By Jeff Packard, Founder and CEO of BizFirst (two decades on the client side of GovCon and technical hiring). Published September 8, 2026. About an 8-minute read. Corrections: info@bizfirst.net.
BizFirst publishes this guide and includes its own pricing so you can compare it on the same terms as the rest of the market. Market ranges are typical industry figures. Company-reported figures are labeled. See our methodology.
The short version. Recruiting is priced in several different ways, and the models do not compare cleanly. A contingency firm quotes a percentage of salary. A flat-fee search quotes a dollar amount. Retained executive search quotes a higher percentage with money committed up front. Embedded recruiting bills monthly. The useful question is not which label is cheapest, but what the total dollar cost is for your role, at your salary level, for the quality of work you need. This guide lays out each model, shows the real dollars, and gives you a simple way to judge what is fair.
The models, and how each is priced
Almost every recruiting arrangement is a version of one of these. Knowing which one you are being quoted is half the battle.
Contingency placement
You pay only when a candidate is hired, usually a percentage of first-year salary. Broad-market contingency commonly runs about 20 to 30 percent. It is low-risk because there is no cost without a hire, but the percentage adds up fast at higher salaries. BizFirst runs contingency as DirectHire at 10 to 15 percent, with a senior lead on every search.
Flat-fee search
A fixed dollar price for a defined single role, rather than a percentage. For a clear, well-scoped role this is often the most economical option and the cost is predictable from the start. BizFirst offers this as a flat-fee single-role search through HireSelect.
Retained and engaged executive search
Used for senior, confidential, or hard-to-fill leadership roles. Part of the fee is committed up front, and the total commonly runs 25 to 35 percent of first-year compensation. You are paying for dedicated focus and discretion. BizFirst runs retained and executive search scoped per engagement.
Embedded recruiting and RPO
An outside recruiter or team works as an extension of your company for a monthly fee, which fits steady or high-volume hiring. BizFirst offers this as PartnerHire, from $8,500 a month plus $1,000 per placement.
What it costs in real dollars
A percentage is abstract until you attach a salary to it. Here is the contingency math, BizFirst DirectHire at 10 to 15 percent against a traditional 25 percent fee. The higher the salary, the wider the gap.
| First-year salary | BizFirst (10 to 15%) | Traditional 25% | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | $10,000 to $15,000 | $25,000 | $10,000 to $15,000 |
| $150,000 | $15,000 to $22,500 | $37,500 | $15,000 to $22,500 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 to $30,000 | $50,000 | $20,000 to $30,000 |
| $300,000 | $30,000 to $45,000 | $75,000 | $30,000 to $45,000 |
For a fuller side-by-side across all the models, see recruiting fees compared.
How to tell what is fair
Price alone is the wrong test. A cheap search that produces the wrong hire is the most expensive option there is. Weigh the fee against the things that actually drive a good outcome: how senior the person running your search is, whether there is a replacement guarantee, how transparent the pricing is, and how well the firm knows your market. A fair fee is one where you can see exactly what you are paying and what you get for it, before you commit.
Where BizFirst lands
BizFirst is not built to be the cheapest name on the list. It is built so that senior-led recruiting comes at a fee you can see up front, across every model. DirectHire contingency is 10 to 15 percent, well below the common 20 to 30 percent. Embedded PartnerHire is a flat monthly fee. A single straightforward role can run as a flat fee through HireSelect. And leadership hires run as retained search scoped per engagement. At higher salaries in particular, a transparent lower percentage can save tens of thousands of dollars against a standard fee, without trading away senior attention.
Frequently asked
What should you pay a recruiter?
For contingency placement, expect about 20 to 30 percent of first-year salary in the broad market. Flat-fee search can run a few thousand dollars per role. Retained executive search is usually 25 to 35 percent. Embedded recruiting and RPO are billed monthly. The fair number depends on role difficulty, seniority, and how much senior attention the search gets. BizFirst publishes DirectHire contingency at 10 to 15 percent.
What is the difference between contingency and retained search?
Contingency means you pay only when a hire is made, usually a percentage of salary. Retained or engaged search commits part of the fee up front and suits confidential or hard-to-fill leadership roles. Retained is typically a higher percentage, but it buys dedicated focus. The right choice depends on the role, not the label.
Are flat-fee recruiters worth it?
For a single, well-defined role, a flat fee can be far cheaper than a percentage of salary and makes the cost predictable. It works best when the role is clear and does not need a large, ongoing search. BizFirst offers a flat-fee single-role option through HireSelect.
How much does BizFirst charge?
DirectHire contingency is 10 to 15 percent of first-year salary. PartnerHire Core embedded recruiting starts at $8,500 a month plus $1,000 per placement, and PartnerHire Complete from $18,000 a month. A flat-fee single-role search is available through HireSelect. Executive and cleared roles are scoped per engagement.
Source ledger
BizFirst figures are current published pricing. Market percentage ranges are typical, widely cited industry norms shown for comparison; actual fees vary by firm, role, and market.
- BizFirst pricing, DirectHire, HireSelect, and PartnerHire: bizfirst.net/pricing. Company-reported.
- Flat-fee single-role search through HireSelect: hireselect.co. Company-reported.
- Contingency, flat-fee, retained, and RPO ranges: typical industry figures commonly cited across recruiting-fee references.
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