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Fractional CIO/IT Director

Fractional CIO: Manufacturing IT Leadership Without Full-Time Costs

Get experienced IT strategy and leadership for 8-30 hours monthly. Scale based on your needs. 1/3 the cost of a full-time IT Director.

Manufacturing requires experienced IT leadership. ERP selection, vendor management, supply chain technology, cybersecurity strategy—these decisions drive millions in value or cost.

Yet most mid-market manufacturers either:

  • Hire a full-time IT Director (£150k+/year) when they don't need 40 hours weekly
  • Hire a junior IT person who lacks strategic experience
  • Operate without strategic IT leadership, making reactive decisions

Our Fractional Model Solves This: Get experienced IT leadership at the hours (and cost) you actually need.

What's Included in Your Retainer:

  • Strategic IT direction and quarterly business alignment
  • Vendor management: Evaluation, negotiation, performance monitoring
  • Technology roadmap development and execution
  • Staff coaching and development
  • Project governance for major IT initiatives
  • Monthly advisory calls + email/Slack access

What's Included in Your Retainer:

Pricing Tier 1: Foundation

Price: £2,000/month (or £21,600/year with 10% annual discount)

Billing: Month-to-month or annual commitment

Best For: Smaller manufacturers (£5-20M revenue) needing strategic IT guidance without full-time leadership

Hours: 8 hours/month

Included:

  • Monthly 2-hour strategic advisory call
  • Quarterly IT health check assessment
  • Vendor evaluation support (1 vendor per quarter)
  • Annual technology roadmap review
  • Email/Slack access for tactical questions (48-hour response)
  • Access to manufacturing IT playbooks and templates

What You Get: A trusted IT advisor available when you need strategic direction—quarterly planning, vendor evaluation, system selection guidance.

Get Started with Foundation

Most Popular

Pricing Tier 2: Professional

Price: £4,500/month (or £47,520/year with 12% annual discount)

Billing: Month-to-month or annual commitment

Best For: Mid-market manufacturers (£20-100M revenue) undergoing transformation or needing hands-on IT guidance

Hours: 16 hours/month

Included:

  • Bi-weekly 1.5-hour strategic calls
  • Monthly execution support and vendor management
  • Technology roadmap + digital transformation planning
  • Quarterly IT health check and competitive analysis
  • ERP/systems guidance and governance
  • IT staff coaching and development
  • Annual IT security audit
  • Access to manufacturing IT frameworks (vendor scorecard, ERP selection guide, IT-OT roadmap template)

What You Get: Your external CIO. Strategic planning + hands-on support managing your IT environment, vendors, and technology initiatives.

Recommended For: Most growing manufacturers

Choose Professional

Pricing Tier 3: Executive

Price: £8,500/month (or £86,700/year with 15% annual discount)

Billing: Month-to-month or annual commitment

Best For: Larger/complex manufacturers (£100M+ revenue) with significant IT investments and board-level reporting needs

Hours: 24-30 hours/month

Included:

  • Weekly strategic calls + on-demand tactical support
  • Full vendor management: Contract negotiation, performance review, cost optimization
  • IT-OT integration planning and governance
  • Major project oversight (ERP implementation, cloud migration, digital transformation)
  • C-suite/board reporting and IT governance framework
  • Competitive technology intelligence and market analysis
  • 3-year IT strategic plan aligned with business strategy
  • Direct access (24-48 hour maximum response)
  • Customized templates and frameworks specific to your industry segment

What You Get: Dedicated IT leadership. Weekly engagement, strategic planning, major initiative governance, board-level reporting.

Discuss Executive Partnership

Who This Is For:

  • Manufacturing companies £10-200M revenue
  • With strategic IT needs but limited need for full-time IT Director
  • Undergoing digital transformation or ERP implementation
  • Want external expertise and fresh perspective on IT decisions
Let's discuss which tier is right for you.

Real Example :

"Mid-market automotive supplier, £45M revenue. Had junior IT person managing day-to-day operations. No strategic planning; vendor contracts renegotiated poorly; no IT-OT integration plan. Engaged Bailey Associates on Professional tier (£4,500/month). Within 12 months: Renegotiated vendor contracts (saved £185k/year), implemented new ERP system, developed 3-year IT-OT integration roadmap, trained junior IT team on strategic planning. Total spend: £54k/year. Value created: £185k+ savings + competitive advantage."

Let’s Talk About Your IT Leadership Needs

Book a free, no-obligation strategy call to see which fractional CIO tier fits your manufacturing business.

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