Frequently Asked Questions

Staff augmentation is a hiring model where you add dedicated professionals to your team through a third-party employer. The staff member works exclusively for you, follows your direction, and uses your tools. The third party (Contour) handles recruitment, employment, payroll, compliance, and HR. You get a full-time team member without setting up a legal entity, managing foreign employment law, or handling overseas payroll.

Call centers and BPOs typically manage the work themselves. They take your project, assign their own people, and deliver output. You rarely interact with the person doing the work. Contour is different. We recruit and employ a professional who works directly for you. You manage them, assign their tasks, and communicate with them daily. They are part of your team. We handle the employment side so you do not have to.

We work with businesses across many industries. If the work can be done on a computer, we can likely find the right person. Common roles include administrative support, bookkeeping, graphic design, web development, customer service, IT support, construction estimating, legal support, and medical billing.

Our operations are based in Iloilo City, Philippines. Client management is handled from the United States.

Contour Operations Corporation was registered in 2026. Our founders have over 15 years of combined experience in outsourcing operations, international hiring, and team management across 10+ countries.

It depends on the role. Administrative and customer service positions typically take 1-2 weeks. Finance, marketing, and HR roles take 2-3 weeks. Specialized technical or construction-related roles can take 4-8 weeks. These timelines cover sourcing, screening, skills testing, interviews, and onboarding.

We start by understanding your role requirements. Then we source candidates, screen resumes, conduct English proficiency and skills assessments, run internal interviews, and verify backgrounds (NBI clearance, references). We present a shortlist of qualified candidates for you to interview. Once you select someone, we handle the offer, employment contract, and onboarding.

Yes. You interview every candidate before we make an offer. We will never assign someone to your account without your approval.

Contour handles orientation (company policies, security training, equipment setup, tool access). You provide role-specific training covering your processes, software, and expectations. Your Contour account manager checks in to make sure everything is running smoothly.

The same way you would manage a remote employee in your own country. Assign tasks, set expectations, hold regular meetings, and provide feedback. The main difference is the time zone, which you can address by aligning working hours. Most clients have their team members work US business hours or overlap hours. Contour handles all the employment logistics so you can focus on the work.

We adapt to your tools. Most clients use Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Chat for communication and tools like Asana, Monday.com, Trello, or Jira for project management. We also use Hubstaff for attendance monitoring and time tracking. Your team member will use whatever tools your business already uses.

Your monthly cost depends on the management tier you choose. Self-Managed is $299/month per staff member. Co-Managed is $499/month (adds a PM for weekly reports, quality checks, and mentoring). Fully Managed is $699/month (adds a dedicated Team Lead who runs your team). On top of the management fee, there is an optional Facility & Technology Fee of $199/month if staff works from our office ($0 for remote staff), plus staff salary which varies by role. There is also a one-time recruitment fee of $499 per position and a one-time setup fee of $250 per client (waived for Fully Managed and for 5+ seats). See our pricing page for detailed breakdowns and examples.

All tiers include employer of record services, payroll processing, government contributions (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG), 13th month pay, HR support, attendance monitoring, performance tracking, a dedicated account manager, onboarding, and the 90-day replacement guarantee. Co-Managed adds a PM with weekly reports, quality spot-checks, staff mentoring, and escalation handling. Fully Managed adds a dedicated Team Lead with daily standups, QA on all deliverables, process and SOP setup, team training, and workflow optimization. The optional Facility & Technology Fee ($199/mo) covers a dedicated workstation, desktop computer, dual monitors, high-speed internet with backup ISP, power backup (UPS and generator), physical security, and IT support.

If you already have managers or team leads and want to direct the team yourself, Self-Managed is the most cost-effective option. If you want help with oversight, reporting, and quality monitoring without managing every detail, Co-Managed adds a PM who works alongside your management. If you want Contour to run the entire operation, Fully Managed provides a dedicated Team Lead who handles everything while you focus on results.

Yes. You can upgrade at any time, effective the next billing cycle.

No. Every cost component is disclosed upfront on our pricing page. The only additional costs that can occur are overtime premiums (if you request work beyond standard hours), holiday premiums (pass-through at actual rate plus 10% service charge), and client-requested equipment purchases beyond the standard setup (at cost plus 10%).

Monthly invoicing in USD. Invoices are issued on the first business day of the month for the prior month's services. Payment terms are Net 15.

Wire transfer and Wise (formerly TransferWise).

The setup fee ($250) is waived for Fully Managed tier and for engagements of 5 or more seats. For larger teams, contact us to discuss your specific needs. Staff salary is the only variable beyond the tier-based management fee.

