No. The retainer is optional. Your system runs on your infrastructure and doesn't need us to keep going. Most clients take a retainer because they want TPP close as they grow — not because they have to.
Yes — and this is how most clients work with us. Start with Level 1 to get the fundamentals running, prove the ROI, then expand. Each level builds on the last so you're never rebuilding from scratch.
The AI model usage (Claude API) costs roughly £5–15/month depending on volume. Your server costs are typically £10–25/month if we're deploying to a VPS. That's it. No licence fees, no platform costs, no per-seat charges.
Your system keeps running. It lives on your infrastructure, not ours. We transfer full ownership of all code, credentials, and documentation at engagement close — so you're never dependent on our continued existence.
Typically 30 days from audit to go-live. Level 1 can be faster. Level 5 may take 6–8 weeks depending on complexity. We agree a timeline before we start and hold to it.
Yes. Everything runs on your own server. Candidate data never passes through our systems or any third-party platform. You control the infrastructure, the data, and access to it — always.