Get the Right Microsoft Expertise, Right When You Need It
When to Use Microsoft Contractors
Contractors aren’t just stop-gaps. Used well, they’re Microsoft delivery accelerators.
Microsoft contractors deliver best when…
You Need Speed
Hire in days, not weeks
Microsoft perm hires often take 4–12 weeks plus notice periods and ramp-up.
Microsoft contractors are ready almost immediately, skilled at jumping into live workstreams without slowing progress.
Signs you need speed:
- Urgent release or compliance deadlines
- Internal delivery team already stretched
- Gaps caused by attrition or leave
- Roles stuck open for weeks
With Nigel Frank, you can onboard a Microsoft contractor in under a week, delivering results in days.
You Need Depth
Specialist Microsoft skills you can’t cover in-house
Contractors are engaged for expertise as much as for capacity. They bring advanced, certified skills that aren’t practical to maintain permanently.
Common scenarios:
- Delivering new Dynamics 365 modules
- Designing Azure architecture
- Temporary access to ex-Microsoft certified pros
- Troubleshooting high-stakes performance or security issues
Value is maximized when they’re scoped around outcomes, not headcount. They accelerate work and transfer knowledge back into your Microsoft team.
You Need Flexibility
Scale without permanent headcount drag
Priorities change. Workloads surge. Contractors provide the agility to adapt.
They’re key for:
- Bridging gaps between delivery phases
- Scaling agile project teams
- Handling sudden changes in roadmap
- Keeping projects moving while perm hires are secured
Advantages:
- No long-term liabilities
- Contracts aligned to project needs
- Costs often treated as Opex
- Clean roll-off when priorities shift
You stay in control, extending only when you need to.
You Need Focus
Targeted outcomes, not careers
Permanent hires bring long-term growth. But many roles are about speed, not tenure.
Microsoft contractors are engaged for deliverables, not promotions.
Ideal contractor-led roles:
- Dynamics 365 consultants
- Azure and infrastructure migration leads
- Power Platform specialists
- Microsoft security engineers
- Senior PMs accountable for deadlines
Contractors bring certainty: fixed deliverables, measurable results, and clear accountability.
You Need Timing
Too early wastes budget. Too late misses milestones.
Impact depends on when contractors are engaged. Smart timing accelerates projects and avoids over-reliance on costly consultancies.
High-value phases:
- Scoping: validate delivery plans and governance early
- Build: add developers without burning out your team
- Testing: accelerate QA with dedicated resources
- Deployment: manage hypercare and risk at go-live
- Optimization: improve adoption, performance, and ROI post-launch
Right-time contractors turn Microsoft delivery risks into business wins.
The Red Flags You Can’t Ignore
Contractors aren’t just for emergencies. Wait too long and you put delivery, team health, and business outcomes at risk.
Here are seven red flags Microsoft leaders should watch for, and how contractors can help.
Your team is working extra hours just to keep the lights on
Chronic overtime leads to burnout, rising defect rates, and higher churn. Microsoft specialists add immediate capacity, stabilize throughput, and let your core team focus on product and platform evolution.
Release trains or sprint goals are consistently missed
Repeated slippage points to a resourcing or skills gap. D365 contractors inject pace—engineers to unblock build, QA to shore up test coverage, and delivery leads to re-establish rhythm.
Delivery pauses while you recruit a permanent hire
Perm cycles are long; value lost while waiting is longer. Interim Microsoft talent maintains momentum and sets up your incoming hire with a clean, documented transition.
Your backlog is inflating faster than you can refine it
When refinement and execution can’t keep up, roadmaps drift. Targeted Microsoft contractors restore flow, accelerate throughput, and prevent reactive firefighting.
Platform issues won’t go away
Lingering performance, security, or integration problems drain user trust and add risk. Certified Microsoft experts resolve root causes quickly and leave durable documentation behind.
Internal stakeholder confidence is fading
Slip after slip erodes credibility and slows approvals. Contractors land quick, high-visibility wins that reset expectations and rebuild confidence.
Too much knowledge sits with one or two SMEs
SPOFs slow decisions and create fragility. Contractors help codify tribal knowledge, spread capability, and reduce dependency on individual heroes.
Why Nigel Frank Makes It Easy
With 20+ years in Microsoft ecosystems and the world’s largest dedicated contractor base, we connect you with the right skills, right when you need them.
Speed to hire
Microsoft contractors placed in days
Specialist focus
100% Microsoft recruitment teams
Compliance confidence
IR35, 1099, A1. We handle it allIR35, 1099, A1 managed for you
End-to-end support
from scoping to extensions and offboarding
Global reach
20+ markets covered with local insight
Proven impact
thousands of Microsoft placements globally
Speed to hire
Contractors placed in days, not months
Compliance confidence
IR35, 1099, A1. We handle it all
Global reach
Talent across 20+ countries, with local expertise on contracts and rates
Specialist focus
Dedicated teams aligned to your exact tech stack and ecosystem
End-to-end support
From scoping to extensions and handovers
Proven impact
130,000+ successful placements and 50,000+ businesses supported
Contractors aren’t just about plugging gaps. With Nigel Frank, they’re about accelerating Microsoft projects, reducing delivery risk, and maximizing ROI.
