Published terms, next to the market
Market figures are from the firms in 123RFP that publish the same term, Q4 2026 edition.
Fee · % of first-year base salary
18% to 20% of compensation (other basis)
Light grey: middle half of published fees (19% to 29.5%). Dark grey: typical range (medians).
Source, as of Nov 1, 2026(opens in a new tab): "At the commencement of a Fully Exclusive search, an 18% invoice will be issued for the median wage for the role"
Guarantee · months
3 months · Replacement
73.4% of published guarantees are 3 months or less (shaded). 21.5% are 6 months or more.
Source, as of Nov 1, 2026(opens in a new tab): "Both service levels include a 90-day replacement guarantee and are eligible for multi-hire discounts."
All published terms
Firm type
Staffing and Direct Hire
"Whether you require a direct hire employee, contractor or temp, we have a flexible solution for you." · Source(opens in a new tab)
Fee model
Retained
"At the commencement of a Fully Exclusive search, an 18% invoice will be issued for the median wage for the role" · Source(opens in a new tab)
Minimum fee
Not published
Payment timing
Invoiced at search commencement.
"The fee is 18% of the median wage for the role, invoiced at search commencement." · Source(opens in a new tab)
Guarantee conditions
Voluntarily leaves or is terminated without cause within 90 days of their start date.
"If a placed controls engineer voluntarily leaves or is terminated without cause within 90 days of their start date, Black-Peak will conduct a replacement search per the terms of the original agreement." · Source(opens in a new tab)
Exclusivity
Both
"Partial Retained (gold-level service) requires a 1.5% upfront retainer deducted from a final 20% placement fee invoiced when the new hire starts, with no formal exclusivity requirement." · Source(opens in a new tab)
Publishes results
Not stated
Specialties
Civil Engineers; Professional Engineer (PE); Project Managers; Civil 3D Cad Drafters; Surveyors; Controls and Automation; Production & Facility Maintenance; Sales Engineers / Account Managers; Building Automation Systems; Electrical Engineering
"Civil Engineers Professional Engineer (PE) Project Managers Civil 3D Cad Drafters Surveyors" · Source(opens in a new tab)
"Controls and Automation Production & Facility Maintenance Sales Engineers / Account Managers Building Automation Systems Electrical Engineering Mechanical Engineering" · Source(opens in a new tab)
Time to fill stated
Not stated
Geography
National
"Black-Peak offers both Full Exclusivity and Partial Retained direct-hire controls engineer recruiting across 31 states" · Source(opens in a new tab)
Something wrong or out of date? Request a correction with the page on the firm's own site.