Forward Deployed Engineering

Hire Forward Deployed Engineers

Our certified AI engineers join your team, ship your AI use case into production, and stay until it works and your people can run it. Your repo, your code, your IP.

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Concret.io by the numbers

30+
Projects delivered
50+
Certified engineers
15+
AgentExchange apps
ISO
Certified
5+
In-house products

The problem

The Demo Was Great. Then Nothing Happened.

You have probably seen this before.

  1. A few weeks in

    The Demo Lands Well

    A small team builds an AI agent in a few weeks. The demo lands well. Leadership is excited, and everyone agrees it should go live.

  2. Then

    The Real Work Starts

    • The agent needs production data, not a sample file.
    • Security wants a review.
    • The system it has to connect to is fifteen years old.

  3. A few months later

    Still in a Sandbox

    A few months later, the agent still lives in a sandbox. The budget is spent.

    And the question in the next leadership meeting is simple: what did we actually get?

This is not a model problem.

It is a deployment problem. It is exactly the gap that Forward Deployed Engineering was built to close.

Definition

What Is a Forward Deployed Engineer?

Unlike an advisor

An FDE ships the code.

A forward deployed engineer (FDE) is a senior engineer who embeds inside your team, works directly in your systems and data, and writes the production code that takes an AI use case from pilot to live.

Unlike a contractor

An FDE owns the outcome until it works and your team can run it.

How it works

How Concret.io Forward-Deployed Engineers Work

Every forward-deployed AI engineer follows one clear loop, from the first conversation to the day your team takes over.

Discuss Your Project Goals

  1. Find the Workflow Worth Shipping

    We sit with the people who own the problem, pick one or two high-value use cases, and agree on the business metric that defines success. We also agree on when to stop if it is not working.

  2. Embed with Your Team

    Your FDE joins your Slack, your standups, and your repo. Code lives in your GitHub from day one.

  3. Build for Production, Not for a Demo

    We connect the agent to your real data and tools, set up evaluations and guardrails, and add human approval for risky actions.

  4. Roll Out Safely

    Shadow mode first, then live, with monitoring from launch day.

  5. Hand It Over

    Runbooks, documentation, and training, so your engineers own and extend the system after we step back.

Proof

We Ship AI to Production. Our Own, Too.

Most firms can show you a demo. We can show you products we built and run ourselves.

Voice AI agent

Lumi

Conversational voice AI agent for customer support; connects to your data, handles queries in real time, and hands off to a human with full context.

Explore Lumi

AI recruiting agent

Hire

Custom AI recruiting agent; runs video screening interviews, scores on your rubric, writes results back to your ATS or HRIS.

Explore Hire

Salesforce AppExchange

ChatBridge

Real-time chat translator native to Salesforce Service Cloud, 130+ languages, on AppExchange.

Explore ChatBridge

Salesforce data masking

Contour

Salesforce native data masking; scans for exposed sensitive data, deploys role-based visibility, one-click rollback.

Explore Contour

Who this is for

This Is Not Staff Augmentation

Staff augmentation sells hours. Forward deployed engineering sells an outcome.

Staff augmentation compared with a Concret.io forward deployed engineer
CriteriaStaff augmentationConcret.io FDE
SellsHoursAn outcome
On your teamFills a seatOwns a business result
What gets builtWorks from your ticketsHelps shape what gets built
When it endsRotates off when the contract endsStays through adoption and handover
SellsStaff augmentation: hours
On your teamStaff augmentation: fills a seat
What gets builtStaff augmentation: works from your tickets
When it endsStaff augmentation: rotates off when the contract ends
Concret.io FDESells an outcome. Owns a business result, helps shape what gets built, and stays through adoption and handover.

What We Commit To

  • One Engineer, One Project

    Our consultants work on one full-time project at a time. No double booking.

  • Your Code, Your IP

    Everything lives in your repo from day one.

  • No Surprise Invoices

    Scope before we start, a quote before we proceed, and we bill only what you approve.

Compare

Forward Deployed Engineer vs Solutions Architect

A solutions architect tells you what to build. A forward deployed engineer builds it, ships it, and stays until it works.

