Price the work, not a vague promise of compliance
Operational resilience engagements vary by the number of regulated entities and important business services, the reliability of existing evidence, the complexity of third-party dependencies and the level of testing involved. Pricing should reflect those factors. A fixed fee is useful for a bounded diagnostic or exercise; an annual retainer makes sense when the objective is continuing maintenance and governance.
Illustrative scope bands for discussion
| Engagement | Planning range, excluding VAT | What drives the price |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted evidence diagnostic | £7,500–£15,000 | Existing artefacts, interviews, services and entities |
| Managed Resilience Office | £4,500–£8,000 per month | Scheduled reviews, evidence maintenance, reporting and scoped tests |
| Complex multi-entity programme | Custom, potentially £8,000+ per month | Entities, service inventory, specialist work, supplier volume and exercise depth |
These are indicative planning ranges only, not a binding quote or evidence of an already approved commercial offering. A scoped proposal and confirmed specialist delivery capacity are required before any fee or service commitment is made.
What a well-defined retainer includes
An agreement should specify the expected number of important business services, supplier reviews, workshops, scenario exercises, reporting packs and specialist days; the client’s evidence and sign-off obligations; timescales; escalation rules; and any carry-forward arrangements. If additional remediation or live technical exercises become necessary, these should be quoted separately rather than silently added to the retained scope.
What is normally not included
Unlimited legal advice, FCA authorisation work, cyber incident response around the clock, penetration testing, external ISO certification, guaranteed tolerance performance and unbounded vendor investigations should not be assumed. A provider must be explicit about which activities it genuinely delivers, which involve approved subcontractors and which remain the client’s responsibility.
A sensible first commercial step
We recommend a short scoping discussion to establish regulatory status, existing programme maturity, priority service count and the buyer’s immediate concern. The result should be a proposed fixed diagnostic or annual workplan with deliverables the customer can verify. There is no reason to sell an expensive transformation when a focused exercise would answer the real question.
Frequently asked questions
Are these prices guaranteed?
No. They are planning ranges pending delivery-partner validation and a firm-specific scope.
Can the diagnostic be credited toward an annual retainer?
That can be negotiated in a proposal; no automatic credit is promised by this website.
What changes the monthly cost most?
The number of important services, regulated entities, critical suppliers, scenario tests and senior specialist hours.