What is a forward-deployed engineer?
Understand how forward-deployed engineers work in your repositories, pair with your engineers and hand over the capability. See the buying options.
A forward-deployed engineer builds inside the client’s own repositories and infrastructure, alongside its engineers, rather than delivering from a separate team. The client’s branch protection, review rules and access controls apply to their work. The point is that the client’s people learn to run and extend what is built.
30 minutes with James · how this would work in your organisation
The basis for this approach
This definition describes Tenhaw’s published engineering model. The PPL proof of concept is one example of pairing in practice, not a guarantee of the same pace in another estate.
The demand signal
Tenhaw’s proof of concept puts one or two engineers alongside the client’s engineers for two to four weeks. The work and requirement corpus remain in the client’s environment and the next production decision is scoped separately.
Bring the reason this is on your agenda to a 30-minute call with James, and we can explore what it would take in your organisation.
Book a 30-minute callWhy it stalls
2 failure modes we keep meeting
The code arrives without the method
A handover is harder when the client’s engineers first see the work at the end. Pairing throughout lets their domain knowledge shape the build and gives them practice running it.
Capacity is bought without an outcome
Engineering capacity helps when you already have scope and management in place. The embedded model also needs an agreed outcome, review responsibilities and a dated exit.
If one of these sounds familiar, bring it to a 30-minute call with James and we can explore a way past it.
Book a 30-minute callHow we approach it
3 moves, in order
- 01
Work under the client’s controls
Build in the client’s repositories and infrastructure, using its policies, identity and access controls. Security review and approval rules remain part of the workflow.
- 02
Pair on the actual build
At PPL one client engineer paired throughout a two-week greenfield working proof of concept. It did not go into production. The engineer’s 70% confidence at the end was one person’s self-report, not an independent capability assessment.
- 03
Choose the engagement around the uncertainty
A £20,000–£55,000 fixed proof of concept tests one workflow. Production is bought through the 90-day programme; optional continuation after it is £70,000–£85,000 a month. The senior practitioner day rate is £1,250, excluding VAT.
At PPL one client engineer paired throughout a two-week greenfield working proof of concept.
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Sources
Every source below was opened and read before it was attached. Where nothing survived that check, the claim on this page was softened rather than given a plausible-looking link.
Tenhaw, Agentic Proof of ConceptPPL, the two-week working proof of conceptOne greenfield build paired with one client engineer. Nothing moved into production and no regulatory or audit position changed.Tenhaw, published pricing and rate cardTenhaw, security and assuranceISO/IEC 42001 is under assessment; Tenhaw is not certified.The closest guides to this one
Nearest first, then the rest. Each one carries the same label: written from delivery, or the method we would bring. All 34 are on the hub.
What does a forward-deployed AI engineer cost in the UK?
See the £1,250 senior engineer day rate, £20,000–£55,000 proof of concept and the team included in £70,000–£85,000 monthly continuation.
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DeliveredVoice agents and conversation intelligence
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Our approachRetrieval, RAG and permission-aware knowledge access
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Our approachRAG, fine-tuning or prompting: how to choose
Choose the experiment that answers your knowledge, behaviour or cost question.
Our approachWhat an agentic proof of concept can prove in four weeks
Understand what a two-to-four-week agentic proof of concept can establish, what stays unproven and how to make a useful go/no-go decision.
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Book a 30-minute callWork out the next step for your team.
A 30-minute call with James Rooney to discuss your workflow, people and budget. Leave with a rough scope and a useful next step.
Agentic Proof of Concept · £20k–£55k fixed · 2–4 weeks · excluding VAT
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Describe the work
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Questions this guide answers
How is a forward-deployed engineer different from a consultant?
The distinguishing feature is how the engineer works: inside your repositories and infrastructure, pairing with your engineers under your policies and controls. At Tenhaw that hands-on engineering sits within an engagement with a defined outcome.
How is a forward-deployed engineer different from a contractor?
A contractor can be the right choice when you have a defined scope, technical direction and management capacity. Tenhaw supplies pairing, partner oversight and an agreed engagement outcome as part of its engineering model.
What skills do they need?
They need to build, test and review the workflow in your estate and explain the method to your engineers. Tenhaw’s people are senior practitioners James Rooney has worked alongside, screened before client access.
How do they work with our engineers?
Your engineers pair on the build and bring the domain knowledge and exceptions. Your repositories, review rules and access controls apply. Agree the pairing time and review responsibilities for the scope at kickoff.
What do they cost?
The published senior practitioner rate is £1,250 a day excluding VAT. One or two engineers form the £20,000–£55,000 fixed proof-of-concept team. Programme and continuation fees cover the agreed team and deliverables, rather than just one engineer.
When is it the wrong model?
When you need undirected capacity and already have the management and method to use it, a contractor may fit better. The proof of concept also requires a chosen workflow, usable data and your engineers’ time to pair.