Question 1

How is outplacement priced?

Accepted Answer

Outplacement is priced per participant, in tiers by seniority. The employer pays once per person; the participant pays nothing.

Most providers quote a flat fee for each employee you enroll, with higher tiers for managers and executives. Group programs for high-volume reductions cost less per seat than dedicated 1:1 coaching. There is no industry-standard rate card, which is why two quotes for the same population can differ widely.

Question 2

What drives the price of a program?

Accepted Answer

Four things set the price: the coaching model, how long support lasts, the seniority of the group, and volume.

Dedicated 1:1 coaching costs more than pooled or group coaching. Programs that run until placement cost more to deliver than programs that stop at 90 days, though they are worth far more to the person using them. Senior and executive programs carry deeper coaching and networking work. Larger populations earn volume pricing.

Question 3

What do outplacement quotes usually leave out?

Accepted Answer

Time caps that end coaching before placement, and unused seats that are never refunded. Ask about both before you sign.

Across the industry, roughly a third of purchased seats go completely unused, and most contracts keep that money. Many programs also expire on a calendar date whether or not the participant has landed. Both terms are usually buried in the agreement rather than the proposal.

Question 4

How does FirstSourceTeam price differently?

Accepted Answer

One per-participant fee, coaching until placed, refunds on seats your people decline, and no lock-in contracts.

We run lean: no field offices, no layers of account management, no legacy platform to maintain. A comparable program here is designed to come in around 30 percent below the quotes the large firms put in front of you, and the terms are simpler. If a participant declines the service, you get that seat back. If they engage, coaching continues until they are placed. Request a quote through the contact page and we will price your exact population.

Question 5

How is your pricing structured?

Accepted Answer

We offer three tiers, Essentials, Extended, and Enterprise, priced per participant. Unlike traditional outplacement, our Extended and Enterprise tiers include unlimited coaching until the participant is placed. There are no time caps and no expiration dates. You pay once per participant, and we work with them until they land.

Question 6

What happens if we need to onboard participants quickly?

Accepted Answer

Setup takes about an hour. You accept standard terms online, add participants through the portal, and they’re live with platform access and a matched coach the same day. No procurement cycle, no signed MSA, no back-and-forth with legal. For large reductions in force, we coordinate directly with your HR team and can have coaches available at the moment of notification.

Question 7

How do you handle a large RIF with multiple locations or departments?

Accepted Answer

We assign a dedicated account lead who works with your HR team to manage the rollout. Participants are matched to coaches based on industry, function, and seniority, not geography. Everything is delivered virtually, so location is not a constraint. We provide your team with a real-time dashboard showing enrollment, engagement, and placement status across the entire population.

Question 8

What does each participant actually receive?

Accepted Answer

Every participant gets access to CareerIQ, our AI-powered career platform, plus human coaching. Essentials includes group coaching and the full platform. Extended and Enterprise include a dedicated career strategist with unlimited 1:1 sessions, resume and LinkedIn optimization, interview preparation, and job-matching support, all until they accept a new role.

Question 9

How do you measure and report outcomes?

Accepted Answer

We provide your HR team with a live employer dashboard that tracks enrollment rates, active engagement, coaching hours delivered, and placement outcomes. We report what participants actually use, not what we make available. If you want to compare that to your current provider, we’re happy to walk through the metrics side by side.

Question 10

What if participants don’t engage with the program?

Accepted Answer

Our engagement rates are significantly above the industry average because of how the program is structured: proactive coach outreach within the first 48 hours, a platform that delivers immediate value, and no artificial time limits that create urgency without follow-through. When participants do disengage, their coach follows up directly; they don’t just receive an automated email.

Question 11

Can we use FirstSourceTeam alongside an existing provider?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Some clients use us for specific populations, such as senior leaders, technical roles, or a particular business unit, while maintaining a legacy provider for broader coverage. We’re also used as a replacement after a contract cycle ends. We’re flexible on scope.

Question 12

Do you require a minimum number of participants?

Accepted Answer

No. We work with companies managing a single executive transition and companies managing multi-hundred-person reductions. Pricing and service level are consistent regardless of volume.

What to ask	What to look for	How FirstSourceTeam answers
Coaching modelWho actually works with each participant?	A named, dedicated coach, not a pooled bench that changes every call.	Extended and Enterprise assign a dedicated in-house coach to every participant, matched by industry and level.
DurationWhen does support end?	At placement, not when a calendar expires.	No time caps. Coaching continues until your people land.
Usage reportingCan we see engagement in real time?	Live per-participant reporting, not a quarterly summary.	A live employer dashboard shows enrollment, engagement, and outcomes, with exportable audit logs.
RefundsWhat happens to seats that go unused?	Money back on seats your people never use.	Declined seats are refunded under our positive-decline policy.
Launch speedHow fast can participants start?	Days, not a procurement quarter.	Programs run within 48 hours. Participants get platform access and a matched coach the same day they are added.
Firm structureWho owns the firm, and what do they optimize for?	Accountability to clients rather than a quarterly earnings call.	Family-owned since 2006. Outcomes are the business model, not a service line.

Programs built around outcomes, not hours.

Essentials

How outplacement pricing works.

How is outplacement priced?

What drives the price of a program?

What do outplacement quotes usually leave out?

How does FirstSourceTeam price differently?

Every box a vendor evaluation should check.

Common questions.

Would you use your own outplacement program?