A tech lead by the hour, per project or per month.
Architecture, stack selection, code review, contractor evaluation. 11 years in PHP/Laravel, so technical decisions get made before they become expensive.
A tech lead on an outsourced basis is an experienced technical leader who takes over architecture, code review and contractor evaluation without joining your payroll. It suits non-technical founders and teams without a strong lead. A one-off 90-minute consultation costs UAH 3,000–4,000 depending on scope, ongoing support starts at $1,200 a month.
What brings people to a tech lead
Technical decisions without guesswork
Every recommendation comes with arguments, alternatives and the cost of a mistake.
One-off, per project or monthly
- Questions in advance
- Meeting recording
- Summary with recommendations
- Code review and architecture
- Participation in planning
- Developer interviews
- Available on Telegram
- Analysis of spec and estimate
- Risks and questions for the contractor
- Written conclusion
What an architecture decision record (ADR) looks like
Decisions are recorded with context and alternatives. A year later, a new team member will understand why it was done this way.
How we start
- day 0QuestionsYou send the context and your questions.
- day 1PreparationI study the code, spec or estimate.
- meetingReview90 minutes, straight to the point.
- day 2SummaryWritten recommendations and a plan.
What a fractional tech lead does for you
This is not abstract "mentoring" but concrete results you can check:
- Architecture. System and data diagrams, stack and hosting choice, and architecture decisions recorded as ADRs: what was decided, why, and which alternatives were considered.
- Code review. Pull requests checked for correctness, security and consistency with agreed practices, plus git flow, CI and release setup.
- Contractors. Review of estimates and specs, work acceptance, the technical part of the contract.
- Planning. Task decomposition, technical debt priorities, a quarterly roadmap.
This is separate from a Laravel code audit, where you get a detailed report on the state of the code, while a tech lead helps you make decisions afterwards.
Formats and how the first engagement works
We offer three formats, and you can start with the smallest.
- Consultation. 90 minutes. You send your questions in advance and get a recording of the meeting and a written summary with recommendations. Price: UAH 3,000.
- Fractional tech lead. Part of an experienced specialist's working time for part of the price: code review, architecture, planning sessions, developer interviews. From $1,200 a month.
- Contractor evaluation. Analysis of the spec and estimate, risks and questions for the contractor, a written conclusion. From UAH 6,000.
The formats differ in depth of involvement. A consultation answers specific questions here and now, a fractional tech lead becomes a permanent part of your decision-making, and a contractor evaluation belongs before you sign a contract, while a mistake is still cheap.
If you are wondering how to hire a tech lead in-house but your budget or workload doesn't yet justify a full-time role, the fractional format is often a sensible first step.
Teams usually choose it when they are not ready to hire a full-time tech lead. How to tell whether you are in that situation is covered in the article when you need a tech lead and when a developer is enough.
How much a tech lead costs and what affects the price
You can see the baseline figures above; the final amount depends on scope and urgency. Current ranges for all services are collected on the pricing page.
| Factor | How it affects the price |
|---|---|
| Format | A one-off consultation is cheaper than monthly support because it needs no constant availability |
| Volume of code and documents | The more repositories, estimates or specs to study in advance, the more preparation |
| Number of regular meetings | Planning, interviews and reviews add hours per month |
| System complexity | Integrations, queues, several services and legacy code require a deeper dive |
| Urgency | Work needed "by tomorrow" is planned separately from the usual schedule |
We name the exact amount after a short description of your situation, before any work starts.
The first engagement goes like this:
- You send the context and your questions: a repository, spec or estimate.
- I study the materials before the meeting so your time isn't spent on getting up to speed.
- We spend 90 minutes on a focused review, with a recording.
- The next day you receive written recommendations and an action plan.
We sign an NDA before discussing any details. If you later need ongoing support for your team, the format can be changed without losing what has been done.
When an outsourced tech lead is not the right fit, and what makes Tochno different
A tech lead is the person who makes decisions and checks them, not extra pairs of hands. If you simply need to clear a backlog fast, a dedicated specialist, a developer or QA in your team, is a better choice. If the only question is "what is wrong with our code", start with a code audit. For frontend and mobile apps we give a general architecture assessment, but our deep expertise is PHP, Laravel, PostgreSQL and infrastructure.
A practical tip: prepare not only your questions but also your constraints. Budget, deadlines, team composition and decisions already made let us give recommendations you can actually carry out, rather than an ideal diagram on paper. The more precise the context, the shorter the preparation and the more of the 90 minutes goes to the substance.
Recommendations come from someone with 11 years in PHP/Laravel, and each one comes with arguments, alternatives and the cost of a mistake. Decisions are recorded in writing, so a year later a new team member understands why things were done this way. If you are choosing a contractor for development, read how to choose a web development contractor, and when you are ready to describe the task, fill in the brief.
Is it PHP only?
Deeply, yes: PHP/Laravel, PostgreSQL and infrastructure. For frontend and mobile, I give a general assessment of the architecture.
Can the consultation be in English?
Yes.
What is a fractional tech lead?
Part of an experienced tech lead's working time for part of the price. It is meant for teams that are not yet ready to hire a tech lead full time.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes, before we discuss any details.
How much does a tech lead consultation cost?
A 90-minute consultation costs from UAH 3,000, up to UAH 4,000 depending on the volume of materials. The price includes preparation for the meeting, a recording of the conversation and a written summary with recommendations. We name the exact amount after a short description of your situation.
How long does a contractor evaluation take?
Roughly a few working days from receiving the spec and estimate. First I study the documents, then I prepare a written conclusion with the risks and questions for the contractor. The cost starts at UAH 6,000, and timing depends on the volume of materials and how urgent it is for you.
How is a tech lead different from a senior developer?
A senior developer writes complex code quickly and reliably, while a tech lead is responsible for decisions: architecture, standards, code review and risk assessment. A tech lead also explains technical trade-offs to the business. These are often different roles, although in small teams one person combines them.
What do you need from me for a consultation?
Send your questions in advance and add context: the website, repository, spec or estimate, depending on the topic. Also tell us about constraints such as budget, deadlines and team composition. The more precise the context, the more value you get from those 90 minutes.
Ask your question.
We reply within 2 business hours. An estimate with a price and timeline range follows within 1 day.