plene.ai / The bench
People for the work you win.
Scale is one of the most frequent preparation points in the pipelines we assess: in the worked example on this site, half of the open notices were flagged as needing a partner or a larger team. We work out the team while you are bidding, put it in the response, and recruit against it when the award comes through.
Nobody is hired before a win, so there is no standing cost for you or for us.
| Role | Number | Credential the notice named | Needed by | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site supervisor | 1 | SSIP, SMSTS | Contract start | Permanent |
| Electrical maintenance engineer | 4 | 18th Edition, 2391 testing | Contract start | Permanent |
| Mechanical engineer | 2 | F-Gas, plumbing NVQ 3 | Month 1 | Contract-to-permanent |
| Out-of-hours call-out cover | 3 | Security vetting | Month 1 | Contract |
| Fabric maintenance operative | 2 | CSCS | Month 2 | Contract |
How it works
By the time a bid goes in we have usually assessed your business, built your pipeline and drafted the submission, so we know the work in more detail than a recruiter working from a job description.
Size the team while you bid
For each shortlisted notice we work out with you the roles, the numbers, the qualifications the buyer has asked for and the dates the contract needs them by. That table goes into the response, where evaluators read it as a delivery plan rather than a promise.
Recruit when you win
When the award letter arrives, recruitment starts against the team already agreed. You get one point of contact who has read the bid and knows what the site needs; the search itself is run with a specialist recruitment partner. Contract, contract-to-permanent or permanent, your choice for each role.
Pay per placement
There is no retainer, no fee for the sizing work and no charge if the bid is lost. You pay a placement fee per hire, agreed before the search starts, on the basis you chose for that role.
Tell us what you are bidding for and we will tell you who you would need to deliver it.
Ask about the benchWhere this sits
The services are designed to be used in sequence. Each one picks up from the last, so you are not asked for the same information twice.
Questions we get asked
What does 'nothing is hired ahead of a win' mean in practice?
We do not run speculative searches or hold candidates on retainer, and you do not pay a standing fee. The sizing is done during the bid at no extra cost. Recruitment starts when the award letter arrives, against roles, numbers and dates that were already agreed in the bid.
How is this different from a recruitment agency?
An agency starts from a job description you write after the award. We start from the notice, the response and the team sizing we did with you during the bid, so we already know the site, the qualifications the buyer asked for and the start date. That is usually a month's head start.
Which roles do you cover?
The roles that appear in the tenders we assess: electrical and mechanical engineers, HV and busbar installers, site and project managers, supervisors with the certifications the notice asks for, bid and commercial staff, and the specialist disciplines a framework lot names. If a role is outside what we can source well, we say so at the sizing stage.
Contract, contract-to-permanent or permanent: how do we choose?
Per role, at the sizing stage. A dedicated on-site team for a five-year contract is usually permanent; a mobilisation peak is usually contract; a role you expect to keep but cannot yet fund is contract-to-permanent. The response can say which, and buyers read that as evidence of a real delivery plan.
What do we pay?
A placement fee per hire, agreed with the partner agency before recruitment starts, on the basis you chose per role. There is no retainer, no fee for the sizing and no charge if the bid is lost.
Who actually does the recruiting?
The sizing is ours. The search, candidate handling and placement are carried out by a partner recruitment agency, not by plene.ai. Any agency we work with must operate as an employment agency and employment business under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, the rules enforced by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and candidates never pay a fee.* Your contract for a placement is with the agency, on terms agreed before the search starts; plene.ai is paid by the agency for the introduction, and candidate data is held by the agency as data controller, not by us. We will name the agency to you before any search begins.
Can you size a team for a bid we are not using you to write?
Yes. Send us the notice and your intended scope. The sizing is the same exercise whoever drafts the response, and it produces a level-of-effort table you can put in the submission.
Talk to us
Tell us what you are bidding for and we will tell you who you would need, and when.
Our phone line is answered 24 hours a day by Katie, an AI assistant we built and host in the UK. She can explain what we do, take a message, book a callback or put you through. Someone from the team replies to every enquiry the next working day. About Katie.
Or email hello@plene.ai.
Thanks, we have it. You will hear from us on the next working day. If it cannot wait, call 0333 1122722.