Retainer Plans
A senior Bloomberg AIM and Charles River practitioner embedded in your operations — not a Big 4 firm billing junior rates. Monthly engagements from $5,000 with a 3-month minimum.
Three tiers
All plans include direct access to a practitioner who has done this before — not a project manager, not a VAR support ticket. Cancel with 30 days notice.
Why a retainer
Most buy-side OMS work runs into the same problem: after go-live, something breaks, a new workflow is needed, or the vendor releases a version that changes behavior. You have a 3-week implementation and a 10-year operational horizon.
A retainer means you have someone who knows your systems and can act quickly — without going through the procurement dance every time a 4-hour task surfaces.
For firms running Bloomberg AIM or Charles River, this typically covers: quarterly config reviews, compliance rule updates for new regulations, integration changes when counterparties or venues change, and vendor escalations that need someone who speaks their language.
30-minute call to understand your current state, what you're trying to achieve, and which tier fits. No sales process.
One-page overview of your environment, active issues, and priorities. Engaged within 5 business days of signing.
Regular cadence from day one. Weekly calls for Implementation Support and Fractional tiers; check-in + async for Advisory.
Typical entry path
The retainer works best once the problem, priorities, and operating rhythm are clear. If scope is still blurry, begin with a diagnostic or sprint, then convert into a retainer once the work becomes ongoing.
Best when leadership needs the current-state read first, then ongoing help executing the remediation sequence.
Best when the firm has already made the platform decision and now needs recurring support across implementation and stakeholder management.
A single deliverable, short audit, or finite buildout is usually better priced and cleaner to govern as a project engagement.
Who it's for
Running Bloomberg AIM or CRD with a live project, or about to start one. You need someone who can be hands-on without being a full-time hire.
Already live on AIM or CRD but the last consultant finished and the system has never been fully optimized. Chronic friction points that nobody owns.
A single deliverable with a defined end state. If the scope is finite and won't recur, a project engagement is more cost-efficient.
Compared to alternatives
| Option | Cost | Time to value | Depth of knowledge | Ongoing support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly consulting | $300–$500/hr | High — learning curve on every engagement | Variable — depends on who's assigned | No — ends when project closes |
| PBW Retainer | $5K–$15K/month ~17% discount vs. hourly |
Low — institutional memory carries forward | Deep — same practitioner, every month | Yes — ongoing, predictable |
| Full-time Head of OMS | $180K–$280K/year + benefits | High — hire time, onboarding, ramp | Deep — but may lack cross-platform breadth | Yes — but high fixed cost |
Rates above reflect typical buy-side market. Actual hourly rates vary by firm size and engagement complexity.
A preliminary implementation risk readout · Platform-fit discussion · Likely engagement model · No obligation · No generic sales process.