Contingent
$0
plus GST
On placement$0
Guarantee
Specify Consulting · Fees & engagement
Three ways to run a search, three rates, and the exact number the percentage is charged on. No haggling, no surprise line items, no per-role negotiation.
Our fees are published. Most clients choose Retained Exclusive, and it is the lowest rate we charge.
Swipe to see all options
| Engagement detail | Contingent | Most chosen Retained Exclusive | Retained Executive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | 18% of total remuneration | 16% of total remuneration | 17% of total remuneration |
| To commence | Nil | 30% retainer, credited in full against the fee | 50% retainer, credited in full against the fee |
| Exclusivity | None | 12 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Guarantee | 3 months | 4 months | 5 months |
| Sourcing | Network and database | Targeted headhunting of people who are not looking | Full market mapping and a named target company longlist |
| Screening gates | Three of five | All five | All five |
| Video interview | Not included | Recorded, every shortlisted candidate | Recorded, every shortlisted candidate |
| Psychometrics | Not included | Two tests, final two candidates | Two tests, final two candidates |
| Reporting | On shortlist | Weekly, in writing | Weekly, plus milestone reports for your board |
| Confidential search | Not included | Not included | Included, with no advertising |
| On a $150,000 package | $27,000 | $24,000 | $25,500 |
A search you commit to is cheaper for us to run than one where three agencies race each other, and we pass that back rather than keeping it. Executive search sits higher again because the work underneath it is deeper. All figures exclude GST.
is what you keep, on a $150,000 hire, by giving one firm the search instead of three.
And the retainer is not an extra charge. On that same hire it is $7,200 to commence and $16,800 on placement: the same $24,000, split across the search rather than landed at the end of it.
What the fee is charged on
We charge on base salary, superannuation and guaranteed allowances. Commission and bonuses are excluded. Most agencies charge on the lot, which is why a lower percentage can still cost you more.
Specify at 16% on base, super and car
Our fee
$22,592
A typical agency at 15% on the whole package
Their fee
$27,930
Never counted
$5,338
cheaper, on the higher percentage. Ask any agency quoting you a lower rate what theirs is charged on.
Contingent guarantee
3 months
Retained Exclusive guarantee
4 months
Retained Executive guarantee
5 months
If a placement does not work out inside the guarantee period, we find the replacement at no additional fee, with check-ins at weeks 1, 6 and 12. Two psychometric tests are included on retained searches, and further tests are charged if you request them. All figures exclude GST. Full commercial terms are set out in our Terms of Business, with a detailed Scope of Work provided on engagement.
Work out your own number
Set the package and see all three models at once. Nothing here is captured, and you do not need to give us your email to use it.
The Australian super guarantee is 12% in FY26/27.
Where a fully maintained vehicle is provided and no allowance is set, we value it at $18,000.
Tool, phone, living away. Guaranteed amounts only.
Excluded from our fee. Used only in the agency comparison below.
Contingent
$0
plus GST
Retained Exclusive
$0
plus GST
Retained Executive
$0
plus GST
Compare and weigh up
A lower rate is not a lower fee if it is charged on the whole package. Uses the package and commission you set above.
Every week a role sits open, the value it should be producing goes with it.
Our commitment to you
If a permanent placement doesn’t work out inside the guarantee period, we find the replacement at no additional fee. Five months on Retained Executive, four on Retained Exclusive, three on contingent.
Scheduled check-ins with you and your new hire at weeks 1, 6 and 12, protecting the placement while it beds in, and catching the small things before they become resignations.
Fees and terms agreed up front in our Terms of Business, with a full Scope of Work on engagement. The rate you read here is the rate on the invoice.
Before you ask
You are not paying extra. The retainer is part of the same fee, 30% on Retained Exclusive and 50% on Retained Executive, credited in full. What it buys is a search that actually starts: research, market mapping and headhunting happen before a shortlist exists, and a firm that is paid only on success will always work the roles it is most likely to win first. The retainer puts your role at the front of that queue, which is why the fee is lower, not higher.
Yes. Exclusivity means one agency, not one channel. Run your own advertising, work your own network, and if a candidate you already know applies directly, they sit on a Known Candidate List agreed at the start and no fee applies to them.
On contingent, you pay nothing. On a retained search you have paid the retainer, which is not refundable. It has bought real work. What we will do is keep going past the twelve weeks at no further cost, or credit it against the next role. We would rather carry the search than argue about a refund.
Yes, and we will tell you when. If a role is genuinely rare and nobody knows whether the market can supply it, an open search across several firms is the better bet, and we would rather say so than take a retainer on a role we may not be able to fill.
Base salary, superannuation, and allowances that are guaranteed for year one: a car allowance, or a fully maintained vehicle where none is stated, valued at $18,000. Commission, bonuses and any at-risk incentive are excluded. This is set out in the Scope of Work before you sign anything.
The retainer on signing. The balance from the candidate’s first day, on 14-day terms. Part-time placements are charged on the full-time equivalent package.
Next step
Bring the role. We’ll tell you what the market is paying, who is available, and whether we’re the right firm for it, before anyone signs anything.
Specify Consulting, Building Products & Design recruitment.
Specify. Identify. Amplify.
All figures on this page exclude GST and are indicative. Total remuneration means base salary, superannuation and guaranteed allowances for year one; commission and bonuses are excluded. Two psychometric tests are included on retained searches, for the final two candidates, and further tests are charged if you request them. Replacement is the primary remedy under our guarantee. Full commercial terms are set out in our Terms of Business, which prevails as varied by the Scope of Work for your search.