoryHow does this connect to workforce planning for technology teams?

Leadership AdvisoryWill you benchmark compensation?

Leadership AdvisoryWhat is the first step?

SOW and Managed TeamsHow is this different from staffing?

SOW and Managed TeamsWho owns the work product?

SOW and Managed TeamsHow quickly can a pod start?

SOW and Managed TeamsCan the team be onshore, offshore or blended?

SOW and Managed TeamsHow do you report progress?

SOW and Managed TeamsWhat happens when scope changes?

SOW and Managed TeamsCan we scale the team up or down?

SOW and Managed TeamsWhat happens at the end of the engagement?

SOW and Managed TeamsDo you take on fixed-price work?

SOW and Managed TeamsHow do you handle security and access?

SOW and Managed TeamsCan a managed team later become our own team?

SOW and Managed TeamsWho do we escalate to?

AI and TechnologyDoes HCP One have its own AI platform or product?

AI and TechnologyCan you help us decide what to do with AI at all?

AI and TechnologyWho owns the models, code and data?

AI and TechnologyCan you supply just one AI engineer?

AI and TechnologyHow do you handle responsible AI?

AI and TechnologyWhat if our data is not ready?

AI and TechnologyDo you work with our existing cloud and tooling?

AI and TechnologyCan you hire a Chief AI Officer or head of data?

AI and TechnologyHow do you measure whether an AI initiative worked?

AI and TechnologyCan the capability move to India later?

Working With HCP OneHow do we start a conversation with HCP One?

Working With HCP OneWho do we speak with first?

Working With HCP OneIs our conversation confidential?

Working With HCP OneHow is HCP One different from a contingent staffing agency?

Working With HCP OneWhich geographies does HCP One cover?

Working With HCP OneHow are candidates screened before we see them?

Working With HCP OneWhat are your commercial terms?

Working With HCP OneHow is our data and candidate information handled?