IR35 assessment process, contract-to-permanent mechanics, SOW vs day-rate structures, payment terms, and timeline — everything a hiring manager needs before picking up the phone.
IR35 is the tax framework that determines whether a contractor is treated as a disguised employee or as genuinely self-employed. Since April 2021, the responsibility for making that determination sits with the end client — not the contractor. If the determination is wrong, the client and the fee payer (us, in a contract arrangement) bear the tax liability. We take this seriously.
We issue a written Status Determination Statement (SDS) on every engagement before work begins. This is not an internal checkbox — it is a formal document that both the client and the contractor receive, setting out the determination and the reasoning behind it. The assessment is carried out by a qualified IR35 specialist. We do not use automated tools as the sole basis for a determination on complex or borderline roles.
If you have used agencies that do not provide a written SDS, or where the IR35 status is set by the client alone without specialist input, you are carrying an unquantified compliance risk. We eliminate that risk before the engagement starts.
Contract roles frequently convert. We structure the commercial terms upfront so the conversion is clean and neither party is surprised by the fee at the point it happens.
The structure of the engagement affects IR35 status, invoicing, and how deliverables are defined. Most quant engineering contracts run as day-rate, but SOW is the right model in specific circumstances.
The contractor is paid for time delivered — typically five days per week. The client directs the work on a daily basis and scope can flex. The contractor works within the client's team, follows the client's processes, and the engagement can run indefinitely until either party terminates.
Payment is tied to delivery of defined outputs — a platform migrated, a system built and handed over, a set of deliverables completed to specification. The contractor has meaningful autonomy over how and when they work, and the scope is fixed in writing at the start of the engagement.
Typical timeline for a senior quant engineering contract role. The single biggest variable at every stage is client interview availability.
The questions a sophisticated hiring manager or procurement lead will want answered before they pick up the phone.
Tell us the role, stack, start date and rate. We confirm within 24 hours and return a qualified shortlist within 48–72 hours.