Engagement model · GCC as a Service

GCC as a Service: A Ready-to-Run Global Capability Center

Launch your Global Capability Center in India without setting up an entity, leasing an office or building HR from scratch. We provide the platform; you direct the team.

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  • ISO 27001 certified
  • ISO 9001 certified
  • AWS Advanced Tier Partner

Quick answerGCC as a Service is an engagement model where a partner provides a fully operational Global Capability Center (GCC), also called a captive center, with the legal entity, workspace, IT, HR, payroll, compliance and delivery management in place, while the client directs the team and owns the work. It is the fastest way to launch a GCC in India, with the option to take ownership later through Build-Operate-Transfer.

We build and run GCCs in the Tier 1 hubs of Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Noida, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, and in the Tier 2 city of Gandhinagar.

The model

What is GCC as a Service?

GCC setup in India the traditional way means incorporating an entity, finding and fitting out an office, building IT and security, setting up payroll and HR, and hiring a leadership team, all before the first engineer writes a line of code. That takes months and ties up capital and management attention.

GCC as a Service removes that setup burden. Relevance Lab provides the operating platform (entity, workspace, infrastructure, HR, payroll and compliance) and the delivery management on top. Your team works only for you, follows your processes and builds your intellectual property. You decide priorities; we make sure the center runs.

Because nothing has to be built from zero, a first team can start in weeks. As the center grows, you can move to a Managed GCC or take full ownership through Build-Operate-Transfer.

What's included

Six building blocks, one partner

Each block links to its detail page.

Talent

AI-assisted hiring, onboarding and retention for technology and non-technology roles.

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Real Estate & Workspace

Managed offices, dedicated floors or build-to-suit campuses in India's top tech cities.

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IT & Data Security

End-to-end IT setup, 24/7 support and ISO 27001-aligned security controls.

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HR & Payroll

Payroll, statutory compliance, HR operations and benefits handled for you.

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Technology & Delivery

Engineering, cloud, data and AI practices, plus delivery management with clear KPIs.

See Managed GCC

Legal & Compliance

Entity, registrations, labour law and regulatory compliance kept current.

Learn more
How it works

From first call to a running GCC

A clear path with a decision gate at every stage.

  1. 01
    Weeks 1–2

    Assess

    Goals, roles, location and budget. We confirm GCC as a Service is the right fit.

  2. 02
    Weeks 2–4

    Design

    Team shape, governance, security controls, KPIs and the commercial model.

  3. 03
    Weeks 4–8

    Set up

    Your team starts in a ready office in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 city; IT and access are provisioned and hiring starts in parallel.

  4. 04
    Weeks 6–12

    Go live

    First team onboarded and delivering, with weekly reporting from day one.

  5. 05
    Ongoing

    Scale

    Add roles, CoEs and locations; move to ownership when you are ready.

Compare models

GCC as a Service vs Managed GCC vs Build-Operate-Transfer

Comparison of GCC as a Service, Managed GCC and Build-Operate-Transfer
GCC as a ServiceManaged GCCBuild-Operate-Transfer
Who owns the centerRelevance Lab runs it for you; you direct the workYou own it; we run specialist functionsWe build it in our office and run it, then transfer it to you
Legal entityNot needed on day one: you use oursYoursOurs while we build and run it; yours after transfer
Speed to launchFastest: weeks, not quartersDepends on your existing centerFast: starts in our office, no entity or lease needed
Cost profilePredictable monthly fee per teamSLA-based fee per functionBuild, operate and transfer fees agreed up front
Best forFirst-time GCCs, mid-market and PE-backed firmsEstablished GCCs that need specialist depthFirms that want to own their captive center later
Benefits

Why companies choose GCC as a Service

Speed to launch

A working team in weeks, because the platform already exists.

No entity setup

Start without incorporating; add your own entity when the case is proven.

Predictable cost

One monthly fee per team instead of large upfront capital spend.

Scale on demand

Add roles, skills and CoEs without re-planning the whole center.

Cost

Cost of setting up a GCC in India: what drives it

There is no single price for a GCC, but the cost drivers are well understood. Talent is the largest line: the mix of roles, seniority and skills (AI, cloud and data engineers cost more than generalists) sets most of the budget. Location matters next: Tier 1 cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad differ from Tier 2 cities such as Gandhinagar on salaries, rent and talent depth.

Workspace costs depend on whether you use a managed office, a dedicated floor or a build-to-suit campus. Setup costs cover entity incorporation, registrations, IT infrastructure, security tooling and fit-out. Run costs cover HR, payroll, facilities, compliance and leadership overheads.

GCC as a Service turns most setup costs into a predictable monthly fee, so you pay for a working team instead of building infrastructure first. We share a line-by-line cost model during the consultation.

