Retained search proposals with fees in three stages
The brief, the search plan and the timetable, with the engagement fee paid on signing and the shortlist and placement fees set out for later.
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QuoteCloud sends retained and executive search proposals as one interactive document: your understanding of the brief, the search process, a Gantt timetable on Business, the retained fee as a percentage of estimated salary with optional assessments, and the fee stages. Only the engagement fee is paid on signing, through Stripe or PayPal; you invoice the shortlist and placement fees.
A sample retained search proposal from a fictional agency, Ashby Lane Recruitment, for Bellbrook Foods' Chief Financial Officer search (AL-ES-0412). The 10-week timetable runs from the briefing with the CEO and board, through market mapping, direct approaches and interviews, to the shortlist in week 6, client interviews and the offer. The estimated fee of $76,560.00 inc tax is set out in three stages: the engagement fee of $22,968.00 (30%), paid on signing via Stripe; the shortlist fee of $22,968.00 (30%) and the placement fee of $30,624.00 (40%), each invoiced by Ashby Lane when that stage is reached. Both the CEO and the chief people officer have signed. The proposal holds no candidate details.
A retained search proposal, page by page
What Bellbrook Foods' CEO and chief people officer read and signed: the brief, the search, the fee and the timetable in one document, and not one candidate in it.
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Ashby Lane RecruitmentRetained search proposal AL-ES-0412 Sample · fictional business
Retained search proposal
Chief Financial Officer search
A retained search for Bellbrook Foods' next Chief Financial Officer: the brief as we understand it, how we'll search the market, the timetable to a shortlist in six weeks, and the fee in three stages.
Cover
The client, the role, the validity
Opens on Bellbrook's CFO search, valid for 21 days, from your own retained search template.
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Ashby Lane RecruitmentRetained search proposal AL-ES-0412 Sample · fictional business
The brief, as we understand it
- Chief Financial Officer, reporting to the CEO and the board's audit and risk committee.
- Head office in Northgate, two plants, 1,100 staff; ERP replacement in the next 18 months.
- Estimated base salary $264,000 plus retirement contributions and a short-term incentive.
- A confidential search: we approach people directly and never advertise the role.
- Shortlist presented in week 6, with interview notes and referees, shared separately with each candidate's consent.
Sarah QuinnWill the board meet the shortlist or only the CEO?
Claudia, Ashby LaneBoth: the CEO interviews first, then two directors meet the final two in week 8, as in the timetable.
The brief
Your understanding of the brief
Reporting lines, the business, the estimated salary and how confidential the search is. The chief people officer asks her question in a comment, and the partner answers it in the document.
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Ashby Lane RecruitmentRetained search proposal AL-ES-0412 Sample · fictional business
Search fee
Item Qty Rate Amount Retained search $66,000 Retained search fee25% of the estimated first-year base salary of $264,000; balanced to the actual salary at placement1 search $66,000 $66,000.00 Options Tick to add 3 candidate $1,200 $3,600.00 1 report $2,800 $2,800.00 - Subtotal
- $69,600.00
- Tax (10%)
- $6,960.00
- Total
- $76,560.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Engagement fee on signing (30%)
- $22,968.00
Search fee
The retainer and the options
25% of the estimated base salary as one line, with leadership assessments and a market map as optional rows the client ticks.
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Ashby Lane RecruitmentRetained search proposal AL-ES-0412 Sample · fictional business
Search timetable
StageW1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8W9W10Proposal signed Week 1Briefing with CEO & board Week 1 to 2Market mapping Week 2 to 3Direct approaches Week 3 to 5Interviews & assessments Week 4 to 6Shortlist presented Week 7Client interviews Week 7 to 9Offer & references Week 9 to 10Offer accepted Week 10Timetable
Ten weeks, as a Gantt chart
Briefing, mapping, approaches and interviews to a shortlist in week 6 and an offer by week 10, with milestones the board can plan around (Gantt charts: Business plan).
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Ashby Lane RecruitmentRetained search proposal AL-ES-0412 Sample · fictional business
Fee stages Inc tax, on the estimated fee
Stage Share Amount How it's paid EngagementOn signing 30% $22,968.00 Paid on signing via Stripe ShortlistShortlist presented, week 6 30% $22,968.00 Invoiced by Ashby Lane at that stage PlacementCandidate's start date 40% $30,624.00 Invoiced by Ashby Lane at that stage Estimated fee 100% $76,560.00 Only the engagement fee is paid online, on signing. The shortlist and placement fees are invoiced by Ashby Lane when each stage is reached; the placement fee is balanced to the actual base salary.
Fee stages
Engagement, shortlist, placement
30 / 30 / 40 of the estimated fee, written into the proposal. Only the first stage is paid online; the agency invoices the other two.
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Ashby Lane RecruitmentRetained search proposal AL-ES-0412 Sample · fictional business
Accept the search and pay the engagement fee
2 of 2 signed
- Andrew LimChief executive officer, Bellbrook Foods Signed14 Aug, 4:40 pm
- Sarah QuinnChief people officer, Bellbrook Foods Signed15 Aug, 9:05 am
Engagement fee on signing (30%)
$22,968.00
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Sign & pay
Both sign, the retainer is paid
The CEO and the chief people officer each sign in their own block, then the engagement fee is paid by card through Stripe.
Tick an assessment and the engagement fee follows
The engagement fee is a percentage of the proposal total, set once on your retained template: 30% in the sample. When the client adds the leadership assessments or the market map, the total and the engagement fee change with it, before anyone signs.
