Case Study: Reducing Engineering Costs by 65% While Accelerating Cloud Transformation

A UK-based, venture-backed SaaS company was undergoing a large-scale re-platforming initiative, moving legacy systems into a cloud-native, event-driven microservices architecture.

They required Senior Software Engineers (Node.js, React, AWS) with strong experience in CI/CD and MACH architecture.

The Challenge

The client initially explored hiring contractors locally in the UK market:

• Average rate: £450–£500 per day per engineer
• Expected duration: 6–12 months
• Additional overhead:
  • Lengthy hiring cycles
  • Limited availability of high-quality contractors
  • No ownership of delivery (purely resource-based)

Estimated cost for 2 engineers (6 months):
£110,000 – £130,000+

The Arj Global Approach

Instead of traditional contractor hiring, Arj Global deployed a SmartSquad delivery model:

🔹 Team Structure

• 2 x Senior Full-Stack Engineers (Node.js, React, AWS)
• 1 x Shared DevOps Engineer (CI/CD pipelines)
• 1 x UK-based Delivery Lead (bridge between business & offshore team)

🔹 Delivery Model

• Managed squad with end-to-end ownership
• Agile delivery with sprint planning & reporting
• Built-in scalability based on workload

🔹 Cost Optimization

• Blended onshore + offshore model
• No recruitment fees or long hiring cycles
• Pay only for productive delivery time

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The Results

Cost Savings

• Reduced cost by ~65%
• Equivalent delivery at ~£160–£180/day blended rate
• Total savings: £70,000+ over 6 months

Faster Delivery

• Team onboarded within 10 days
• Immediate contribution to architecture & development
• Accelerated migration timelines by 30

Why It Worked

✔️ Not just CVs — a managed delivery team
✔️ UK + Offshore bridge ensuring clear communication
✔️ Scalable model aligned to product roadmap
✔️ Significant cost efficiency without compromising quality