Forward deployed engineer compared with a solutions architect
CriteriaSolutions architectForward deployed engineer
Main outputDesign and recommendationsA working production system
Writes production codeRarelyYes
Where they workAlongside the projectInside your team and your systems
Accountable forThe design being soundThe outcome being live and adopted
Stays untilDesign sign-offYour team can run it

Engagement models

Choose Your FDE Hiring Model

Three ways to bring a forward deployed engineer into your team. Pick the one that matches your roadmap, not ours.

Dedicated FDE

Best for an ongoing AI roadmap with several use cases.

How you pay Monthly retainer Cost predictability: high, the same amount each month
  • Commitment: Full time, embedded in your team
  • Ends with a notice period or handover to your team

Fractional / Contract FDE

Best for a specific skill gap or a short push.

How you pay Monthly, for agreed days Cost predictability: medium, depends on days used
  • Commitment: Part time or fixed term
  • Ends at the end of term

Project-Based FDE

Best for one defined use case taken to production.

How you pay Fixed price per project Cost predictability: highest, one fixed quote
  • Commitment: Fixed scope, ends at handover
  • Ends with handover, runbooks and training

In every model, you own the code.

Which Model Suits Your Needs?Let us know, and we'll prepare a tailored plan for you.

Book a Consultation

For ISVs

For ISVs and AI Software Companies

You closed the enterprise deal. Now the customer wants a custom implementation your product team cannot get to. Our FDEs take on that last mile, so your core engineers stay on the roadmap. We have built 15+ AgentExchange apps and delivered product development work for ISVs.

Write To Us

Security and governance

Forward Deployed Engineering for Security Checks

Security reviews are where most pilots stall. We design for them from day one, so they become a checkpoint, not a roadblock.

Talk to Us

What We Build In

From day one

  • Your Environment

    Code, data access, and deployment stay in your repo and your cloud.

  • Least Privilege Access

    The agent gets only the data and tools its job needs.

  • Human Approval

    Risky actions wait for a person to approve.

  • Evaluations and Guardrails

    Tested before launch, enforced after launch.

  • Audit Trail

    Every agent action is logged and reviewable.

  • Safe Rollout

    Shadow mode first, then live, with monitoring from launch day.

FAQ

Forward Deployed Engineering FAQ

What is forward deployed engineering?v
Forward deployed engineering is a delivery model where senior engineers embed with a client, work inside its systems and data, and ship production software tied to a business outcome. It is built for problems that do not work out of the box, which describes most enterprise AI.
What is the difference between a forward deployed engineer and a solutions architect?v
A solutions architect designs the solution and hands it to someone else to build. A forward deployed engineer designs it, writes the production code, and stays accountable until it is live and adopted. Concret.io is an architect-led firm, so our FDEs bring both skills.
How is this different from AI implementation services?v
Traditional AI implementation services deliver a fixed scope and then leave. An FDE starts from a business goal, works out what should be built, ships it, and stays through adoption. If your scope is already fixed and clear, a standard implementation may be enough, and we will tell you so.
When should we bring in a forward-deployed engineer instead of hiring one?v
When an AI use case matters to the business, the pilot has stalled, and hiring your own FDE would take longer than the problem can wait. An embedded FDE ships the first system now. With our Build-Operate-Transfer model, your own team can take over the capability later, with the code, the playbook, and the lessons already in place.
How long does an FDE engagement take?v
It depends on the use case. We agree the scope, milestones, and success metrics before we start, so you know the plan upfront.
How much does a forward deployed engineer cost?v
We scope before we start and quote before we proceed. You approve the scope, and we bill only what you approve. No hourly surprises.
Who owns the code and IP?v
You do. The code lives in your repo from day one, and all documentation and runbooks are handed over.
Do your FDEs work with the AI platforms we already use?v
Yes. They work with the models and platforms you already have, including Salesforce Agentforce, HubSpot, and custom LLM agents built with LangGraph and RAG.

Contact

Bring Us the AI Pilot That Never Shipped

Tell us what you built, where it stalled, and what success should look like. We will tell you honestly whether a forward deployed engineer is the right fix.

  • One engineer, one project
  • Your code, your IP
  • No surprise invoices