DPO as a Service (DPOaaS)

Not every organisation needs or can afford a full-time internal DPO. Our DPO as a Service model provides scalable, cost-effective external DPO resources for private sector entities in Portugal. Choose from three service tiers—Basic, Standard, or Premium—and scale your compliance capability based on your needs and growth trajectory.

Who Should Consider DPOaaS?

DPO as a Service is ideal for:

  • SMEs with 50–500 employees processing moderate volumes of personal data
  • Organisations with growing compliance needs but insufficient scale for a full-time DPO hire
  • Companies seeking cost certainty and flexibility in their compliance resourcing
  • Startups and scale-ups requiring DPO expertise without overhead
  • Businesses in regulated sectors (finance, healthcare, tech) needing credible external DPO presence

Our Three Service Tiers

Basic Tier

€200–€400/month

Ideal for small organisations (50–150 employees) with low-complexity data processing. Includes:

  • Monthly compliance status check-in (30 min)
  • Policy template review and guidance
  • Ad-hoc questions and escalation support
  • Annual GDPR compliance roadmap
  • Data subject request support (limited volume)
  • Breach notification assistance (if needed)

Best for: Organisations with straightforward compliance (employee data, basic customer information) and minimal regulatory scrutiny.

Standard Tier

€400–€800/month

Suited for mid-size organisations (150–350 employees) with moderate processing complexity. Includes all Basic features plus:

  • Bi-weekly compliance coordination calls
  • Full DPIA support and documentation
  • Vendor DPA review and negotiation
  • Quarterly compliance audit and reporting
  • Data subject request management (standard volume)
  • Breach incident response coordination (24/7 for critical breaches)
  • Annual GDPR training delivery to your team

Best for: Growing companies with multi-channel processing (web, mobile, CRM) and regulatory requirements across several jurisdictions.

Premium Tier

€800–€1,500/month

Comprehensive DPO services for larger organisations (350–500 employees) or high-complexity processing. Includes all Standard features plus:

  • Weekly compliance coordination and strategic advisory
  • Unlimited DPIA, breach, and vendor support
  • Dedicated point of contact (named DPO)
  • Quarterly board/committee-level compliance reports
  • Advanced compliance programmes (NIS2, AI Act integration)
  • Regulatory liaison and investigation support
  • Bi-annual compliance audits and risk assessments
  • Custom training and internal capability-building
  • Multi-jurisdictional support (if applicable)

Best for: Established companies with complex international operations, regulated processing, or significant CNPD interaction.

Bilingual Service Model

All DPOaaS tiers operate bilingually:

  • Portuguese: Day-to-day compliance, policy, operational coordination with your Portuguese team
  • English: Reporting, strategic documents, and communication with international stakeholders or headquarters

This bilingual approach ensures smooth integration with your organisation whilst maintaining professional documentation for regulators and executives.

Service Delivery Model

Your DPO engagement is handled through our shared resource model: a team of certified DPOs serves multiple organisations, allocating time proportionally to each. This enables:

  • Cost Efficiency: Shared resource reduces overhead versus a dedicated full-time hire
  • Expertise Consistency: Your DPO benefits from knowledge across our portfolio of clients
  • Scalability: As your needs grow, you upgrade to a higher tier without onboarding delays
  • Availability: For breaches and critical issues, escalation to senior DPOs ensures 24/7 response capability

Onboarding Process

  1. Initial Consultation: We assess your processing activities, current compliance maturity, and determine the appropriate tier
  2. DPO Designation: We issue formal DPO agreement and register your designation with the CNPD (if required)
  3. Compliance Assessment: We conduct a baseline audit to identify immediate gaps and priorities
  4. Roadmap Development: We create an annual compliance calendar and remediation plan
  5. Ongoing Engagement: Monthly/bi-weekly touchpoints, policy development, incident management, and regulatory liaison

Transition to Internal DPO

Many organisations start with DPOaaS and later hire a permanent internal DPO. We facilitate smooth transitions:

  • Mentoring and knowledge transfer to your new internal DPO (3–6 months)
  • Continued advisory role post-transition (reduced retainer)
  • Documentation and audit trail of all compliance work for continuity
Note: If internalisation is your goal, consider our DPO Internalisation service, which combines structured training, ongoing support, and project-based consultancy for permanent capability-building.

What's NOT Included

DPOaaS covers operational compliance; it does not typically include:

  • Large-scale system implementations or technical infrastructure changes
  • Litigation support or enforcement action defence (may be available as project-based services)
  • M&A due diligence (separate engagement)
  • Extensive international operations (consider Group DPO services for multi-jurisdictional needs)

For these, we offer bespoke project engagements or can recommend specialist partners.

Pricing FAQ

Q: Can I upgrade or downgrade my tier?
A: Yes. Tier changes take effect in the following billing month with 30 days' notice.

Q: Are there setup fees or contracts?
A: Minimal setup (registration documentation, initial assessment). Standard contracts are 12 months; shorter engagements available.

Q: What if I need extra support beyond my tier?
A: Additional hours can be purchased at €100–€150/hour or we can upgrade your tier mid-year.

Get Started with DPO as a Service

Identify the right tier for your organisation and begin your compliance journey with a dedicated external DPO.

Request a DPOaaS Proposal