Who it's for

Built for three kinds of companies

First-time GCCs

Enterprises opening their first India center who want to prove the model before committing capital.

Mid-market companies

Firms that need GCC-level talent and control without the overhead of a large captive setup.

PE-backed businesses

Portfolio companies that need engineering capacity fast, with clear cost and a clean exit path.

Path to ownership

Start in our office today, own your GCC later

GCC as a Service is a starting point, not a lock-in. When you are ready, convert to Build-Operate-Transfer and take your center in-house.

  1. Stage 1

    Start as a service

    Your dedicated team works from our office, on our entity, with everything run for you.

  2. Stage 2

    Convert to BOT

    Agree a transfer plan: timeline, entity, people, contracts and IP, with no disruption to delivery.

  3. Stage 3

    Own your captive center

    The team, assets and operations move to your own entity and premises, in the city you choose.

Build-Operate-Transfer

Want ownership from the start?

Our BOT model builds your GCC in Relevance Lab's office, runs it to agreed SLAs and then transfers it to you as your own captive center.

Explore Build-Operate-Transfer
Client proof

GCC as a Service in practice

Insurance & Financial ServicesGCC as a Service

Building engineering and data capability for a global insurance broker

A long-running India delivery capability supporting platforms, data and cloud operations for a global insurance and risk advisory firm.

GCCs for Insurance & Financial Services

Challenge

Grow engineering capacity for core broking and analytics platforms without setting up and running a separate India entity.

Approach

Relevance Lab provided talent, workspace, security and delivery management as one service, with the client directing priorities and owning the roadmap.

Outcome

A stable, scaled team working as an extension of the client's technology organization, with governance and reporting the client's leaders could rely on.

See all GCC case studies

Locations

Where we build GCCs: Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities across India

We set up and run GCCs in nine Tier 1 hubs and the fast-growing Tier 2 city of Gandhinagar, so you can balance talent depth, cost and business continuity.

  • Tier 1MumbaiIndia's financial capital, with depth in banking and financial services talent.
  • Tier 1PuneDeep engineering, product and automotive technology talent.
  • Tier 1GurgaonDelhi NCR's corporate hub, with deep technology and business services talent.
  • Tier 1NoidaDelhi NCR's large IT and technology services cluster, at competitive cost.
  • Tier 1HyderabadOne of India's fastest-growing GCC hubs, with strong engineering and data talent.
  • Tier 1ChennaiStrong in SaaS, financial services technology and engineering.
  • Tier 1BangaloreIndia's largest technology talent pool and its most established GCC hub.
  • Tier 1AhmedabadGujarat's commercial hub, with a growing technology talent base at competitive cost.
  • Tier 1KolkataEastern India's largest talent market, with a large graduate pool at lower cost.
  • Tier 2GandhinagarHome to GIFT City, India's international financial services center.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers about GCC as a Service. Can't see your question?

Ask a GCC expert

GCC as a Service is a model where a partner provides a fully operational Global Capability Center (entity, workspace, IT, HR, payroll, compliance and delivery management) while you direct a dedicated team that works only for you. It lets you launch a GCC in India in weeks instead of months.

In GCC as a Service, Relevance Lab runs the whole center for you. In a Managed GCC, you already own the center and we run specific specialist functions such as AI, cloud, DevOps or data under SLAs.

In Build-Operate-Transfer, we build your GCC in Relevance Lab's office and run it with a planned transfer to your own entity. GCC as a Service can run indefinitely, and you can convert it to BOT whenever you want to take ownership.

Building your own captive center gives full control but takes months of entity, office, IT and HR setup before work starts. GCC as a Service gets a team working in weeks with predictable costs, and you can still own the center later through BOT.

Cost depends mainly on team size and role mix, city, workspace type and compliance needs. With GCC as a Service, most setup costs are replaced by a predictable monthly fee per team. We share a detailed cost model during the consultation.

No. An offshore development center is usually a vendor's team working to a contract. The GCC as a Service model gives you a dedicated team that works only for you, follows your processes and builds your IP, with the option to own it later.

A captive center gives you control but takes months to set up; outsourcing is fast, but you lose control of talent and IP. GCC as a Service sits between the two: GCC services and setup are handled for you, with captive-style control from day one.

Yes. The team works only for you, and the work and intellectual property belong to you under the service agreement.

Because the entity, workspace, IT and HR are already in place, a first team can typically start within weeks. The exact timeline depends on the roles and seniority you need.

Yes. You can convert to Build-Operate-Transfer and move the team to your own entity. We plan for that from the start so the transition is smooth for your people and your work.

Content last reviewed: October 2026

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