Clocking out: IT giants pivot to fixed and outcome-based pricing, driven by growing use of AI tools
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s largest information technology (IT) services companies including Infosys Ltd and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp are getting more work contracts based on fixed prices and outcomes as the use of AI-driven automation tools increases.This marks a shift from the traditional ‘time and material’ (T&M) billing model where IT services companies bill clients for the number of hours spent on work like coding, software development and maintenance. The change in pricing contracts follows the rise of automation tools that allow fewer people to handle IT projects.With fixed pricing, IT services companies and their clients determine prices for the work done regardless of the time spent or the outcome achieved.
Outcome-based pricing, which links payment to output rather than the costs incurred, is also gaining traction.Nasdaq-listed Cognizant’s share of fixed-price revenue increased from 43% at the end of December 2022 to 47% at the end of last year, translating to $10 billion in revenue. The company ended last year with $21.1 billion in revenue, up 7%.
Cognizant’s T&M revenue declined by 4% over the past three years to $9.1 billion, or about 43% of its revenue.Cognizant follows a January-December financial calendar whereas Indian IT companies follow an April-March calendar.For Infosys, the second-largest Indian IT services company, the share of fixed-price contracts increased to 54% of revenue at the end of March 2025, or about $10.4 billion, from 53% three years ago.Infosys ended FY25 with $19.28 billion in revenue, up 3.9%. Its share of T&M revenue fell 1% to $8.87 billion, or 46% of revenue, during this period.
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