Buyer Enablement Kit for GCCs: How to Choose a Compensation Benchmarking Partner in India
When a small or mid‑size GCC plans to enter India, one of their immediate decisions is where to open an office, how to attract top-tier engineering talent and compensation benchmarking. Which means do you keep the pay location agnostic or go by local standards?
It is one of the first big decisions and also one of the most confusing. Big‑brand consultancies look safe, but they often feel expensive, slow, and not tailored to your actual roles and cities.
This post is a simple buyer‑enablement kit that helps your team:
- Understand what a good compensation benchmarking partner actually does for a GCC.
- Run a basic RFP without overcomplicating it.
- Compare pricing models (fixed vs retainer) in plain language.
- Ask the right risk and mitigation questions before you sign.
If you are new to the topic, it helps to first read our broader compensation benchmarking playbook for GCCs in India, and then use this kit when you are ready to choose a partner.
Table of Contents
Why small GCCs choose specialists over big brands
Many first‑time GCCs assume they should start with a known/popular consulting brand because “no one gets fired for hiring a big name.” In reality, from what we’ve seen is that smaller specialist firms often deliver better context, faster turnaround, and more practical help for day‑to‑day decisions.
Here are four anonymized mini‑stories that show why.
1. How HRBx built a Bengaluru hub for an Australian architecture firm
An Australia‑based architecture and design firm wanted to build a small but high‑impact team in India to support marketing, business development, and functional operations. The founders knew they wanted India, but did not know which city, what roles to start with, or how to price offers competitively without overpaying.
HRBX supported them across four practical steps:
- City and micro‑location choice: HRBx compared Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai on talent depth for marketing, BD, and operations, client‑facing time zones, travel connectivity to Australia, and typical salary ranges. The firm chose Bengaluru, and HRBx then helped narrow down neighbourhoods and recommended starting from a flexible co‑working space instead of locking in a long lease.
- Compensation benchmarking and first‑year hiring: For year one, HRBx benchmarked India‑market pay for key marketing, business development, and functional roles at the experience levels the firm needed, building clear salary bands that matched the firm’s brand and margins while staying competitive in Bengaluru. This allowed the founders to confidently make the first few hires without endless back‑and‑forth on “what is market.”
- Local ecosystem and infrastructure: HRBx introduced the firm to a local accounting partner familiar with cross‑border operations, advised on basic HR and payroll setup, and shared a checklist for infrastructure decisions (IT equipment standards, co‑working policies, basic benefits that are expected in Bengaluru). This removed friction from the “first‑office” phase so the founders could focus on finding the right people.
- Scaling and hiring a Country Manager: Once the initial team was stable, HRBx helped the firm clarify the mandate, profile, and compensation for a Country Manager who would own growth, people decisions, and client‑adjacent work from India. HRBx benchmarked this senior role against comparable leadership positions in Bengaluru and similar service businesses, helping the firm design a mix of fixed pay and performance‑linked incentives that felt fair for both sides.
By the time the Country Manager was hired, the firm had moved from “we should have a small India office someday” to a functioning Bengaluru hub with clear pay ranges, a trusted local ecosystem, and a structure that could scale without having to renegotiate compensation from scratch. The retention of this team is now 100% after 2 years.
2. The 150‑person engineering GCC in Bengaluru
A global cloud computing based in San Francisco decided to set up a 85‑person engineering GCC in Bengaluru. The global HR team had US & France salary benchmarks, but no clear view of India‑specific ranges for senior engineers and engineering managers across Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
They first explored a big‑brand vendor. The proposal was:
- 12-14 weeks for a full study.
- A high fixed fee that covered far more roles and markets than they actually needed.
- Standard global job families that did not match their product‑led engineering culture.
Then they evaluated a specialist benchmarking firm:
- Narrow scope: product, platform, SRE and data roles for Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
- 4–6 weeks to deliver a “minimum viable” benchmark set to support the first 50 hires.
- Clear translation between their internal levels (L3–L7) and Indian market levels.
The GCC chose the specialist because the output felt like a tool they could use immediately, not a report that sat in a folder.
The HRBP later said they could walk into a candidate conversation and explain exactly why an offer made sense in the Bengaluru market.
3. The finance and analytics GCC in Chennai
A European financial services company wanted a 125‑person GCC in Chennai focused on FP&A, risk analytics, and reporting. The HQ team was worried about overpaying in year one and underpaying a few years later.
They initially leaned toward a global brand for comfort. But in discussions they realized:
The big‑brand proposal treated all India cities together, with one national number and light city adjustments.
The methodology did not reflect the real competition they were facing in Chennai (banks, shared services, and IT majors).
A specialist firm instead offered:
- Benchmarks specifically for Chennai, with clear differences vs Bengaluru and Pune.
- A refresh plan so ranges could be updated without starting from scratch.
- Practical role mapping for niche jobs like regulatory reporting analyst and ALM specialist.
They chose the specialist because they could see how the data would help them in performance cycles, not just in the launch phase. The GCC lead felt they were buying better everyday decisions, not just a logo.
