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Engine RocksCoventry contract engineering supply
Client terms Rates, lead times and brief quality

Hiring managers

A Proper Brief Saves A Week.

Engine Rocks supplies contract mechanical design, controls, PLC, commissioning and maintenance engineers to factories, machine builders and project teams. The fastest route is not a vague CV sweep. It is a clear scope, approved rate and a named person who can decide.

hello@enginerocks.com

Pricing ledger

What It Costs.

Mechanical design

£36 to £48/hr

Typical contractor pay rate, plus Engine Rocks margin of £9.50 per hour.

Billed weekly

Controls or PLC

£45 to £62/hr

Typical contractor pay rate, plus Engine Rocks margin of £10.50 per hour.

Billed weekly

Short notice

£220

Mobilisation charge for shift cover under 72 hours, added to the first invoice on top of the normal margin.

Signed terms only

Permanent exception

16%

First year basic salary, payable on start date, with an 8 week sliding rebate.

Accepted by exception

Site brief

Free inside 35 miles

Outside 35 miles of Coventry, the visit is £95 plus standard rail mileage or train fare at cost.

Used when the role needs seeing

Brief checklist

Send This Before CVs.

  • Project dates

    Start gate, expected end date, shutdown windows and immovable milestones.

  • Kit and software

    CAD version, PLC family, HMI, drives, robot or production equipment details.

  • IR35 view

    Status must be discussed before CVs are released. Engine Rocks will not back-fill paperwork after a contractor has started.

  • Shift pattern

    Days, nights, weekends, call-out, digs and travel expectations.

  • Interview format

    Who decides, how quickly they can decide and whether a technical call is enough.

  • Start gate and site rules

    Induction, PPE, permits, parking, laptop access, licences and safety restrictions.

  1. Normal 01Brief agreed

    Same day if the hiring manager has the facts.

  2. Normal 02Shortlist

    2 working days for mechanical, 3 for controls or commissioning.

  3. Normal 03Interview

    Technical call, site visit or direct start by agreement.

  4. Urgent 01Emergency cover

    Attempted within 24 hours for clients with signed terms already in place.

  5. Urgent 02Start control

    Mobilisation, timesheet route and safety contact confirmed before arrival.

Terms in plain trade language

How The Booking Runs.

Standard payment terms are 14 days from weekly invoice. Timesheets are weekly. The minimum contract booking is 4 weeks; one-week trials and day-by-day speculative cover are not taken on. First-time clients over 50 contractor hours per week may be asked for one week on account.

If a contractor is not right, Engine Rocks will work the substitution route properly: understand the fault, check whether scope or site access has changed, then look for a replacement who fits the corrected brief. It is not a licence to run unpaid trials.

Red lines

Jobs Engine Rocks Will Not Take.

Unpaid trials, speculative CV fishing or roles with no approved budget.

General labouring, warehouse picking, security guarding or non-engineering industrial temp work.

Visa sponsorship, overseas relocation campaigns or roles requiring a licence the client has not checked.

Umbrella-only assignments where the advertised take-home would fall below lawful or decent market rates.

Permanent volume recruitment campaigns for graduate intake, call centre staff or sales teams.

Nuclear, defence or rail safety-critical work where the client needs clearances Engine Rocks cannot verify.

Check The Usual Stock Send The Brief