Yes. Starting in Year 2 of the engagement, fees are subject to an annual escalator based on the Philippine Consumer Price Index (CPI), typically between 3% and 8%. This adjustment accounts for inflation and ensures staff compensation remains competitive. The exact rate is tied to the published CPI figure and is specified in the Master Service Agreement.

Your team member works the hours you set. Most clients have their staff work US business hours (8 hours per day, 5 days per week). Night shift differential (10% of hourly rate) applies for work performed between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM Philippine time, but this is already included in the salary for roles designated as night shift.

Staff follow your work schedule, not the Philippine holiday calendar, for determining which days they work. However, Contour complies with Philippine labor law for compensation. If a Philippine legal holiday falls on a day your staff member is working, they work as normal but receive holiday premium pay as required by law (200-260% of the daily rate). This premium is a pass-through cost plus a 10% service charge.

Contour staff receive 20 PTO days per year. Staff coordinate PTO requests directly with you and with Contour HR. Sick days follow Philippine labor law. Contour tracks all attendance and leave balances and provides monthly reports.

Yes. Overtime is billed at 125% of the hourly rate on regular days and 130% on rest days, plus a 10% service charge. Overtime is only charged when you request work beyond the standard 8-hour day or 40-hour week.

3 months for Self-Managed and Co-Managed. 6 months for Fully Managed. After the initial term, the agreement continues month-to-month. Either party can terminate with 30 days written notice.

We offer a paid pilot: 1 month at the full rate with a 30-day exit clause. All terms and pricing are the same as a standard engagement. If you choose not to continue after the pilot month, you can exit with no further obligation.

Our 90-day replacement guarantee covers this. If a hire does not meet expectations within 90 days (after documented coaching and feedback), we recruit a replacement at no additional recruitment cost.

Yes, through a Direct Placement Agreement. The conversion fee is 24 times the monthly management fee. For example, on Self-Managed: 24 x $299 = $7,176. On Co-Managed: 24 x $499 = $11,976. Once the fee is paid, the staff member transitions to your direct employment and Contour's involvement ends.

All Contour employees receive SSS (Social Security System), PhilHealth (national health insurance), Pag-IBIG (housing fund), and 13th month pay as required by Philippine law. After completing the 180-day probation, staff also receive HMO coverage (private health insurance). All staff receive 20 PTO days per year.

All staff sign non-disclosure agreements before starting work. Our office has physical security controls including ID badge access and CCTV monitoring. We can implement additional security measures based on your requirements, including VPN-only access, restricted USB ports, and dedicated secure workstations. See our security page for full details.

We can support HIPAA-compliant engagements. This requires additional security measures and a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Contact us to discuss your specific compliance requirements.

We follow data protection practices consistent with GDPR principles. For clients who require formal GDPR compliance, we can implement a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) and additional controls. Contact us to discuss your specific needs.

Yes. Every staff member signs a non-disclosure agreement before beginning work. We can also accommodate client-specific NDA requirements.

Contour will notify the affected client within 24 hours of discovering a breach. We then conduct a full investigation, identify the scope of the breach, and provide a remediation plan. Our response process is documented in the Master Service Agreement.

Yes. We can implement client-specific security measures including VPN requirements, restricted device policies, dedicated networks, screen recording, and other controls. Additional security configurations may incur setup costs depending on scope.

Contact us for details on our current insurance coverage. We can provide documentation upon request.

Engagements are governed by a Master Service Agreement (MSA) between your company and Contour Operations Corporation. Each staff member is added through an individual Staff Order that specifies the role, salary, fees, and start date. The MSA covers general terms (confidentiality, IP, liability, termination), and Staff Orders cover the specifics of each hire.

The client owns all work product. The MSA includes a full IP assignment clause. All intellectual property, deliverables, and work output produced by your team member belong to your company.

The MSA is governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. Disputes are resolved through arbitration in Iloilo City, Philippines.

After the initial 3-month term, either party may terminate with 30 days written notice. During the notice period, services continue as normal. The security deposit is returned after all outstanding balances are settled.

Yes. You can add staff at any time by submitting a new Staff Order. Recruitment timelines vary by role (1-8 weeks depending on specialization).

Yes. Reducing staff requires 30 days written notice. There are no penalties for scaling down.

For common roles (admin, customer service, bookkeeping), we can have someone ready in 1-3 weeks. Specialized roles (developers, estimators, cybersecurity) typically take 3-8 weeks. If you anticipate a need to scale quickly, let us know in advance and we can maintain a pipeline of pre-screened candidates. We are happy to answer anything not covered here.