https://staffai.eu/blog Day rates, salary benchmarks and sourcing comparisons for AI, data and Python engineering teams in Europe. en-gb Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/it-consultant-hourly-rate-explained https://staffai.eu/blog/it-consultant-hourly-rate-explained Where an IT consultant hourly rate goes: bench time, bid cost, management layers and risk cover, with directional € rates by supplier category in Europe. Rates & salaries Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/mlops-consulting-services-what-you-buy https://staffai.eu/blog/mlops-consulting-services-what-you-buy What MLOps consulting services deliver, how the five provider categories fail, what senior MLOps engineers cost per day in Europe, and when not to buy any of it. Comparisons Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/ai-software-development-companies-compared https://staffai.eu/blog/ai-software-development-companies-compared Five categories of AI software development company, what a senior engineer costs per day in each, how they fail, and four checks to run before signing. Comparisons Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/nearshore-staff-augmentation-what-it-costs https://staffai.eu/blog/nearshore-staff-augmentation-what-it-costs Nearshore staff augmentation explained: contract terms, day rate ranges, time zone overlap maths, EU compliance and when the model is the wrong buy. Comparisons Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/time-and-materials-vs-fixed-price https://staffai.eu/blog/time-and-materials-vs-fixed-price Fixed price loads 20% to 40% onto AI and data work to cover estimation risk. When that premium is worth paying, and when capped time and materials wins instead. Comparisons Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/ai-agent-companies-five-categories-compared https://staffai.eu/blog/ai-agent-companies-five-categories-compared The five kinds of AI agent companies, what each actually sells, where each one breaks, and why most agent projects stall on data engineering rather than agents. Comparisons Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/managed-services-vs-staff-augmentation https://staffai.eu/blog/managed-services-vs-staff-augmentation Managed services transfer delivery risk at a 20-40% price premium. Staff augmentation keeps control and speed. Which fits AI and data work, and when each fails. Comparisons Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/staff-augmentation-vs-consultancy-vs-agency https://staffai.eu/blog/staff-augmentation-vs-consultancy-vs-agency The four sourcing models for AI engineering compared on cost, speed, accountability and exit risk, including the cases where staff augmentation is the wrong answer. Comparisons Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/senior-ai-engineer-day-rates-europe https://staffai.eu/blog/senior-ai-engineer-day-rates-europe Day rate bands for senior AI, ML and data engineers across the UK, Germany, Poland and Romania, what drives the spread, and how to read a quote you have been given. Rates & salaries Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/ai-engineer-salary-vs-day-rate https://staffai.eu/blog/ai-engineer-salary-vs-day-rate Why dividing an engineer's salary by working days understates the true cost by 30 to 50 percent, and the full calculation to run before comparing hiring against contracting. Rates & salaries Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://staffai.eu/blog/how-to-evaluate-an-ai-engineering-vendor https://staffai.eu/blog/how-to-evaluate-an-ai-engineering-vendor The questions that separate vendors who ship production AI systems from vendors who demo them, plus the answers that should end a conversation early. Hiring Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT