Question 1

What is a Global Capability Centre?

Accepted Answer

A Global Capability Centre is an offshore entity owned by a company itself, staffed with its own employees, that runs engineering, data, finance, customer or operations work for the global business. Unlike outsourcing, the company keeps the entity, the IP, the roadmap and the people.

Question 2

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

10 to 14 weeks for a 15 to 25 person pilot; 9 to 12 months for a 100-plus person centre at steady state with a full leadership layer. Incorporation itself is only 4 to 6 weeks and runs in parallel with hiring.

Question 3

What is the minimum viable size?

Accepted Answer

Around 25 to 30 people for a wholly owned entity. Below that, fixed compliance and leadership costs per head make a managed or BOT structure the better economics until you grow.

Question 4

What does the scoping call cover?

Accepted Answer

Forty-five minutes on the capability you want to move, the realistic talent pool for those specific role profiles, an indicative cost range, and the model that fits your horizon. There is no charge and no obligation.

Question 5

Do you work with mid-market companies, not just enterprises?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mid-market firms in the USD 100 million to 1 billion revenue band are among the fastest-growing segments of India's GCC market. The models differ — managed and BOT structures usually suit better than greenfield at that scale — but the outcome does not.

Question 6

What does a GCC in India cost per person?

Accepted Answer

Roughly USD 30,000 to 45,000 per engineer per year fully loaded in a tier-one city, and USD 17,000 to 24,000 for operations roles. That covers salary, variable pay, statutory benefits, workspace, IT, amortised recruitment and allocated compliance.

Question 7

How do you charge?

Accepted Answer

Open book. You see the salary, the seat cost and our fee as separate lines. Build-Operate-Transfer carries a build-phase fee and a pre-agreed transfer consideration; managed engagements are cost-plus; advisory-only work is fixed fee.

Question 8

What one-time costs should we budget?

Accepted Answer

USD 120,000 to 250,000 for a wholly owned subsidiary, covering incorporation and legal, leadership search, fit-out or deposits, devices and security readiness. Add parallel running — the period where both the old and new teams are paid — which is often the largest single item.

Question 9

What savings are realistic?

Accepted Answer

55% to 70% against a US baseline in the first two years, improving as the centre matures. 50% to 65% against UK, Western European or Australian baselines. Anyone promising 80% is modelling on gross salary and ignoring the rest.

Question 10

Whose brand do you hire under?

Accepted Answer

Yours. Candidates interview for your company, hear your product story from your leaders and join something they can describe with pride. We never position roles as staffing or contract work at any stage.

Question 11

Who makes the final hiring decision?

Accepted Answer

You do. We source, screen, structure the interview loop and manage offers, but your panel makes every hiring call. Outsourcing that decision is how centres end up with people the parent organisation does not trust.

Question 12

What attrition should we expect?

Accepted Answer

18% to 25% in Bengaluru and Delhi NCR, 14% to 20% in Hyderabad and Pune, 12% to 17% in Chennai, and 9% to 14% in tier-two cities. The strongest lever on attrition is not compensation — it is whether the centre owns work that matters.

Question 13

How do you handle notice periods?

Accepted Answer

Notice periods of 30 to 90 days are normal and commonly enforced in India. We manage candidates actively through that window, because offer-to-join drop-off during a long notice period is a real risk that good process substantially reduces.

Question 14

Who owns the IP created in the centre?

Accepted Answer

You do. In a wholly owned subsidiary it vests in your entity through employment contracts. In managed or BOT structures it is assigned by contract, with matching assignment clauses in individual employment agreements so the chain holds up under future diligence.

Question 15

How is a captive centre taxed in India?

Accepted Answer

Typically as a cost-plus service provider, with a margin benchmarked against comparable Indian companies and documented annually in a transfer pricing study. Your precise position depends on structure and activity — confirm it with qualified Indian tax advisers before incorporation.

Question 16

What happens if we want to shut the centre down?

Accepted Answer

Plan for it at the start. Indian notice periods, severance norms and lease break clauses differ from what most parent companies assume. Managed and extended-team structures exit on contractual notice; a wholly owned entity requires a formal wind-down.

Question 17

Can our security team audit the setup?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and they should. We build an evidence pack covering network, identity, endpoint, physical access and data handling, designed for your internal audit and for client audits. Bring your CISO in during week two rather than week sixteen.

Question 18

Is this legal and tax advice?

Accepted Answer

No. Everything on this site is general guidance based on how these programmes typically work. Your specific structure, tax position and compliance obligations should be confirmed with qualified Indian legal counsel and a chartered accountant, which we help you appoint.

Questions and answers

Getting started

Cost and commercials

Talent and operations

Legal, tax and risk