Build-operate-transfer (BOT) means a partner builds your India engineering team, runs it, then transfers the Indian entity to you. Here is how it works.
This page covers BOT for software teams, not the infrastructure meaning (roads, ports, power plants). If you landed here looking for BOT as a public-private partnership, Wikipedia covers that. Everything below is about engineers.
BOT is one route to owning an India team. A GCC (global capability center, an engineering team in India that your company owns) is the destination. BOT is a path to it where the handover comes late. GCC Nexus offers BOT: we open a new company in India that we own while we build and run your team, and when you are ready you buy all the shares of that company and it becomes yours. The sections below explain the model, how to judge any partner, and how it works with us.
How build-operate-transfer works: the three phases
Build. The partner sets up a legal entity, finds and hires the first engineers, and arranges office and equipment. With GCC Nexus the entity is a new Indian company whose shares all belong to GCC Nexus at the start. The first engineer can be live in about 2 weeks.
Operate. The partner employs the engineers through that entity and runs payroll, HR, facilities and compliance. You direct the work. This period has no fixed length: it can run from 12 months to many years, depending on your priorities.
Transfer. When you want to take over, your company buys all the shares of the entity. In one step the entity, and everything it holds, belongs to your company. Because the entity itself changes owner, the engineers stay employed by the same company, so contracts do not have to be moved one by one.
| Phase | What happens | How long | Who owns the entity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build | A new Indian entity is set up and the first engineers are hired | First engineer live in about 2 weeks | GCC Nexus |
| Operate | GCC Nexus runs HR, payroll and compliance; you run the work | 12 months to many years, depending on your priorities | GCC Nexus |
| Transfer | Your company buys all the shares of the entity | When you choose | Your company |
BOT vs captive vs GCC vs managed team vs outsourcing
| Model | Who employs the engineers | Who owns the Indian entity | Handover event | Start time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captive (you build it alone) | You | You | None | Depends on your own entity and hiring capacity |
| BOT (typical partner) | The partner, then you | The partner, then you | Yes, set in the contract | Varies by partner |
| BOT with GCC Nexus | GCC Nexus is the legal employer; the engineers work only for your company | GCC Nexus, until your company buys all the shares | Yes: your company buys all the shares of the entity | First engineer live in about 2 weeks |
| Outsourcing | The vendor | The vendor | None, you never own the team | Varies by vendor |
A captive is a GCC a company runs on its own. BOT is a way of reaching one. Outsourcing is a different thing: the vendor's people work on your project and you do not own them. See GCC vs outsourcing for the full comparison.
Why buying a company beats creating one
A foreign company that wants an Indian entity can create one itself. In GCC Nexus's view that route is complicated, takes time and is costly, and you carry it all before the first engineer starts. A BOT turns the question around. The company is created and run for you first, and your company then buys all of its shares. That is the idea behind the model: buy a company instead of creating one.
When BOT makes sense, and when it does not
BOT can be a good fit if:
- you want to hold the legal entity and the whole India operation yourself in the end;
- you want a partner to carry the entity and the employer role while the team is built;
- you can plan for the full length of the engagement.
BOT is a poor fit if:
- you want to keep your options open. BOT is a long arrangement, and you commit to it before you know how big the team will be;
- you want to hold the entity and the employer role from the first day, with no transition to plan for;
- you cannot say today what you want the handover to include.
When GCC Nexus is not the right choice: if you need a short task that finishes in weeks, if you are choosing on price per hour, or if someone else will deliver a fixed-scope project for you. Those are outsourcing questions, and no BOT or GCC model fits them.
The risks, and how to reduce them
Share purchase terms. The price basis and the conditions of buying the entity are agreed before the transfer happens. Ask for them in writing before the build starts.
Dependency. If only the partner knows how payroll, statutory filings and vendor payments work, handover is slow. Write knowledge-transfer milestones into the contract, with dates.
People and the employer brand. During the operate period the engineers are employed by the partner's entity. Ask the partner how it keeps people and how it handles hiring.
Hiring control. Keep the final say on who joins, and on senior offers in particular. The partner's recruiters should not decide that for you.
IP. Make sure everything the team produces is assigned to you from the day it is created, not from the day of transfer.
This is general information, not legal advice.
BOT in India: practical points
Most India teams land in one of three cities: Bangalore (880+ GCCs by our count), Hyderabad (355+) and Pune (350+). Those counts are GCC Nexus's own figures, not a third-party statistic.
What changes in India compared with other countries:
- An Indian entity needs to exist before anyone is employed. In a BOT the partner creates and owns it first.
- Employment contracts, payroll and statutory compliance sit with whoever owns the employing entity. In the operate period that is the partner. After the share purchase it is you, and the employer is the same company as before.
For the full setup steps and timeline, see how to set up a GCC in India.
How BOT works with GCC Nexus
With GCC Nexus, you choose BOT at the start. We open a new company in India and own all of its shares while we build and run your team. We employ the engineers through that company, so GCC Nexus is their legal employer until transfer, and they work only for your company while you direct their work. We find the engineers, then handle entity, payroll, compliance, office and equipment, so your leaders manage the team and nothing else. When you want to take over, you buy all the shares of the company and it belongs to your company in one step. The operate period can run from 12 months to many years, depending on your priorities.
