Fairantee

Fairantee is CTE's fixed-fee pricing for executive search. An algorithm prices each role by level, function, industry demand, location and work arrangement, and the quote is locked before the search begins, so the fee never rises with the hired candidate's compensation.

Fairantee is the pricing model behind CTE's executive search service. Instead of the standard retainer arrangement, where a firm earns a percentage of whatever the hired candidate ends up being paid, Fairantee sets one flat price for the engagement before the search launches. That number is calculated by a proprietary algorithm and market data, weighing the real difficulty of the role: seniority level, function, industry demand for that profile, the desirability of the location, the work arrangement, and the hiring company's own profile. The quote is delivered before any work starts and stays locked from kickoff through placement, even if the winning candidate negotiates a higher compensation package. The commercial logic is aimed squarely at hiring committees and HR leaders who distrust percentage-of-salary models. Under a traditional fee, a search firm is financially rewarded for steering toward the most expensive candidate on the slate. Fairantee removes that incentive by making the fee identical regardless of who gets hired. The stated goal is a shortlist built on fit rather than fee impact. CTE is candid that the fixed price is not guaranteed to be the cheapest offer on the table, only that it is grounded in current market data and consistent across clients. In practice the workflow is short. A hiring contact submits first and last name, work email, company name, and the role title with its level. CTE prepares the quote and delivers it personally within one business day, with no obligation attached. The quote holds for five business days, on the reasoning that market conditions shift and the price should track current data; after that window a refreshed quote can be requested. If the figure is accepted, a brief call confirms the role details and the search launches with the fee locked. There is no negotiation step, which keeps the model uniform for every client. Fairantee sits inside CTE's wider executive search offering rather than standing alone as software. Buyers comparing it against conventional retained search should focus on one difference: predictability. The price is known up front and cannot move with the hire's pay, which makes budgeting simpler but leaves no room to bid the fee down.