Fee bands by currency
Each market page also states its own.
| Engagement | USD | GBP | EUR | AUD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | $3,000–$8,000 | £2,400–£6,500 | €3,000–€8,000 | A$5,500–A$13,500 |
| Multi-market or programme research | $9,500–$30,000 | £7,500–£24,000 | €9,000–€30,000 | A$17,000–A$48,000 |
| Dedicated researcher seat (per month) | $5,200–$9,500 | £4,200–£7,500 | €5,200–€9,500 | A$8,500–A$15,000 |
Fees are quoted in the currency of the market being researched, except in the Gulf where US dollars are the convention and invoicing in AED is available. Multi-market briefs are quoted in one currency agreed at scoping.
What drives the fee
Size of the population
The obvious one, and not the biggest. Doubling a population rarely doubles the fee, because the employer universe build is shared.
How much is primary research
The biggest driver. A market where the public record is thin and coverage is low costs several times more per name than one where it is not.
Working languages
A bilingual Belgian brief is genuinely two pieces of research. So is a Gulf brief covering operational populations.
Whether contact discovery is included
Verified business contact details are a separate activity with their own cost and legal considerations. See number gathering.
Whether a written analysis is required
A dataset with a summary costs less than a full written analysis. If the output goes to your own client, you usually want the analysis.
Refresh cadence
A one-off dataset is a project. A population kept current through the year is a programme, and is priced annually.
Why markets differ so much
| Market | Public record | Professional coverage | Relative cost per name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Strong (KVK, CBS) | Very high | Lowest |
| United Kingdom | Strong (Companies House, ONS) | High | Low |
| Australia | Strong (ABS, ASIC) | High in eastern capitals | Low to moderate |
| United States | Excellent statistics, weak private disclosure | High | Moderate — but thirty markets |
| Belgium | Good (CBE, Statbel) | Moderate | Moderate to high (two languages) |
| Austria | Good (Firmenbuch) | Moderate | High (phone-led, German) |
| Germany | Good (Bundesanzeiger) | Low in the Mittelstand | High (phone-led, German) |
| United Arab Emirates | Thin | Patchy | Highest (multilingual, primary) |
The pattern is worth internalising before you compare quotes. A fee that looks high for a German or Gulf brief and low for a Dutch one is not inconsistent pricing — it is accurate pricing.
It is also where commissioned research is worth most. In a market a database already covers well, the marginal value of primary research is verification. In one it does not, the marginal value is the entire dataset.
A seat versus hiring a researcher
A dedicated researcher seat is a named person retained monthly to work only your briefs, typically covering several in parallel. It is the model most recruitment and search firms settle on after two or three projects.
The comparison against hiring is usually decisive at low to moderate volume. A full-time researcher in a Western market carries a fully-loaded employment cost well above a monthly seat, before tooling, management time, and the six to twelve months it takes to build a verification discipline that holds up.
At sustained high volume in markets your team already knows, in-house wins and we will say so. The two models also combine well: a small internal team for the familiar work and a seat for overflow, for languages you do not have and for markets you do not know.
Why we do not price per name
Per-name pricing is common in this industry and it is worth understanding what it rewards. If a supplier is paid per record, volume is in their interest and verification is a cost. The predictable result is a large dataset with a weak evidence standard — which, if you are reselling it, is your problem rather than theirs.
We price the scope: a defined population, researched and verified to a stated standard, for a fixed fee agreed before work begins. If the population turns out smaller than expected, you get a smaller dataset and the same fee, and the finding that the market is thin is usually worth more than the names would have been.
Three extra costs worth checking
Ask these of any research supplier, including us.
- Is contact discovery included? Verified business contact details are a separate activity. Our scope document states whether it is in.
- Is a written analysis included or extra? If the output goes to your own client, you almost certainly want it.
- What does re-verification cost later? A dataset rebuilt from scratch annually costs far more over three years than one maintained. Ask for the refresh price at first purchase.
Research cost FAQs
How much does talent research cost?
A defined research project typically costs $3,000 to $8,000, around £2,400 to £6,500 or €3,000 to €8,000. A multi-market or programme engagement typically costs $9,500 to $30,000. A dedicated researcher seat typically costs $5,200 to $9,500 a month.
All are fixed project fees or agreed day rates set before work begins.
Why does research cost more in some markets than others?
Because the balance between desk compilation and primary research differs enormously. In the UK and the Netherlands the public record is good and professional coverage is high, so the work is mostly verification.
In the Gulf, the German Mittelstand and Austrian industry the public record is thin and coverage is low, so most of the work is telephone research in the local language. That is more expensive per name, and it is also the situation where commissioned research is worth most relative to any database.
What drives the fee?
Six things: the size of the population, how much is primary research in that market, how many working languages, whether contact discovery is included, whether a written analysis is required, and the refresh cadence.
What never moves it: any salary, and what you charge your own client.
Is a researcher seat cheaper than projects?
Above roughly two briefs a month, yes, and usually by a wide margin. A seat also accumulates knowledge of your templates, your markets and your field definitions, which a sequence of cold projects does not.
Below that volume, per-project is simpler and carries no commitment.
Do you charge per name?
No, and we would be cautious about anyone who does. Per-name pricing rewards volume over verification, which is the opposite of what makes a dataset useful.
We price the scope: a defined population, researched and verified to a stated standard, for a fixed fee.
Can you work to our budget?
Yes. Tell us the number and we will say what can be researched properly within it, usually by narrowing the population or the geography rather than by lowering the verification standard.
What we will not do is deliver the full scope single-sourced and present it as verified.
Are there extra costs?
Three worth checking with any supplier. Whether contact discovery is included or billed separately. Whether a written analysis is included or extra. And whether re-verification later is quoted at full project rate.
On our engagements the scope document answers all three before you sign.
How does this compare with hiring a researcher?
A full-time researcher in a Western market carries a fully-loaded cost well above a monthly seat, before tooling, management and the time it takes to build the verification discipline.
At sustained volume in markets your team knows, in-house still wins. For spikes, for languages you do not have and for markets you do not know, a seat is cheaper and faster to start.