PMaaS gives you an experienced project manager on a monthly retainer, backed by a firm that stands behind delivery. A contractor gives you one person, billed by the day. A consultancy gives you advice and a team, usually on a fixed scope. Choose PMaaS when you want ownership of delivery without a permanent hire.
Most leaders weighing these three options are really asking one question: who will own the outcome? That question separates them more than price does. Here is how we compare them, and where each one fits.
How they compare
Who owns delivery
PMaaS. A named JJPH project manager owns scope, schedule, risk and reporting. Our PMO and delivery leaders stand behind them.
Contract project manager. One person delivers the work you give them. Accountability for the result stays with your sponsor.
Consultancy. The firm owns its advice and recommendations. Delivery usually stays with your team unless the scope says otherwise.
How quickly someone starts
PMaaS. We place from a team we already know, so mobilisation is quick.
Contract project manager. The pace depends on the market. You search, interview and onboard, or an agency does the search for you.
Consultancy. Work usually starts after scoping and a proposal, and the team is assembled for the job.
How the cost behaves
PMaaS. A monthly retainer. You scale it up or down as the work changes, with no recruitment and no permanent headcount.
Contract project manager. A day rate, often through an agency. It suits a defined period and grows with the length of the job.
Consultancy. A fixed scope or time and materials, priced around the deliverable.
What happens when the person is away
PMaaS. The firm provides cover. The project keeps its governance and its history.
Contract project manager. When they leave, the knowledge leaves with them. You find cover yourself.
Consultancy. The firm can add people. Your team inherits the deliverable when the work ends.
Who answers for quality
PMaaS. We do. Our Delivery Certainty System sets this out in three guarantees: governance quality, 24-hour escalation and a 30-day right fit.
Contract project manager. You do. You set the standard and check the work.
Consultancy. The firm answers for its report. Your team answers for what happens next.
When a contract project manager is the right call
A contractor suits one well-defined project with a clear end date. A system rollout, an office move or a product launch fits well. If your sponsor has time to guide and review the work, and the knowledge will not be needed once the project closes, a contractor gives you capable hands for the length of the job.
The arrangement strains when the work grows, runs across several projects or depends on one person staying.
When a consultancy is the right call
Choose a consultancy when you need a view you cannot form inside your own walls. Strategy, options analysis, a business case, an independent review and changes to your operating model all fit. A consultancy can tell you what to do and why. Someone then has to deliver it, and that is where many programs stall.
When PMaaS is the right call
PMaaS fits when you need delivery owned and you want it without a permanent hire. It works well when several projects run at once, when governance has been inconsistent, or when a program needs a steady hand that does not depend on one person's diary.
It also pairs well with a consultancy. The consultancy sets the direction and we run the delivery.
Five questions to ask before you choose
- Who will be accountable if the project slips?
- What happens to the work if the person leaves in month three?
- Does the project end on a known date, or does the need keep growing?
- Do we need advice, or do we need delivery?
- Does my sponsor have time to manage delivery day to day?
Common questions
Is PMaaS more expensive than hiring a contractor?
It depends on how long you need delivery and how many projects it covers. For one short project, a contractor can cost less. As the work grows, a retainer can make more sense, because one team covers several projects and you avoid the cost of searching, onboarding and replacing people. We are happy to walk through your situation on a call.
Can PMaaS and a consultancy work together?
Yes, and it is a common arrangement. The consultancy shapes the strategy and the business case. We embed a project manager to turn the plan into delivery and keep governance running.
Where to go next
Our How We Work page explains how an embedded JJPH project manager runs a project. Our Outsourced PMO page covers the wider office behind them. For more on the comparison, read PMaaS versus consultancy and Contract project manager vs permanent roles.
