A fractional CTO provides senior technology leadership for an agreed allocation of time. The arrangement can help when important architecture, supplier or investment decisions need an experienced owner, but the business does not need a full-time technology executive.
The cost depends on the responsibilities and capacity you are buying. A few advisory sessions, continuing leadership of an engineering team and interim cover during recruitment are different engagements. Start by defining the decisions that need attention, then ask for a price against that scope.
A useful proposal makes clear which of these responsibilities are included, and who retains authority for the final decisions.
Technical direction. Assess architecture, build-versus-buy choices and the technical roadmap against the business plan. The work should leave your team with decisions, reasons and priorities it can use.
Team leadership and hiring. Support technical leads, agree engineering expectations and help define the skills you need. Hiring support might include role design and technical interviews; line management needs its own explicit remit.
Supplier and agency oversight. Review proposals, challenge assumptions and help the business evaluate delivery. If the adviser also offers implementation, keep the advice and delivery proposal clear enough to assess separately.
Risk and due diligence. Help identify technical dependencies, security concerns and continuity gaps, and bring in the appropriate specialists where needed. Agree which evidence the board, investors or customers require.
Communication with directors. Explain the cost and consequences of technical choices in language the business can act on, then make sure the engineering team understands the priorities.
Compare proposals on the same basis:
For a simple budget illustration, an assumed rate of £1,000 per day would make two days a month £2,000 and four days £4,000, before VAT or other agreed costs. This is arithmetic using an illustrative rate, not a UK market benchmark or a Bit Zesty quote. A proposal should state its actual rate, allocation and scope; a monthly price on its own does not tell you how much leadership time it buys.
A retainer can reserve an agreed allocation for continuing work. A defined review can be priced as a separate piece of work. Interim leadership may require a larger allocation while a permanent appointment is made. None of these automatically includes engineers to implement the decisions.
Look at the decisions that are waiting. Is a founder or COO choosing between technical proposals they cannot evaluate? Does the team need senior help with architecture or priorities? Is a leadership vacancy delaying work? Write down those problems before selecting a job title.
A fractional role may fit if the work can be covered within a defined allocation. If daily leadership, people management and incident decisions consistently fill the week, compare it with a permanent role. Our guide to a fractional CTO, technical lead or full-time CTO focuses on that ownership decision.
Ask for relevant experience, a written remit, named decision-makers and a review cadence. Useful outputs might include a technical priorities plan, an architecture decision, a hiring brief or a supplier assessment. Agree how you will know that the work has helped.
At Easol, we provided CTO consulting advice while the company recruited a new technical leader, alongside work with its existing engineering team. That is one example of a leadership gap with a defined business context.
Our fractional CTO service explains how we scope senior guidance and oversight. Bring the decisions you need to make and the leadership already in place, and we can discuss the responsibilities and capacity required.