Senior architecture thinking, without the full-time hire
Every engagement is designed to give you board-ready direction, a concrete implementation roadmap, and the confidence to execute — without the ongoing cost of a full-time hire.
Fractional SA Retainer
Contact us to discuss · Rolling 3-month minimumYour on-call Solutions Architect — embedded in your leadership team, available weekly, and accountable for the quality of every technical decision.
Mid-market organisations make expensive technology mistakes when they lack senior architecture oversight. A wrong cloud provider, an integration pattern that doesn't scale, a vendor commitment that locks you in for three years — these decisions compound. The Fractional SA Retainer puts expert judgment in the room before those decisions are made.
The engagement operates as an embedded extension of your leadership team, attending key meetings, reviewing solution designs, challenging assumptions, and translating technical complexity into clear business language for boards and investors.
What's included
- Weekly 90-minute strategy and review session
- Architecture review and sign-off on all major technical decisions
- Cloud and AI strategy alignment — AWS, Azure, or hybrid
- Vendor and procurement advisory (saves significant budget)
- On-demand Slack / email access for urgent questions
- Monthly board-ready architecture summary report
- Team mentorship and upskilling for in-house engineers
- AWS cost optimisation review — identify waste and opportunities
Ideal for
- Organisations with 50–500 staff and no in-house SA or CTO
- Scale-ups preparing for Series A/B or significant tech investment
- Boards needing technology governance without full-time overhead
- Companies starting an AI or cloud transformation programme
Typical outcomes
Ready to explore whether this is the right fit?
Book a Discovery CallNo commitment. 45-minute call. We'll tell you honestly if we're the right match.
Architecture Audit
Contact us to discuss · Delivered in 3–4 weeksA comprehensive, unbiased audit of your current technology architecture — identifying risk, waste, capability gaps, and the highest-leverage opportunities.
Most organisations know their technology isn't where it needs to be. What they lack is a clear, prioritised picture of exactly what's wrong, what it's costing them, and what to fix first. This audit provides that — documented, evidenced, and ready to present to any audience from engineering teams to boards.
This is not a theoretical review. It's hands-on, discovery-driven work — interviews with your team, review of your actual systems, and honest findings delivered without agenda.
Audit scope
- Current-state architecture mapping across all systems
- Security and compliance posture review
- Data architecture and AI readiness assessment
- Integration patterns and technical debt analysis
- Team capability and skills gap evaluation
- Vendor cost optimisation opportunities
- AI readiness scoring against industry benchmarks
- Future-state recommendations with prioritisation
Deliverables
- Executive summary — board-ready, jargon-free
- Full technical report with architecture diagrams
- Risk register with severity ratings and remediation steps
- 90-day quick-win roadmap
- 12-month strategic technology roadmap
- Presentation session with Q&A for your leadership team
Typical outcomes
Most audits pay for themselves within the first month.
Request an Audit ProposalAI & Cloud Transformation Projects
Fixed price per project · Scoped on requestEnd-to-end architecture design and delivery leadership — with accountability for outcomes, not just outputs.
There's a gap between strategy and execution that most consultancies leave unfilled. They design the solution, hand over a document, and disappear. We stay engaged through to go-live — with a fixed price, clear deliverables, and no billing surprises once scope is agreed.
Every project is scoped individually. We don't sell packages — we scope what you actually need, price it fairly, and deliver it with the same senior attention from day one to handover.
Project types
- AI integration — Amazon Bedrock, OpenAI, custom model deployment
- Cloud migration — AWS, Azure, hybrid architecture
- Data platform design — lakehouse, warehouse, real-time streaming
- Legacy modernisation — strangler fig, re-platform, re-architect
- Security and compliance uplift — ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, GDPR
- Operational intelligence dashboards and reporting infrastructure
- Third-party integration architecture and API design
How we work
Our guarantees
- Fixed price — no budget surprises once scope is agreed
- Architecture documentation delivered regardless of outcome
- 30-day post-delivery support included as standard
- No subcontracting without your explicit knowledge and agreement
Have a project in mind? Let's scope it together.
Discuss Your ProjectNo-obligation scoping proposal within 5 business days.
How every engagement starts
Discovery Call
45 minutes, no pitch, no obligation. We listen first.
Scoping Proposal
After discovery, we provide a clear scope, fixed-price proposal, and delivery roadmap, typically within 3 to 5 business days, depending on complexity.
Kickoff & Onboarding
We establish the project rhythm, align stakeholders, confirm access and ways of working, and integrate with your team with minimal disruption.
Delivery & Iteration
Visible progress and honest communication throughout. We stay engaged until the work is done.
Common questions
How is this different from hiring a consultant?
You work with the founder directly — not a junior team billing under a senior name. No layers, no handoffs, no account managers. You get the practitioner.
Do you work with organisations outside the UK?
Yes. Fully remote, experienced with UK and European standards. We work effectively across time zones with structured communication cadences.
We already have developers — do we need an SA?
Developers build what they're given. A Solutions Architect defines what should be built and why, ensures it connects to business outcomes, and prevents expensive mistakes before they're committed to. Complementary roles.
Can you work with our existing technology vendors?
Absolutely. AWS-aligned where appropriate but commercially independent. Our job is to help you get the best outcome, not to sell any platform.
What industries do you specialise in?
Deepest expertise: public sector (local authorities, NHS, housing), professional services, and scale-up technology businesses.
What does the 3-month minimum mean for the retainer?
Meaningful architecture work requires context, trust, and continuity. You won't see the real value in a single month. That said, we've never had a client not renew at the 3-month mark when the fit was right.
Not sure which service fits?
Most clients start with a conversation. We'll help you identify the right starting point — even if the answer is "not yet."