Interim DPO Service
Interim DPO Service: Temporary DPO Cover While You Recruit
An experienced, named Data Protection Officer, backed by legal, technical and operational specialists, in place within days for a fixed monthly fee. We keep you compliant and regulator-ready until your permanent DPO starts.
- Named DPO + 3-specialist team
- Live in as little as 5 working days
- Fixed monthly fee
- 120+ jurisdictions
- 3-month minimum
Close the gap
A DPO vacancy is a compliance risk, not just an HR gap
Recruitment takes time
Hiring a qualified DPO often takes months. Meanwhile, your compliance duties continue.
The legal duty does not pause
Breaches, DSARs and regulator contact can still arrive while the role is vacant.
Departures happen suddenly
Resignation, maternity leave, restructuring and secondment can create an immediate gap.
Unsure whether the vacancy creates a legal issue? Read when a DPO is required.
Who interim DPO cover is for
Your DPO has resigned
You are recruiting a permanent DPO
You need maternity or long-term leave cover
You are managing a merger or restructure
You face an audit or regulator enquiry
You are newly in scope and need a DPO now
What’s included
| Area | What you get |
|---|---|
| Statutory role | Named interim DPO, formal appointment, registration where required and published contact details. |
| Rapid onboarding | Kick-off within 2 working days, outgoing-DPO handover where available, and a rapid review of open risks. |
| Specialist team | Legal, technical and operational specialists behind your named DPO, with built-in cover for absence. |
| Oversight | Compliance monitoring, practical advice and direct reporting to senior management. |
| Incidents | Breach triage, regulator notification support and response within 24 hours. |
| Requests | DSAR guidance and support for complex rights requests. |
| Assessments | DPIA review and sign-off, plus priority vendor risk checks. |
| Regulator liaison | A clear point of contact for supervisory authorities. |
| Reporting | Monthly status reports and a final handover pack. |
| Recruitment support | DPO job description, competency checklist and interview questions on Medium and Large tiers. |
| Handover | An open-issues log and priority action plan for your permanent DPO. |
Already have a privacy platform?
We manage the tools you already own.
Many clients come to us with OneTrust, TrustArc, Securiti, Vanta or an in-house system already in place. That is not a problem. Your interim DPO will operate inside your existing stack: running DPIA and DSAR workflows, keeping your record of processing activities current, maintaining vendor and AI registers, and driving the platform’s outstanding tasks to completion. There is no requirement to move to our Privacy360 platform.
Our delivery model
One named DPO. A team of three specialists behind them.
An interim DPO must be effective from day one. Therefore, you get more than one person. Your named DPO leads. Meanwhile, three specialist disciplines provide depth and continuity.
Legal and regulatory
- Interprets GDPR, UK GDPR and local law
- Advises on transfers and contractual risk
- Supports regulator liaison
- Reviews high-risk decisions
Technical and cyber
- Reviews data flows and security controls
- Supports breach triage
- Assesses vendors and AI tools
- Informs DPIAs with technical analysis
Operational and change
- Coordinates DSARs and evidence
- Builds workflows and escalation routes
- Supports training and governance
- Prepares the permanent-DPO handover
Day 1 to 5: Rapid start
The team confirms duties, reviews systems and sets the reporting rhythm.
Ongoing: Always covered
Specialists cover incidents and deadlines when the named DPO is unavailable.
Exit: Clean handover
All three disciplines contribute to the permanent DPO’s handover pack.
A lone contractor can create another gap if they become unavailable. A team removes that single point of failure. Compare this model with an in-house hire, or explore our ongoing outsourced DPO service.
Powered by Privacy360 for live dashboards, DPIA and DSAR workflows, and audit-ready evidence.
Compare your options
Formiti Interim DPO vs a DPO contractor at £750 per day
A day-rate contractor can fill a gap. However, costs rise with every day used. Meanwhile, one person carries all the risk. Our fixed fee gives you a named DPO and a team of three.
Pricing model
Formiti · Recommended
Fixed monthly fee from £950
Contractor
£750 per day, plus VAT and expenses where applicable
Cost certainty
Formiti · Recommended
Budget agreed in advance
Contractor
Cost rises with each additional day
Who does the work
Formiti · Recommended
Named DPO backed by three specialist disciplines
Contractor
One individual covers every task
Continuity and cover
Formiti · Recommended
Team cover for illness, leave or departure
Contractor
No built-in cover
Speed to start
Formiti · Recommended
Kick-off within 2 working days; live in as little as 5
Contractor
Depends on one person’s availability
Breadth of expertise
Formiti · Recommended
Legal, technical, cyber and operational support
Contractor
Depends on one person’s background
Incident response
Formiti · Recommended
24-hour response with team backup
Contractor
Depends on booked days and availability
Tools and evidence
Formiti · Recommended
Privacy360 dashboards, workflows and audit-ready evidence
Contractor
Usually personal templates and spreadsheets
Reporting
Formiti · Recommended
Monthly report and final handover pack included
Contractor
Often requires extra billed days
Recruitment support
Formiti · Recommended
Included on Medium and Large tiers
Contractor
Usually excluded or billed separately
Regulator liaison
Formiti · Recommended
Included with legal specialists behind the DPO
Contractor
Included only on billed days
Contract and admin
Formiti · Recommended
One agreement; 3-month minimum, then monthly
Contractor
Contractor agreement and status checks
Handover
Formiti · Recommended
Structured pack from all three disciplines
Contractor
Varies and may cost extra
Best suited to
Formiti · Recommended
Predictable cost, resilience and a regulator-ready handover
Contractor
Short tasks with tightly capped days
Contractor figures are illustrative and based on a £750 day rate. Actual rates vary. Formiti fees exclude VAT.
