Answers to the questions we get asked most often.

A fractional CIO is a senior technology executive who works part-time for a business on a retained basis, instead of a full-time Chief Information Officer. At Progressive Grounds, Ian Bester takes that role for mid-sized UK construction and engineering firms. He owns the technology agenda, investment and supplier decisions, risk and board reporting with the MD and board.

No. Your IT team keeps running IT. We take the board-level layer above it: the investment plan, core-system decisions, supplier and cyber risk, and the board's questions on AI. We work with your IT manager or head of IT, not instead of them.

At Progressive Grounds the retainer starts at £3,000 a month for 2 days a month, based on a day rate of £1,500, excluding VAT and expenses, with a 6-month minimum. A one-off onboarding of 6–8 days (2–3 days after a completed engagement) produces a technology baseline you keep. Fixed-price starting points begin at £7,000. How the Fractional CIO retainer works.

Choose a retained fractional CIO if you need senior technology judgement every month. Choose a fixed-scope product if you need a defined answer: an alignment brief, a review, a roadmap or a redesign. Many clients start with a fixed-scope piece of work and then decide whether ongoing leadership is needed.

A fractional CIO is part-time and ongoing. An interim CIO is full-time for a fixed period, usually to cover a gap or lead an intensive programme. Both are senior executive roles. The fractional model suits firms that need the judgement regularly but not every day.

Yes, including groups built by acquisition, where each business needs its own technology decisions and the board needs one view.

Independent assurance reports directly to the sponsor or board, separate from the delivery team, and its findings are not filtered. Programme support works inside delivery to help it succeed. We keep the two apart: a review never assesses work we deliver.

Start with the decision, not a generic framework. The AI Governance Decision Brief frames the question in two weeks. The AI Exposure Audit then gives a structured view of what AI is in use, including unsanctioned tools, and which controls the board needs first.

A policy states expectations. A governance system connects ownership, decision rights, records, controls and a review rhythm, so the board can show that the policy is followed. Most firms have the first and not the second.

Only where it is proportionate, for example where clients require it. ISO/IEC 42001 is a useful management-system standard, but it isn't the starting answer to every question. Establish ownership, an AI register and basic controls first; they are also what certification would build on.

It can. Being incorporated in the UK does not settle the question. It depends on your role (provider or deployer), the AI system and whether its output is used in the EU. Establish the facts first, then obtain qualified legal advice.

If your firm is RICS-regulated, or your surveyors are RICS members, and AI outputs materially affect surveying services, yes. It has applied since 9 March 2026. Read the explainer.

Yes. The scorecard for other sectors asks the same board-level questions of mid-sized UK firms in other sectors: 22–25 questions, about 5 minutes, with your level, your top three priorities and questions for your next board meeting. Construction and engineering firms should use the construction scorecard, which covers sector issues such as subcontractor payments and building-safety records.