HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a project manager in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to project managers. Here is how to agree the day rate, authority and IR35 before they start.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a project manager in five steps

  1. Define the project in a pageGoal, scope, budget, deadline and the people involved.
  2. Check qualifications and referencesVoluntary certifications, and two clients from similar projects.
  3. Agree day rate, notice and expensesIn writing, with how many days a week.
  4. Write down their authorityWhat the project manager may approve, spend and sign off without you.
  5. Settle IR35If they work through their own company, decide who makes the status determination.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses project managers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; PRINCE2, APM and agile certificates are voluntary. References from similar projects are the strongest check.

Ask for two references from projects of a similar size and sector.

Off-payroll working (IR35)

When a project manager provides services through their own limited company, HMRC's off-payroll rules can apply. A medium or large client normally makes the status decision and issues a status determination statement; a small private-sector client leaves it to the worker's company.

Agree who is responsible for the status decision and keep the reasoning on file. gov.uk →

Employers' liability if they hire staff for you

A business that employs staff must normally hold employers' liability insurance. If the project manager recruits people onto your payroll, that duty is yours.

Check your own insurance before the project manager engages anyone on your behalf. gov.uk →

Data shared with the project manager

Project files often include staff and customer data. Data protection rules require it to be kept secure, and the ICO expects written terms where someone processes personal data for you.

Give access through your own systems and agree confidentiality in the contract. gov.uk →

VAT

Project management services are standard-rated, so a registered project manager's company adds 20% to the day rate and to expenses rebilled to you. Registration becomes compulsory once a project manager's company has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the project manager's company for the VAT number with the contract and for days, expenses and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →

“Which projects like mine have you managed?”

A good answer: Named projects with scope, budget and outcome, and the project manager's own role.

“Which methods do you use, and why for this project?”

A good answer: A method matched to the work, not a sales pitch for one approach.

“What is your day rate, notice period and expenses policy?”

A good answer: All three in writing.

“Are you a sole trader or working through a company?”

A good answer: A clear answer, so IR35 can be decided.

“What decisions will you need me to make, and which can you make?”

A good answer: A short list of approvals reserved to you.

“How will you report progress to the project board?”

A good answer: A regular report on progress, risks and spend, with dates.

“How will the project manager close the project?”

A good answer: A handover, lessons learned and documentation.

Getting the quote right

  • Day rate and days per week
  • Who actually attends the project: the project manager named in the contract, or a substitute from their company
  • Contract length and notice period
  • Expenses: what is covered and how claimed
  • Deliverables and reporting
  • Engagement basis and the IR35 status decision
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the day rate and rebilled expenses

Walk away if

  • No references from similar projects
  • Wants authority to spend without limits
  • No reporting rhythm
  • Avoids the IR35 question
  • Unclear expenses
  • No handover planned
LOW
£400
TYPICAL
£538
HIGH
£706

What a project manager costs: £400–£706 per day

Project managers are usually paid a day rate for an agreed number of days a week, plus expenses. Project Manager price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Project managers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. InitiationScope, timeline, budget and risks agreed.
  2. PlanningTasks, owners and suppliers lined up.
  3. DeliveryTeams and suppliers coordinated, issues resolved.
  4. ReportingRegular updates on progress, risks and spend.
  5. ClosureHandover and lessons learned.

Day rate
The fee for a working day.
Status determination statement
The client's written IR35 decision and reasons.
RAID log
A record of risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies.
Project board
The people who make the key decisions on a project.
Milestone
A checkpoint on the way to the end goal.
Scope creep
Work growing beyond what was agreed.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the project filePlan, decisions, risks and lessons learned, stored by your business.
Remove accessClose accounts and return equipment when the project manager leaves.
Check the budget against the planA final reconciliation of spend and days.
Review it on LocufyReviews on Locufy can only follow a booking, so the project manager is judged on real work. If something is wrong, the make-it-right step comes first and they are asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Write to the project manager firstKeep it factual: what the project manager agreed to do, what you got, and what you want now. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 builds reasonable care and skill into every trader's service; if it was missing, ask for a repeat of the work or a reduction.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upScore the project manager below four stars and you choose whether they see the problem before the review goes up. We follow it through; then you review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceBecause project managers have no regulator, a dispute with the project manager goes to consumer advice: Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4The small claims routeYou can sue the project manager for the money without a lawyer: small claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, small claims up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a project manager: questions people ask

No. Project management is unlicensed throughout the UK; PRINCE2 and APM qualifications are voluntary.

They can if the project manager uses their own company. HMRC says most clients decide employment status; a small private-sector client leaves it to the worker's company.

Day rate, days a week, notice, expenses, deliverables, confidentiality and the decisions they may make.

£400 to £706 per day, around £538 for a typical job. Project size, sector, qualifications and security clearance set the day rate. The project manager price guide explains what moves it; enter your town above to see project managers near you.

Agree that plans and reports produced for you belong to your business.

Often from a few weeks to six months or more, billed by the day.

MORE GUIDES

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Project managers near you

Project managers in LondonProject managers in ManchesterProject managers in BirminghamProject managers in GlasgowProject managers in BelfastAll project managers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — understanding off-payroll working (IR35)
  2. gov.uk — employers' liability insurance
  3. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register