Read the guide
Interim DPO Service vs Day-Rate Contractor: Which Is Best for Global Compliance in 2026?
Choosing between an interim DPO service and a day-rate contractor is rarely as simple as comparing a monthly fee to a daily rate. We compare accountability, cross-border reach, continuity, technology and true cost, so you can pick the right model for your 2026 regulatory footprint.
Read the full article →Cost saving calculator
How much could you save against a DPO contractor?
Enter a contractor's day rate and how many days they would work. We compare it with a fixed Formiti Interim DPO fee for the same period.
Contractor (6 months)
£58,500
£9,750 / month
Formiti Interim DPO
£11,700
£1,950 / month
Estimated saving
£46,800
80% less than the contractor, with a team of three specialists behind your DPO
Illustrative only. Contractor costs exclude expenses and agency fees. Formiti fees exclude VAT; 3-month minimum.
Fixed monthly pricing. No hourly billing.
Prices are in GBP, exclude VAT and are billed monthly. The minimum term is 3 months, then rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice.
Small
Up to 50 employees
£950 / month
1–2 jurisdictions
Low to moderate data risk
- Named interim DPO
- Backed by the Formiti team of three
- Shared specialist team access within 2 working days
- 24-hour breach response
- Up to 2 DPIA reviews per month
- Up to 3 DSAR escalations per month
- Monthly status report
- Final handover pack
Medium
51–250 employees
£1,950 / month
Up to 5 jurisdictions
Moderate to high data risk
- Everything in Small
- Backed by the Formiti team of three
- Up to 4 DPIA reviews per month
- Up to 8 DSAR escalations per month
- Fortnightly management call
- Priority vendor and processor risk checks
- Recruitment support pack
Large
251–1,000 employees
£3,950 / month
Up to 10 jurisdictions
High-risk or regulated processing
- Everything in Medium
- Backed by the Formiti team of three
- Up to 8 DPIA reviews per month
- Up to 15 DSAR escalations per month
- Weekly management call
- Board-level reporting
- Dedicated deputy DPO for continuity
- Support during regulator enquiries
More than 1,000 employees, or more than 10 jurisdictions? We will build a bespoke fixed-fee proposal.
Talk to usOptional add-ons
Add-on pricing is confirmed in your proposal.
How it works
- 1
Day 0–2
Consultation, scope, fixed-fee proposal and signature.
- 2
Days 2–5
Kick-off, access, formal appointment and registration where required.
- 3
Week 2
Rapid risk review and priority plan for senior management.
- 4
Ongoing
Monthly reporting, incident cover and regulator liaison.
- 5
Exit
Handover to your permanent DPO or our outsourced DPO service.
Independent oversight
Independence and conflicts of interest
Your interim DPO acts independently and reports to the highest management level. Article 37 GDPR permits a service contract. We keep DPO duties separate from implementation work and flag potential conflicts.
Which tier is right for you?
This selector collects and stores no data.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an interim DPO?
An interim DPO is a temporary, formally appointed Data Protection Officer. They maintain independent oversight while you recruit, cover leave or manage organisational change.
How quickly can an interim DPO start?
We can typically put an interim DPO in place within 5 working days, subject to scope, conflicts checks and onboarding.
Can an interim DPO be legally appointed?
Yes. Article 37 GDPR allows a DPO to perform the role under a service contract. The DPO must remain independent and report to senior management.
What is the minimum contract term?
The minimum term is 3 months. The service then continues monthly with 30 days’ notice.
Can we keep the interim DPO if we cannot hire permanently?
Yes. You can continue with Formiti by moving to our ongoing outsourced DPO service.
Will the interim DPO work with our new DPO at handover?
Yes. A structured handover is included, with open issues, evidence and a priority action plan.
Do you cover both UK and EU operations?
Yes. We coordinate support from our offices in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland and Thailand.
Who is responsible if something goes wrong?
Your organisation remains the controller and stays accountable. The DPO advises and monitors but does not assume your legal liability.
Is the DPO role mandatory for us?
It depends on your processing and applicable law. Read our guide on when a DPO is required, or ask us to assess your position.
What happens to the outgoing DPO’s records?
We take a documented handover where possible. If records are incomplete, we reconstruct gaps through a rapid review.
Without a DPO today? Let’s fix that this week.
We review your situation and immediate risks.
We schedule a free consultation to confirm scope.
We send a fully costed fixed-fee proposal.
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