A fractional DPO gives you senior privacy leadership on a part-time retainer, notified to the supervisory authority and ready for enterprise buyers, investors, and regulators.
What you get:
- A named senior DPO on a part-time retainer
- EU GDPR, UK GDPR, US state laws, EU AI Act, NIS2, and DORA covered
- Vendor questionnaires, data subject requests, and breach response handled to deadline
Most growing tech companies hit the same problem. You need a Data Protection Officer to pass enterprise vendor assessments, close EU deals, satisfy investor due diligence, and meet GDPR obligations. But you do not need a full-time hire at €100,000 to €150,000 per year.
A fractional DPO gives you the senior expertise on a part-time basis. You get a named DPO who is notified to the supervisory authority on your behalf, monitors your compliance program, and advises on processing activities and risk assessments. Your DPO also supports breach response and acts as the formal point of contact for regulators and data subjects.
This service is variously referred to as external DPO, virtual DPO, fractional DPO, or DPaaS (DPO as a Service). All four terms refer to the same service model: a qualified Data Protection Officer provided by an external firm on a retainer basis, rather than a full-time employee. “External DPO” is the dominant term in UK and EU markets. Local-language equivalents include externer Datenschutzbeauftragter (Germany), DPO externe (France), DPO esterno (Italy), and DPD externo (Spain). “Outsourced DPO” is common in international contexts. “Fractional DPO” is more common in US startup parlance. The legal standing and responsibilities are identical under GDPR Article 37(6).
Key takeaways
- A fractional DPO is the same legal function as a full-time DPO under GDPR Article 37(6), delivered on a retainer basis
- Most tech companies between Seed and Series C fit a €2,000 to €5,000 per month band
- The four common terms (external DPO, outsourced DPO, fractional DPO, DPaaS) refer to the same service model
- Engage Compliance combines senior practitioner expertise with a named partner network for continuity
What you get with Engage Compliance
A dedicated senior DPO backed by the Engage partner network. Experience across 100+ companies including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood. Not a junior consultant. Not a software dashboard.
Coverage across EU GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA and other US state laws, the EU AI Act, NIS2, DORA, HIPAA where relevant, Brazil LGPD, Canada PIPEDA, and 20 plus other global privacy regulations. One point of contact, no matter where your customers are.
Direct support for enterprise procurement teams. Vendor security questionnaires, DPA reviews, sub-processor lists, breach response readiness.
Transparent published pricing. We are one of the few providers in this category to publish what we charge before getting on a sales call.
Continuity via partners. Cleared senior practitioners cover urgent matters when the lead DPO is unavailable, with a 4-hour response SLA.
Do I need a fractional DPO?
Companies in scope of GDPR Article 37 (regular and systematic monitoring of individuals at large scale, or processing of special categories of data at large scale).
Companies offering goods or services to EU or UK residents from outside those jurisdictions (in scope of Article 27 EU Representative requirements).
Companies preparing for Series A, B, or C fundraising where investor due diligence will examine privacy posture.
Companies expanding into the EU or UK where enterprise buyers require a named DPO before signing contracts.
Companies that had a privacy or compliance leader depart and need interim coverage.
Companies that received a regulator inquiry, a data subject access request they cannot handle internally, or had a personal data breach.
How much does a fractional DPO cost?
Advisory from €500 per month. Lighter-touch privacy guidance for earlier-stage companies. Includes ad hoc privacy questions, policy reviews, and guidance on specific issues.
DPO Essentials from €2,000 per month. Full DPO function for most tech companies at Seed through Series B. Named DPO, supervisory authority notification, ongoing compliance management, vendor questionnaire support, breach support.
DPO Premium from €5,000 per month. Multi-jurisdictional companies and complex data environments. Same as DPO Essentials plus dedicated time, expanded vendor and product privacy reviews, and global regulatory coverage.
How is fractional different from outsourced DPO
The terms are often used interchangeably. Some providers distinguish them: outsourced DPO is the formal Article 37 appointment delivered externally, fractional DPO is part-time access to privacy leadership that may or may not include a formal appointment. Engage Compliance provides both. If you need the formal DPO appointment notified to the supervisory authority, that is included from DPO Essentials upward. If you only need privacy leadership without a formal appointment, Advisory may be the right fit.
How is fractional different from a privacy consultant
A DPO has specific legal duties under GDPR Article 39, including monitoring compliance, advising on data protection obligations, cooperating with the supervisory authority, and being a point of contact for data subjects. A privacy consultant provides advice but does not hold the formal role. For most companies under GDPR scope, a DPO is the right function. Consulting work happens alongside the DPO role.
Why teams choose Engage Compliance over alternatives
You work directly with a senior DPO, not a junior consultant. Experience across 100+ companies including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood.
We publish our pricing. Most providers in this category require a sales call before they will tell you what things cost.
We are based in the EU (Amsterdam, Netherlands) with US presence. This matters for the formal Article 37 appointment and for the practical reality of working with EU supervisory authorities.
We are positioned specifically for technology companies, not generalist privacy consulting. SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, AI, HR Tech, e-commerce.
We combine fractional DPO and EU Representative services from a single point of contact for non-EU companies, in line with EDPB guidance on operational separation.
What this is not
We are not a software platform. We are not a privacy automation tool. We do not provide a self-service dashboard. We are a senior person who owns your privacy program end to end.
If you need a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 platform, you should pair Engage with Vanta or Drata for security certifications and use us for privacy. Many of our clients do this.
If you need DPO coverage for a company with thousands of employees and complex multi-entity structures, we may not be the right fit. We are built for companies with 20 to 300 employees.
We are not a single-person consultancy. If your evaluation criteria include continuity during DPO absence, our named partner-bench model addresses that. Solo consultants without a partner bench have the same single-point-of-failure risk as solo internal DPOs.