Freelance CRAs operate as independent businesses. When they accept a contract based on a promised 0.8 or 1.0 FTE allocation, they often decline other opportunities and reserve capacity accordingly. If that workload later reduces significantly, they are left with unallocated time and lost income — despite having turned down competing contracts.
In many cases, this leads to the contractor seeking alternative work and exiting the study early. What was intended as a way to secure resource quickly can instead create disruption, handovers, and instability.
The operational impact can be substantial:
- Loss of site continuity and relationship management
- Delays while onboarding a replacement CRA
- Reduced morale and engagement
- Reputational damage within the freelance community
The freelance CRA market is closely connected, and organisations known for inflating FTE commitments may struggle to attract top talent in future.
A more sustainable approach is simple: commit only to realistic, forecast-backed FTE, define guaranteed minimum allocation, and communicate transparently if timelines shift.
At Upsilon Global, we believe honest FTE planning protects contractor relationships, study continuity, and long-term delivery success.
