Build · Operate · Transfer

    From a signed board paper to a 500-person tech hub you own. One contract.

    Talpro builds and runs your India center on our balance sheet, to your standards, under your brand — and transfers it to you under terms fixed on the day we sign, not negotiated on the day we leave.

    Book a feasibility call See the ownership schedule

    The floor plan resolves into an org chart

    Board paper → entity → floor → team → keys

    Capex during Build
    None
    Contracts
    One
    Transfer terms
    Day one

    Why BOT, why now

    The eighteen months between “yes” and “operational” is where GCCs are won or lost.

    Setting up alone means running a consultant, a law firm, a broker, an IT integrator and two recruiters in parallel while your own leaders keep their day jobs. Outsourcing means never owning the capability.

    BOT is the third path: a partner builds and operates with full accountability, you retain design authority and brand from day one, and ownership transfers on a pre-agreed trigger.

    In India, where compliance and hiring velocity decide outcomes, the partner's operating history matters more than its slide deck.

    The cohort

    as of Zinnov–nasscom, 2026

    583 mid-market

    504 PE-backed

    GCCs now operating in India — the cohort for whom BOT, not a 2,000-seat build, is the rational model.

    The five stages

    Same spine as the homepage, with the responsibility written down.

    Each stage has deliverables, a split of who does what, an exit criterion and the typical range the master agreement states. The next stage does not start until the exit criterion is true.

    Deliverables

    • Business case with five-year total cost of ownership, India versus HQ, assumptions stated
    • City short-list from the Location Intelligence Index, scored on talent depth, cost, real estate and policy
    • Operating model, org design and site-head profile

    Exit criterion

    Board-approved business case and city.

    Typical range

    Typically four to eight weeks

    01AdviseTypically four to eight weeks
    • Business case with five-year total cost of ownership, India versus HQ, assumptions statedTalpro
    • City short-list from the Location Intelligence Index, scored on talent depth, cost, real estate and policyTalpro
    • Operating model, org design and site-head profileShared
    • Product roadmap, role mix and HQ cost baselinesClient
    • Risk register with ownersTalpro

    Exit criterion

    Board-approved business case and city.

    The Advise hub
    02EstablishTypically six to ten weeks
    • Indian private limited company (or LLP / branch, per tax advice) incorporated; bank account and FEMA reporting liveTalpro
    • Tax, transfer-pricing and SEZ / STPI structureTalpro
    • PF, ESI, Professional Tax, Shops & Establishments and POSH registrationsTalpro
    • DPDP-ready privacy programme and IP assignment templatesTalpro
    • Signatures, board resolutions and HQ policy alignmentClient

    Exit criterion

    Entity can lawfully employ and invoice.

    The Establish hub
    03BuildTypically eight to fourteen weeks
    • Workspace fitted to HQ standards — flex / managed for the first 25–50 seats, Grade-A lease when the plan justifies itTalpro
    • Site head and first leadership layer hired through retained searchShared
    • Identity, endpoint, network and InfoSec stack live and auditedTalpro
    • Vendor stack contracted — payroll, benefits, insurance, facilitiesTalpro
    • Brand, culture and engineering standards definedClient

    Exit criterion

    First 25 seats occupied, secured and audited.

    The Build hub
    04Scale & runTypically twelve to twenty-four months before transfer readiness
    • Engineering hiring at the agreed velocity, with weekly funnel and quality reportingTalpro
    • Delivery pods embedded in client sprints under your engineering leadsShared
    • Payroll, statutory filings, HR operations, L&D and retention programme under SLATalpro
    • Monthly steering-committee pack and annual audit supportTalpro
    • Product priorities, technical bar and performance managementClient

    Exit criterion

    Agreed headcount, productivity and attrition milestones met for two consecutive quarters.

    The Scale & run hub
    05TransferNinety-day shadow period after the transfer trigger
    • Employees, leases, vendor contracts, IP and documented processes transferred to the client entityTalpro
    • Ninety-day shadow period with Talpro leadership in the roomShared
    • Knowledge base, runbooks and compliance calendar handed overTalpro
    • Optional retained talent partnership after transferClient

    Exit criterion

    Client leadership runs the center independently.

