Contract Staffing Services for Engineering, Skilled Trades and Technical Teams
Screened professionals on CPI's payroll for the length of your program, launch or peak — contract, contract-to-hire and contract engineering staffing from a veteran-owned firm serving Michigan since 1982.
What Is Contract Staffing?
Contract staffing — also called temporary or contingent staffing — places a worker on the staffing firm’s payroll for a defined assignment at your site. Contract Professionals (CPI) recruits and screens the person, employs them, and handles payroll, employer taxes, insurance and compliance; you direct the day-to-day work. When the program ends, so does the assignment — or you convert the person to your own payroll through contract-to-hire.
- You define the role, duration and site requirements
- CPI recruits, screens and presents qualified candidates, usually within days
- The contractor works on your team as a CPI employee
- CPI manages payroll, taxes, insurance, onboarding paperwork and compliance
- Extend, end or convert the assignment as your needs change
It is the most common way manufacturers, defense contractors and engineering firms add engineers, technicians and skilled trades without adding permanent headcount.
Contract Staffing Services CPI Provides
Every engagement is built around the work, not a template. CPI’s staffing services include:
- Contract staffing for programs, production peaks and project work with a defined period of performance
- Contract-to-hire when you want to evaluate performance and fit on the job before making a permanent offer
- Contract engineering staffing for design, manufacturing, controls, quality, test and project engineers
- Contingent workforce programs for employers that run a standing bench of contractors across multiple sites
- Payrolling for workers you have already identified, within a CPI staffing relationship
- Statement of Work (SOW) solutions for projects with defined deliverables, timelines and budgets
Need a permanent hire instead? CPI also provides direct hire and executive search.
Who CPI Places on Contract
CPI specializes in technical and skilled roles for defense, automotive and mobility, manufacturing, logistics, cleanroom and medical device, and data center employers:
- Mechanical, electrical, controls, manufacturing, quality, systems and project engineers
- CAD designers and drafters (SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA)
- CNC machinists, tool and machine builders, welders and quality technicians
- Heavy-equipment, Bradley and Abrams mechanics and field service technicians
- Cleanroom technicians, medical device assemblers and validation specialists
- IT, software, network and cybersecurity professionals
- Supply chain, logistics, materials and production planning roles
- Office professional and finance support for technical organizations
See the full list on Positions We Fill, or browse Available Talent for pre-screened professionals ready to start.
Why Employers Choose CPI for Contract Staffing
CPI has provided contract staffing to the defense industry and Michigan’s mobility sector since 1982. A few reasons clients keep coming back:
- Screened before you see them. Every candidate is checked for education, criminal background, drugs and relevant skills; veterans' MOS, NEC and AFSC codes are matched to your requirements.
- Speed that matches the market. CPI's placement data shows engineering roles average three to four weeks to fill and manufacturing roles two to three — and the best candidates are gone within seven days, so we move fast and help you decide fast.
- Veteran-owned, dual-certified. SBA-certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business, plus NVBDC certification, so supplier-diversity teams can count CPI spend with confidence.
- Recruiters who know the work. Teams organized by discipline, led by military veterans, with clients that include international DoD suppliers and Michigan automotive and mobility companies.
- One direct, accountable supplier. No vendor panels. Clear intake, transparent updates and metrics reviewed with you: time-to-qualified-slate, interview ratios and retention.
Read more in Hiring Insights from 1,000 Job Placements.
Where CPI Provides Contract Staffing
CPI is headquartered in Waterford Township, Michigan, and staffs contract roles across the Midwest and at defense sites nationwide:
- Michigan — Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor and Traverse City
- Ohio — Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, Canton, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati
- Indiana — Indianapolis, Warsaw, South Bend, Fort Wayne and Elkhart
- Texas and Alabama — Killeen, El Paso, Fort Worth, Austin, Anniston and Montgomery, including on-base roles at the bases we serve
Need contract staff somewhere else? CPI recruits nationally for direct-hire and executive searches and deploys talent where DoD suppliers need it.
Contract Staffing vs. Direct Hire: Which Fits?
Choose contract staffing when the work has an end date, the budget is project-based, or you need someone on site within weeks. Choose contract-to-hire when the role is likely permanent but you want to evaluate fit first. Choose direct hire when the position is permanent from day one and you want CPI to run the search. Most clients use a mix, and CPI can convert a contractor to your payroll whenever you are ready.
Contract Jobs with CPI
Contract work with CPI means employment with CPI on real programs with defense, automotive, manufacturing and data center employers, recruiters who stay with you through the assignment, and a path to permanent placement when the fit is right. Veterans and transitioning service members: CPI was founded to put you to work, and our recruiters translate your military experience into civilian roles.
Contract Staffing FAQs
Contract staffing is when a staffing firm recruits a professional, employs them on its own payroll and assigns them to work at a client’s site for a defined period. The client directs the work; the staffing firm handles payroll, taxes, insurance and compliance. CPI has provided contract staffing to defense, automotive, manufacturing and engineering employers since 1982.
Contract staffing is typically billed at an hourly rate that covers the employee’s pay, employer taxes, insurance and the staffing firm’s service. There is no placement fee unless you convert the contractor to your payroll on terms agreed up front. CPI quotes each role individually based on the skill set, location and duration.
Contract staffing ends when the assignment ends. Contract-to-hire starts the same way but is designed to convert the person to the client’s payroll once performance and fit have been evaluated on the job. CPI offers both and can convert a contractor whenever the client is ready.
CPI’s placement data shows defense and engineering roles average three to four weeks from order to start and manufacturing roles two to three. Screened candidates are usually presented within days, and every contract employee completes education, background and drug screening plus any site requirements before day one.
Yes. CPI has staffed the defense industry since 1982, is SBA-certified as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, and places engineers, skilled trades, mechanics and IT professionals with DoD suppliers in Michigan, Alabama, Texas and on base at Fort Hood, Anniston Army Depot, Fort Riley, Fort Bliss and Fort Carson.
Yes. CPI provides payrolling for its staffing clients’ identified workers — a retiree, a former contractor or a referral — acting as employer of record for payroll, taxes, insurance and compliance. It is offered within a CPI staffing relationship, not as a standalone payroll takeover.
Build Your Contract Workforce With CPI
Tell us the role, the timeline and the site, and a CPI recruiter will come back with screened candidates and a clear contract structure.