Try it: tick the market map in the sample and watch the amount due on signing.
- One payment on signing, as a percentage or a fixed amount, through Stripe or PayPal
- Optional rows for assessments, market maps and benchmarking
- The proposal is marked Paid as soon as the card goes through
Price tables and payments: Essentials and up
How online payments workSearch fee
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retained search | $66,000 | ||
Retained search fee25% of the estimated first-year base salary of $264,000; balanced to the actual salary at placement
|
1 search | $66,000 | $66,000.00 |
| Options Tick to add | |||
| 3 candidate | $1,200 | $3,600.00 | |
| 1 report | $2,800 | $2,800.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $69,600.00
- Tax (10%)
- $6,960.00
- Total
- $76,560.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Engagement fee on signing (30%)
- $22,968.00
Accept the search and pay the engagement fee
2 of 2 signed
- Andrew LimChief executive officer, Bellbrook Foods Signed14 Aug, 4:40 pm
- Sarah QuinnChief people officer, Bellbrook Foods Signed15 Aug, 9:05 am
Engagement fee on signing (30%)
$22,968.00
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Who collects each stage of the retainer
QuoteCloud takes the engagement fee when the search is signed. The shortlist and placement fees are your invoices, raised when each stage is reached.
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30%
Paid in QuoteCloud
Engagement
$22,968.00On signing
Paid on signing via Stripe
Card payment straight after both signers sign; the proposal is marked Paid.
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30%
Invoiced by your agency
Shortlist
$22,968.00Shortlist presented, week 6
Invoiced by Ashby Lane at that stage
Raised when the shortlist is presented, at the share agreed in the proposal.
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40%
Invoiced by your agency
Placement
$30,624.00Candidate's start date
Invoiced by Ashby Lane at that stage
Raised on the start date, balanced to the actual base salary.
- Paid in QuoteCloud
- $22,968.00 30%
- Estimated fee
- $76,560.00
- Invoiced by your agency
- $53,592.00 70%
QuoteCloud never schedules, sends or collects the later stages: no instalments, automatic billing or payment reminders. The stages are part of the proposal both sides sign.
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Sample retained search · AL-ES-0412
The retainer paid the day the search is agreed
In the sample, Bellbrook's CEO and chief people officer sign on consecutive days and the engagement fee is paid by card straight after the second signature. The search starts with the money in, not with an invoice on 30-day terms.
What a search practice sets up once
Partners keep their own voice in the brief. Everything around it is written once and reused on every search.
A retained template
Cover, brief, process, fee, timetable and signatures in the order your partners present them.
Process and fee stages locked
Your search method and the 30 / 30 / 40 stages as locked blocks, so nobody edits the commercial terms by accident (content locking, Business).
Candidate-free by design
The proposal sells the search, not the people. Shortlists go to the client separately, with each candidate's consent.
The CEO and the board
Several signers, each with their own signature block and no account to create. You see who has signed.
A timetable they can plan on
Briefing to offer as a Gantt chart with milestones, edited per search (Business plan).
Questions in the document
The client comments on the brief and the partner replies there, instead of in a long email thread.
From the briefing call to the retainer paid
Six steps for a retained search, with the partner, the client's CEO and the chief people officer in one document.
Start from your retained template
The process, the fee stages and your terms are already in place.
Write the brief
The role, the business and what success looks like, in your own words. No candidate names.
Set the fee and the options
25% of the estimated base salary, plus assessments or a market map as optional rows.
Plan the timetable
Adjust the weeks and milestones in the Gantt chart for this search (Business).
Send it to every signer
The CEO and the chief people officer each get their own link and signature block.
Signed and paid
The engagement fee is paid on signing; you invoice the shortlist and placement fees later.
Retained search questions
Can a client pay a retained search engagement fee online when they sign?
Yes, from the Essentials plan. Connect Stripe or PayPal, then set the payment on your retained template as a percentage of the proposal total, such as 30%, or as a fixed amount. The client pays by card straight after the last signer signs, and the proposal is marked Paid. Only that one payment is taken on signing.
Does QuoteCloud invoice the shortlist and placement fees?
No. The shortlist and placement stages are written into the proposal, so the client agrees to them when they sign, and you invoice each one from your own accounts when the stage is reached. QuoteCloud has no instalments, automatic billing or payment reminders. Xero and QuickBooks are native on the Business plan, otherwise connected through Zapier.
Should a shortlist go in a retained search proposal?
We recommend keeping the proposal candidate-free. It sells your brief, your process and your fee, and goes to people who have not yet engaged you. QuoteCloud is not an ATS: it doesn't store, match or score candidates. Share shortlists separately, with each candidate's consent, through your usual process.
Can the CEO and the chief people officer both sign the proposal?
Yes. Add several signers and each gets their own signature block, signing in their own browser with no account. You can see who has signed and who hasn't, and the signed proposal carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail. QuoteCloud doesn't enforce a signing order.
How is the placement fee balanced to the actual salary?
The proposal shows the fee on the estimated base salary. When the offer is accepted, you balance the placement fee to the actual salary on your own invoice. If the client should sign the change, use Revise Last Version to send an updated proposal for signature.
Can the search timetable go in the proposal?
Yes, as a Gantt chart block with tasks and milestones such as the shortlist and the offer, on the Business plan. On other plans, write the timetable as a table or text. The timetable is your plan for the search; QuoteCloud doesn't track progress against it.
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