4. The Tier‑2 experiment in Coimbatore
A mid‑size tech firm wanted to experiment with a 40 person GCC in a Tier‑2 location to manage costs and retention. They shortlisted Coimbatore and Kochi, but internal teams only knew Bengaluru and Hyderabad salary levels.
The big‑brand option offered a large, multi‑city project covering almost every Indian metro. The specialist firm offered a focused comparison:
- Deep dives into Coimbatore and Kochi with data on salary, talent supply, and competitor presence.
- A decision framework to choose the first city, then add the second later if needed.
- Test “What happens to total cost if we hire 30 engineers here vs there?”
They selected the specialist solution because it matched the scale of their experiment and gave the leadership team a clear story for the board.
A simple RFP checklist for compensation benchmarking
You do not need a 40‑page RFP document to choose a good benchmarking partner. What you need is a short, clear brief that tells vendors exactly what you care about.
Below is a practical checklist you can copy and paste into your RFP email or document.
1. Context and objectives
Explain in 5–7 lines:
- Who you are: industry, size, HQ region, and current India headcount (if any).
- What you are planning: e.g., “Set up a 200‑person GCC in Bengaluru and Hyderabad over 24 months.”
- What you want from this project: e.g., “Market‑aligned pay ranges for priority roles so we can make confident offers in India.”
2. Scope of roles and locations
Be as specific as you can:
- List 10–20 critical roles (for example: senior software engineer, data engineer, FP&A analyst, risk modeler, HRBP, TA partner).
- List cities: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and any Tier‑2 locations you are seriously considering.
- Mention whether you also need “remote India” benchmarks or only office‑based roles.
3. Deliverables you expect
Spell out what “done” looks like for you:
- Role‑wise salary ranges (25th, 50th, 75th percentile) by city.
- Level mapping between your internal grades and the market.
- Guidance on offer bands, hiring manager guardrails, and promotion bands.
- One short read‑out for senior leadership with key messages and decisions.
4. Timelines and dependencies
Be realistic, but clear:
- When you want the first version (for example: “We need a usable first cut in 4–6 weeks”).
- When you plan to start hiring against these ranges.
How often you think you will need updates (annual, twice a year, etc.).
5. Experience and fit questions
Ask the vendor to answer in simple language:
- “Describe your experience with GCCs of 100–500 people in India.”
- “Share 2–3 examples (anonymized) of how your work changed a client’s hiring or compensation decisions.”
- “How do you adjust for fast‑moving roles like data engineering or product management?”
If you have not already, your team can also review the city‑wise GCC hiring and salary playbooks for Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and other hubs to refine this scope.
Pricing models: fixed vs retainer, in plain English
Once you share the RFP, vendors will usually respond with some form of fixed‑fee project, retainer, or a mix. Here is a simple way to think about it.
Fixed‑fee projects
A fixed‑fee project is like hiring a contractor to paint your house: clear scope, clear start and end, and a one‑time payment.
Typical use cases:
- You are entering India for the first time and need a baseline set of benchmarks.
- You are expanding from one city to two or three and want to recalibrate everything.
Questions to ask:
- What exactly is in scope, and what would count as “out of scope” and chargeable?
- How many iterations of ranges are included (for example: one initial version and one revision)?
- What support is included for explaining the results to hiring managers and leaders?
Once you share the RFP, vendors will usually respond with some form of fixed‑fee project, retainer, or a mix. Here is a simple way to think about it.
Fixed‑fee projects
A fixed‑fee project is like hiring a contractor to paint your house: clear scope, clear start and end, and a one‑time payment.
Typical use cases:
- You are entering India for the first time and need a baseline set of benchmarks.
- You are expanding from one city to two or three and want to recalibrate everything.
Questions to ask:
- What exactly is in scope, and what would count as “out of scope” and chargeable?
- How many iterations of ranges are included (for example: one initial version and one revision)?
- What support is included for explaining the results to hiring managers and leaders?
Looking for a City-Specific Salary Benchmark Pack?
Retainer models
A retainer is more like having a part‑time specialist on call: you pay a smaller amount regularly, and they support you across the year.
Typical use cases:
- You already have a baseline, but you plan to hire steadily and need regular updates.
- Your leadership expects frequent market checks for niche roles or counteroffers.
Questions to ask:
What is included each quarter or year (updates, new roles, manager trainings, offer reviews)?
Is there a cap on the number of queries or “mini‑projects” under the retainer?
How easy is it to adjust scope if your hiring plan changes?
Hybrid approach
Many GCCs start with a fixed‑fee project and move into a smaller retainer. This works well because:
You get a clear, structured first output when your India plan is still forming.
You keep a “brain on the bench” who knows your structure and can respond quickly.
When you evaluate pricing, look beyond the number and ask: “How will this make our hiring decisions easier next quarter?”
How to use this buyer‑enablement kit
You can use this post in three simple steps:
- Copy the RFP checklist, fill it with your own roles and cities (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and any Tier‑2 hubs you are considering).
- Send it to 2–3 shortlisted vendors, including at least one specialist firm.
- Use the pricing and risk questions to compare responses side‑by‑side in your next steering committee meeting.
This is how small and mid‑size GCCs avoid over‑buying big‑brand comfort and instead invest in data and partners that actually help with offers, counteroffers, and salary reviews in India’s real markets.
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