GCC Nexus's view is that this is the most efficient way for a foreign company to get a company in India. Setting up a company directly in India is complicated, takes time and is costly. Buying a company is simpler than creating one, and a BOT works that way: the company is already set up and running when you buy its shares. It is also the easiest way to create a GCC in India: you do not set up or run the company at the start, and taking it over later is a single share purchase.
This page does not set out the share price, fees, timing or conditions of the transfer. Those are agreed with you directly.
TalentRadar, GCC Nexus's AI outbound platform, finds engineers who aren't looking. No job ads. We source top 1% engineers by company pedigree from India's best product companies, such as Razorpay, Swiggy, CRED and Google India. You get a shortlist of 5 vetted profiles in 7 days. They have gone through a 7-step technical and cultural vetting, including interviews by independent domain experts, before you see them. The first engineer can be live in about 2 weeks. A team of 5 to 10 engineers is typically fully onboarded within 6 to 8 weeks from the first hire going live.
What that looks like in practice:
- Shopping Gate: a full cross-functional team of 15 operational within 3 months; first 2 hires within 2 weeks.
- Barq: 100+ engineers, first 10 hires in 8 weeks.
- Advanced Infrastructure: started with one data engineer in India. It then built up its backend, DevOps and frontend teams there, and the team now stands at 24 engineers.
The trade-off to weigh: until the transfer step, the entity and the employer role sit with GCC Nexus, not with you. If you want to hold both from the first day, a different route may suit you better. More on that: GCC vs outsourcing and offshore team in India.
BOT for US, UK, Australian and UAE companies
US companies. India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 all year with no daylight saving, so overlap with US hours shifts twice a year. See GCC setup for US companies.
UK companies. India has no daylight saving, so the overlap with UK hours changes when the UK clocks change. Advanced Infrastructure is a UK client. See GCC setup for UK companies.
Australian companies. "Build operate transfer" mostly returns infrastructure and public-private partnership pages in Australia, so be specific about the software meaning when you search. See GCC setup for Australian companies.
UAE companies. India is 1.5 hours ahead of the UAE all year. Fincobox, a UAE client, has 10+ engineers in India and its first hires came in 6 weeks. See GCC setup for UAE companies.
What a BOT partner should show you
Many providers offer BOT. We do not name them. Use this list to judge any one, including us:
- The transfer terms in writing before the build starts: what you will pay for the shares, and under which conditions.
- The partner's own record: how many transfers it has completed and whether you can speak to those clients.
- Who owns the IP while the team is under the partner's entity.
- A knowledge-transfer plan with dates, not a promise.
- An exit clause if either side wants to stop before the planned transfer.
FAQ
What is build-operate-transfer?
Build-operate-transfer is a model where a partner builds a team or facility, runs it for an agreed period, then transfers it to you. In software it means a partner sets up your engineering team abroad, employs and manages the engineers through a local entity, and hands over the entity later.
What does BOT stand for in business?
Build, operate, transfer. The model started in infrastructure, where a private company builds and runs a road or power plant before handing it to the government. IT companies adopted it for offshore teams.
How does the BOT model work step by step?
The partner builds the entity and hires the first team. It then operates the team: payroll, HR, facilities and compliance, while you direct the work. At the transfer step, you take over the entity that employs the engineers. With GCC Nexus, that means buying all the shares of the entity.
How long does each BOT phase last?
With GCC Nexus the first engineer can be live in about 2 weeks. The operate period has no fixed length: it can run from 12 months to many years, depending on your priorities. The transfer happens when you choose to buy the shares of the entity.
What is the difference between BOT, captive and GCC?
A GCC is an engineering team in India that your company owns. A captive is a GCC you set up and run yourself. BOT is a way to reach a GCC where a partner builds and runs it first, then transfers it to you.
What are the pros and cons of BOT?
Pros: a partner takes on the early setup, and you end up owning the entity and the team. With GCC Nexus that happens through a single share purchase. Cons: you depend on the partner's back office until you take over, and the entity and the employer role sit with the partner until then.
How does BOT work with GCC Nexus?
When you choose BOT at the start, GCC Nexus opens a new company in India and owns all of its shares while it builds and operates your team. GCC Nexus is the legal employer of the engineers, who work only for your company. When you want the transfer, you buy all the shares of the company and it becomes yours in one step.
Why use BOT to create a GCC in India?
GCC Nexus's view is that it is the most efficient way for a foreign company to get a company in India. Creating a company directly in India is complicated, takes time and is costly, and buying a company is simpler. With BOT you do not set up or run the company at the start, and taking it over later is a single share purchase.
Which companies offer BOT in India?
Many do, and we do not rank them. Evaluate each with the checklist on this page: transfer terms in writing, transfers completed, IP ownership, knowledge-transfer plan and exit clause. GCC Nexus also offers BOT, as described above.
Next step
Tell us the roles you need and the markets you serve. We will show you how a BOT engagement would look for your team. Start here.