Retained search in construction means one firm is engaged exclusively for a senior appointment and paid in defined stages rather than only on success. That commitment funds a different process: a proper brief, a full market map, a discreet approach to leaders who are in post and not looking, structured assessment, and a managed shortlist. I run every retained search personally, from brief to placement.
Retained Executive Search for Construction
One firm, engaged exclusively.
The stages of the search are set out on the method page.
What retaining one firm actually buys
The market gets mapped once. Contingency rewards speed over fit, and three agencies racing to submit the same four CVs is not a search. Retaining one firm means the market is mapped completely, once, by someone accountable for the result.
Sector credibility opens the door. Method is only half of it, and a consultant who has never priced a package or managed a final account will struggle to judge whether a leader can deliver rather than simply interview well. I am a qualified Quantity Surveyor who worked as a Commercial Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine before moving into search, so a Commercial Director talks properly to someone who has done a version of the job. That is the difference between a credible shortlist and a plausible one.
A small number of mandates. I hold a select number of retained searches at any time, which is why the work stays personal rather than being delegated to a researcher.
Honest counsel before the money is spent. If the brief is wrong, the salary is wrong, or the internal leader is the right answer, I will say so.
Where contingency recruitment still fits
In a contingency model the agency is paid only if the person it submits is hired. That makes it fast and low commitment, and it suits roles with an active, available talent pool: site managers, quantity surveyors, project managers earlier in their careers.
The limits show at senior level. Paid only on a placement, a contingency firm has every reason to prioritise people who are available now and likely to accept, and little reason to spend weeks pursuing a divisional director who is in post and performing well. On a major programme, those are exactly the people the role needs.
The test is not the job title. It is how much the appointment matters and how hard the right person is to reach.
The fee, and what it covers
Retained search is typically charged as a percentage of the appointed leader's first-year total package, invoiced in stages across the assignment. My fee is 22.5%, agreed in full at the outset with no variation later.
The staged basis is what funds the work a contingency fee cannot: the mapping, the direct approach, the written appraisals, and the management of offer and counter-offer through to a start date.
Common questions
What is retained executive search?
Retained executive search is a research-led method of identifying and securing senior leaders, including high performers who are not actively looking. The firm is engaged exclusively and works the full brief rather than forwarding whoever is available. Every search I run is mapped, researched and personally managed from brief to placement.
How is retained search different from contingency recruitment?
A contingency recruiter is paid only if the person they submit is hired, so they work at speed across many roles and put forward the people already known to them. Retained search is commissioned exclusively and paid in stages, which funds a complete mapping of the market and a properly assessed shortlist. Retained is appropriate where the appointment carries real commercial risk.
What does a retained construction search cost?
Retained search is typically charged as a percentage of the appointed leader's first-year total package, invoiced in stages across the assignment. My fee is 22.5%, agreed in full at the outset with no variation later.
How long does a retained construction search take?
A typical retained search runs six to eight weeks from briefing to offer acceptance, then notice period on top. Mapping and approach take the first three weeks, first-stage interviews around week four, with shortlist and final stages following.
Which roles is retained search used for?
Director-level, board-level and business-critical appointments, where the right person is almost never actively looking. Commercial Director, Managing Director, Project Director, Operations Director, Pre-Construction Director, Head of Commercial, Framework Director, Chief Operating Officer and group board appointments.
Start a conversation
If you are weighing up how to fill a critical leadership role, that is the conversation worth having. No hard sell, no obligation, and an honest view of whether the search is viable on the terms you have.