The five-criterion scorecard
1. Published rate transparency
- Senior nearshore EU should sit $55–$95/hour
- Partner should publish bands publicly or share within first conversation
- Refuse to disclose = treat as red flag
2. Country and stack coverage
- Romania, Poland, Portugal, Spain are the four strongest pools
- Partner should cover at least 3 EU countries
- Stack depth: React, Node, TypeScript, Python should all be available
3. Vetting transparency
- Named interviewers with LinkedIn profiles
- Published acceptance rate (5–15% is normal range)
- Sample interview rubric available on request
- Reference engagements named
4. Engagement model flexibility
- Should offer staff augmentation, dedicated team, and outsourcing
- 3-month minimum, 30-day notice is the healthy standard
- No mandatory long-term lock-ins
5. Reference quality
- 2–3 client references available within 5 business days
- References should match your scale, stack, and engagement model
- Ask the reference: "What would you do differently?", if the answer is "nothing", the reference is curated
Stack-specific filters
- React-heavy product: Lemon.io, HighCircl, Smartworking.io
- Backend / data engineering: HighCircl, Devteam.space
- Mobile (iOS/Android): HighCircl, Mobsquad
- AI/ML platform: HighCircl (Poland, Romania bench)
Country-specific filters
- Romania: HighCircl (deepest bench), Endava (large agency)
- Poland: HighCircl, Netguru, STX Next
- Portugal, Spain: HighCircl, Code for All, Apiumhub
- Hungary: HighCircl, Supercharge
What to ask in the first call
- Show me your published rate sheet
- Show me 2 CVs from your current bench in [my stack]
- Share 2 client references at my company stage
- Walk me through your vetting process
For HighCircl's full shortlist, see /blog/top-nearshore-software-development-companies-in-europe.