    How long, for your plan

    Drag the headcount. Tell it what already exists. Watch the critical path move.

    BOT timeline simulator

    From signature to the keys — as ranges, gated by exit criteria

    as of Master-agreement ranges

    Transfer-ready

    16–23 months from signature

    1. Advise

      Board-approved case and city

      wk 4–8Gate: Board-approved business case and city.

    2. Establish

      Entity live — can employ and invoice

      wk 10–18Gate: Entity can lawfully employ and invoice.

      What shortens this: An existing entity removes this stage from the critical path.

    3. Build

      Site head in place

      wk 14–28Gate: Site head and first leadership layer hired.

      What shortens this: A named site head at signature shortens Build by four to six weeks.

    4. Build

      First 25 seats occupied and secured

      wk 16–30Gate: First 25 seats occupied, secured and audited.

    5. Scale & run

      100 hires

      wk 28–49Gate: 100 seats at the agreed quality bar with attrition inside the SLA.

    6. Scale & run

      200 hires

      wk 44–73Gate: 200 seats at the agreed quality bar with attrition inside the SLA.

    7. Transfer

      Transfer-readiness score met

      wk 70–99Gate: Agreed headcount, productivity and attrition milestones held for two consecutive quarters.

    8. Transfer

      Keys handed over; ninety-day shadow begins

      wk 74–107Gate: Client leadership runs the center independently.

    Book a feasibility call

    Ranges are the typical ranges stated in Talpro master agreements for each stage, with hiring velocity by city from documented engagements. Every node is gated by its exit criterion, never by a date.

    What you own, and when

    Ownership is not a surprise at the end. It's a schedule.

    Ownership of each asset during Build, during Operate and at Transfer
    RowDuring BuildDuring OperateAt Transfer
    Legal entityClient-owned from incorporationClient-ownedUnchanged
    Brand and cultureClient, alwaysClient, alwaysClient, always
    EmployeesTalpro or client entity, per model; transfer terms fixedAs contracted; Talpro carries HR liabilityClient entity
    Leases and vendor contractsTalpro-held, assignableTalpro-held, assignableAssigned to client
    IP and work productClient, from day one, by contractClientClient
    Data and systemsClient-controlled tenancyClient-controlled tenancyClient
    Operating processes and runbooksDocumented by TalproDocumented and maintainedHanded over

    Anything in this table that a competitor won't put in writing is a question to ask them.

    Economics

    Capital-light in, fully-owned out.

    No capex during Build; a monthly operate fee per seat that declines with scale; a transfer fee set as a formula in the master agreement, not a valuation exercise at the end.

    Three worked scenarios — five-year total cost of ownership

    India versus HQ, with the assumptions shown

    as of Q3 2026

    50-seat product pod

    HQ, 5 yr
    $39.8M
    India via BOT, 5 yr
    $15.3M
    Saving
    62%
    Break-even
    month 7

    Transfer trigger: Headcount and productivity milestones held for two quarters

    200-seat engineering center

    HQ, 5 yr
    $159.3M
    India via BOT, 5 yr
    $60.2M
    Saving
    62%
    Break-even
    month 7

    Transfer trigger: Headcount, attrition and delivery milestones held for two quarters

    500-seat multi-function hub

    HQ, 5 yr
    $398.2M
    India via BOT, 5 yr
    $150.1M
    Saving
    62%
    Break-even
    month 7

    Transfer trigger: Per-function milestones held for two quarters; phased by function

    Assumptions: US HQ at $150K fully loaded per engineer per year rising 3% a year; Bengaluru product-engineering compensation $34K per seat plus flex workspace, statutory cost, IT and security, leadership premium, attrition backfill and the BOT operate fee, rising 8% a year; 5 setup months charged as opportunity cost. Same model as the ROI calculator. Illustrative — the feasibility call replaces every number with yours.

