A CV is not a capability statement
Technical recruitment fails on definition more often than on supply. A brief for a "network engineer" can mean someone who pulls cable or someone who leads a network programme, and by the time that is discovered the candidate is on site and the week is lost.
We resolve every brief against a seven-tier capability framework before sourcing starts, so both sides know the scope, the autonomy level and the rate band being discussed. Candidates come from our live pool - direct and vendor - and pass two-stage vetting: a screen plus a technical assessment, with a minimum of two references verified.
Because the same company employs 8,000+ workers doing this work, we know what the roles actually require. The person assessing your network engineer candidate manages network engineers.
What we recruit for
Six role families. Where a role sits outside these, we will say so rather than sending approximate candidates.
Network
Network - transmission & wireless
End-user computing & ITSM
Cyber security
Cloud, server & storage
Programme & delivery
T0 to T6, so the brief resolves
The ladder below is applied per role family. It is the first thing we agree on a brief and the reference point for every rate conversation afterwards.
T1 to T4 is our standing, directly-employed workforce - available now, on our payroll, in the country where the work is. T5 and T6 are senior workers deployed on a project basis against a defined scope.
Three disciplines behind every placement
Delivery discipline
Fulfilment run as a service with commitments, not as a best-efforts search.
Sourcing & matching
A live pool plus structured matching, rather than a keyword search against a job board.
Account & compliance
The obligations that come with contingent and cross-border hiring, owned by us.
Five ways to engage, and what each takes
| MODEL | PROCESS SUMMARY | TIMELINE |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent placement | Brief agreed and tiered → sourced from pool and market → two-stage screen → shortlist of 3 to 5 → client interview → offer → start | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Contract / contingent | Brief agreed → database plus boards → phone screen → CV submission → client interview → timesheet setup | 5 to 10 days |
| Contract-to-hire | Engaged on contract with an agreed conversion option and conversion terms fixed up front | 12 to 26 weeks to conversion |
| Managed on-site workforce | Cogent supplies and manages a defined team under statement of work, with a named delivery manager | Continuous, monthly billing |
| Employer of record | Compliant in-country engagement where you have no legal entity, including contracts, benefits and filings | 10 working days to set up |
Sub-options within contract and managed models: 1 to 5 days per week, half-day patterns, and visit frequencies of weekly, or one, two or three times per month. All engagements are IR35-assessed with a status determination statement; permanent placements carry a 12-week replacement guarantee.
Two phases, seven steps
Background verification is not an add-on
Every candidate we place passes screening inside Cogent OS before their first day. There is no cheaper unscreened option, because our clients are regulated and our workers hold site clearances that cannot be taken on trust.
The check set is agreed per role and jurisdiction from six elements: identity, residence history, employment verification, education verification, criminal record, and risk-banded drug testing. Results, evidence and expiry dates live on the worker record, so clearance status is operational data that blocks scheduling when it lapses.
What we commit to
| SERVICE LEVEL | COMMITMENT | MEASURED AS |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent placement | Shortlist of 3 to 5 qualified candidates, 4 to 6 weeks to start date | Days from signed brief to accepted offer |
| Contract / contingent | CV submission against brief, 5 to 10 days to start | Days from brief to worker on site |
| Employer of record setup | 10 working days to a compliant engagement in-country | Days from instruction to first contracted day |
| Replacement guarantee | 12 weeks on permanent placements | Free replacement where a placement leaves inside the period |
| Timesheet to invoice | Weekly cadence - submit, approve, invoice | Approval rate and days to invoice |
| AWR tracking | 12-week qualifying period tracked per placement | Placement-level compliance record |
| Escalation turnaround | 72 hours on action items at every escalation level | Hours from raise to documented action |
Measured in Cogent OS, reported monthly, reviewed at QBR. Where a market or a role makes a commitment unrealistic we say so at scoping rather than signing and missing it.
Fulfilment, measured
A comparable engagement
A network build and commissioning programme needed network field engineers, network leads and IP engineers across six countries inside a fixed programme window. Local agencies could supply in two of those countries and had no credible answer for the rest, and screening standards varied enough that the client could not evidence a consistent vetting position to its own customer.
We resolved each requirement against the T0-T6 framework so the programme knew exactly which tier it was buying per role, sourced from our standing workforce where tiers T1 to T4 matched and recruited T5 and T6 specialists into the programme. Every worker passed the same screening set in Cogent OS regardless of country, with clearance expiry enforced at scheduling.
The client received one consolidated view of the deployed workforce with clearance status per person, and a single invoice across all six countries. Where a country fell outside our entity footprint we engaged through employer of record rather than brokering the placement.
Anonymised by agreement. Client names available under NDA.
Questions buyers ask
What does two-stage vetting actually involve?
A structured screen against the tier definition - experience, certifications, clearance position, availability and rate expectation - followed by a technical assessment conducted by someone who manages that discipline in our own delivery organisation. We also verify a minimum of two references before shortlisting. You receive the assessment notes with the shortlist, not just a CV.
Is the 12-week replacement guarantee real?
Yes, on permanent placements. If a placement leaves or is terminated for performance inside twelve weeks of the start date, we source a replacement at no further fee. The commitment is written into the terms rather than offered verbally, and it is the reason we would rather present three well-assessed candidates than fifteen approximate ones.
Can you handle security clearances?
We coordinate DBS and international equivalents as standard, and SC and DV where the role and sponsor allow. Clearance takes as long as the issuing body takes, so we are explicit at briefing about what is realistic - and where a cleared worker is genuinely needed on a date, we look first at our standing workforce, where clearances already exist and are tracked with expiry dates.
How do you handle IR35 and AWR?
Every engagement is IR35-assessed with a status determination statement issued and held on the record. AWR qualifying periods are tracked per placement from day one, with the twelve-week point flagged before it arrives rather than discovered afterwards. Where we are the employer, the obligation sits with us.
Do you work through our VMS or preferred-supplier framework?
Yes. We integrate with VMS platforms and operate within preferred-supplier arrangements, submitting through your process and reporting in your format. Where the framework limits what we can commit to - on screening standards, for example - we will tell you which of our normal commitments does not survive the framework.
Other service lines in this practice
Got roles to fill?
Send us the briefs. We will tier them, tell you which are on the bench now and which need sourcing, and come back with a realistic date per role.