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Strategic Engineering Evaluation
Engineering Delivery Models & TCO Comparison
An objective comparison of in-house recruitment, marketplace freelancers, legacy consultancies, and dedicated engineering pods by Shrimad Inc.
| Evaluation Vector | In-House Team | Freelancer Marketplaces | Legacy Big-4 Agency | Shrimad Inc. Dedicated Pod |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to First Sprint | 8–12 Weeks (Hiring + Ramp) | 1–2 Weeks (Vetting Risk) | 4–6 Weeks (Discovery Billing) | ✓ 48–72 Hours |
| Recruitment & Overhead Fees | $15k–$30k per engineer | Platform fees (10–20%) | Heavy partner margins | ✓ $0 (Zero overhead) |
| IP & Code Ownership | 100% Owned | Variable / Ambiguous | Often licensing lock-in | ✓ 100% Client-Owned |
| Cross-Disciplinary Pod | Requires 5+ separate hires | Disjointed communication | Yes (Billed high per head) | ✓ Integrated (UI/UX + Full-Stack + QA + DevOps) |
| Turnover & Continuity Risk | High (Job hopping) | Severe (Ghosting risk) | Junior staff rotation | ✓ 100% Redundant Pod SLAs |
| Performance SLA | Internal responsibility | Rarely guaranteed | Contractual minimums | ✓ 120 FPS & Core Web Vitals SLA |
Interactive 12-Month Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Calculate the real annualized cost including salary, benefits, recruitment, management overhead, and infrastructure.
In-House Cost
$180,000
Big-4 Agency
$240,000
Shrimad Inc. Pod
$54,000
Save ~$126,000 (70%)