    Run the cost calculator with your own role mix

    Governance and the steering rhythm

    You direct. We're accountable. Here's the cadence.

    Weekly
    Hiring and delivery dashboard — funnel, offers, joins, pod velocity
    Monthly
    Steering committee with a fixed pack: headcount, funnel, attrition, compliance calendar, spend versus plan, risks
    Quarterly
    Business review with a transfer-readiness score
    Always
    A named engagement leader with an escalation path to Talpro's founder

    The risks we carry so you don't

    A plain list, because this is what the CFO screenshots.

    • 01Hiring-velocity shortfall penalties against the agreed plan
    • 02Statutory compliance liability during Operate — PF, ESI, PT, S&E, POSH, DPDP
    • 03Workspace lease exposure in the first term
    • 04Leadership hiring guarantee — replacement at no fee inside the guarantee window
    • 05Attrition backfill within SLA

    Compare engagement models

    BOT is one of five. Here is when it is the wrong answer.

    Engagement models compared
    RowEntity ownerCapexTime to first hireOwnership transfersBest for
    Build-Operate-TransferClient entity, incorporated by TalproNone during Build — Talpro carries fit-out and first-term leaseLeadership search starts in Advise; first engineers on the floor at Build exitOn a pre-agreed trigger, by formula fixed in the master agreementCompanies that want to own a 50–500-seat center without running five vendors in parallel
    GCC-as-a-ServiceTalpro operates indefinitely; you directNoneFrom requirement sign-off; first shortlist typically inside 48 hoursOptional — convertible to BOT at any renewalTeams that want India capacity under their direction without ever owning an entity
    Advisory-onlyClientClient-fundedClient-run, on Talpro's planNot applicable — you build; we adviseCompanies with an India leader in place who need the business case, city and operating model done right
    Talent-onlyClient (or Talpro contract workforce)Client-fundedFirst shortlist typically inside 48 hours of sign-offNot applicableExisting centers that need engineering hiring at velocity, contract workforce or a leadership search
    Rescue & TurnaroundClient (existing)Client-funded; Talpro at risk on remediation milestonesDiagnostic first; hiring resumes against a remediated planCenter returns to client leadership on remediation exit criteriaUnder-performing centers — attrition, compliance findings, missed velocity, leadership gaps

    Not sure? The assessment recommends a model in four minutes.

    FAQ

    Eight questions the buyer asks in the first call.

    What is the minimum viable size for a Build-Operate-Transfer engagement?

    A 25-seat first phase inside a plan for 50 or more seats. Below that, GCC-as-a-Service or a managed delivery pod is usually the better economic answer, and both convert to BOT later.

    Which entity type will the center use?

    Usually an Indian private limited company owned by the client from incorporation. An LLP or branch office is used where tax advice from our empanelled partners supports it. The entity is yours from day one; Talpro never holds it.

    SEZ or non-SEZ?

    It depends on the export profile, the city and the headcount plan. The Advise stage models both, with the incentive and compliance burden of each stated, and the recommendation goes into the board paper.

    How is the site leadership hired?

    Through Talpro's retained executive search, with the client on every shortlist and final interview. The site head and the first leadership layer are hired during Build, before the first engineering cohort.

    What happens to employees at transfer?

    They move to the client entity on terms fixed in the master agreement, with continuity of service and benefits. Where the entity employed them from the start, nothing changes except who runs HR operations.

    How is intellectual property protected?

    IP and work product belong to the client from day one by contract — employment agreements, contractor agreements and vendor contracts all carry assignment clauses aligned to HQ templates.

    How do you handle data residency and the DPDP Act?

    Client-controlled tenancy for systems and data, a DPDP-ready privacy programme built during Establish, and Talpro's named Grievance Officer (Data Protection) available to the center throughout Operate.

    What if we want to exit early?

    The master agreement carries an early-transfer clause: the same transfer formula applied at the point of exit, plus the unamortised portion of first-term commitments. No valuation exercise, no renegotiation.