ORBX Advisory

The strategic IT input you need, without hiring a CIO.

There is a gap between what an IT provider can advise on inside its own commercial interest and what a CEO actually needs to hear. ORBX Advisory closes it. Fractional CIO, technology due diligence, M&A integration, and operating model design, run by people who have actually done the job.

Director-led M&A integration experience Independent of vendors

What ORBX Advisory provides

Strategic technology leadership, on tap. Fractional, retained, or project-based.

  • Fractional CIO and technology leadership
  • Technology due diligence (buy-side and sell-side)
  • M&A IT integration
  • Operating model design
  • Vendor selection (including against ORBX)
  • Board-level technology briefings
  • Investor-ready technology narrative
What it covers

Senior technology input, without the senior salary.

Most UK businesses with 25 to 500 staff cannot justify a full-time CIO but need senior technology input at key moments. ORBX Advisory provides exactly that, with senior practitioners who have run real businesses.

Fractional CIO

Day rate, monthly retainer, or specific deliverables. We sit on your leadership team, attend your board meetings, and own technology strategy at the level the business needs. Without the cost of a full-time hire.

Technology due diligence

Buy-side and sell-side. Three to four weeks. Technical findings, key risks, integration cost estimates, post-deal recommendations. Documents your investors and lenders will recognise.

M&A IT integration

Post-deal integration of acquired estates. Day-one continuity, then 100-day plan, then long-term consolidation. We have done this from both sides of the table.

Operating model design

From IT-as-a-cost-centre to IT-as-an-operating-system. We design how technology actually supports the business: roles, processes, vendor strategy, decision-making framework. Outputs you can take to a board.

Vendor selection

We help you run an honest selection. We will tell you when ORBX is not the right fit. We have shortlisted competitors against ourselves and recommended them when appropriate. Trust is built that way.

Board and investor briefings

Cyber posture briefings. AI strategy presentations. Investor-ready technology narratives. We turn technical reality into the story your board, investors, or auditors actually need to hear.

How it works

Scoped properly. Delivered properly.

No retainer creep. No endless meetings. We agree the question, the timeframe and the deliverable. Then we deliver it.

01

Scope

One discovery call to understand the question. We come back with a written scope, fixed timeframe, and named deliverables.

02

Engage

Day rate for short engagements. Fixed fee for defined deliverables. Monthly retainer for ongoing fractional CIO.

03

Deliver

Written outputs. Documents you can take to a board. Not just meetings. Time spent measured, decisions captured.

04

Continue or close

Most engagements end cleanly when the work is done. Some convert to retainers. Either way, no auto-renewal.

Where Advisory typically helps

Three moments where it most pays back.

M&A

Pre-deal and post-deal

Buy-side due diligence and post-deal integration. Most acquirers underestimate IT integration cost. We size it accurately and run it cleanly.

Growth

Scaling 50 to 500 staff

The operating model that worked at 50 staff breaks at 200. We design what works at 500 and run the transition plan.

Exit

Sell-side preparation

Investor and acquirer due diligence is unforgiving. We get your technology story, posture and documentation ready before the data room opens.

Common questions

Things buyers actually ask us.

Will you advise me to use other ORBX services?

Sometimes. Often not. Advisory engagements are paid separately and we will say where another provider is a better fit. If we do recommend ORBX services, the rationale will be in writing. We have lost vendor selections we ran ourselves because we recommended a competitor. That is the point.

What size of organisation does this work for?

Typically 25 to 500 users where there is no full-time CIO. Larger organisations sometimes use Advisory for a specific project (M&A integration, vendor selection, due diligence) alongside their existing IT leadership.

How is pricing structured?

Day rate for short engagements. Fixed fee for defined deliverables such as due diligence and vendor selection. Monthly retainer for ongoing fractional CIO work. Rate card shared on first call once we understand the scope.

Do you sit on our leadership team?

Yes, where the engagement calls for it. Fractional CIO retainers typically include monthly leadership team and quarterly board attendance. We are a real seat at the table, not a consultant who appears for invoicing.

Are you independent of vendors?

For Advisory engagements, yes. We do not take referral fees or kickbacks from technology vendors. Our income comes from the engagement fee. This means we can recommend the right tool for you rather than the tool that pays us best.

Can you do due diligence at speed?

Yes. We have run technology due diligence on a 5-day cycle when deal timelines required it. Standard timeline is three to four weeks. Faster work costs more but is achievable.

Senior input, when you need it.

Thirty-minute discovery call. We will work out whether Advisory is the right fit, what the engagement would look like, and roughly what it would cost. No commitment.

Book a discovery call