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IT staffing & engagement models

Onshore, nearshore & offshore

Where your outside team sits changes cost, collaboration and the talent you can reach.

  • Delivery model
  • Typical engagement: 4–8 weeks

Overview

Location is a separate choice from the engagement model: a dedicated team, for example, can be onshore, nearshore or offshore. Each trades cost against ease of collaboration.

Most large programmes blend them: a small onshore team for business-facing roles and leadership, and a larger nearshore or offshore team for build, test and support, with a few hours of overlap every day.

How it works

  1. 1

    Onshore

    Workshops, stakeholder-facing roles and regulated work.

  2. 2

    Nearshore

    Agile teams that need daily collaboration.

  3. 3

    Offshore

    Large-scale build, testing and 24/7 support.

  4. 4

    Blended

    One team split across locations, with clear hand-offs.

Is it right for you?

Best for

  • Scaling teams cost-effectively
  • Follow-the-sun support
  • Reaching specialist talent pools

Think twice if…

  • The work needs constant real-time collaboration and overlap is small
  • Data residency or security rules limit where people can work

Typical engagements

  1. Location strategy and vendor selection4–8 weeks
  2. Blended team ramp-up6–12 weeks
  3. Global delivery modelOngoing · 6–12 months

Typical ranges, not quotes. Scope, data and team size move them most.

Roles commonly staffed

  • Onshore engagement lead
  • Offshore delivery manager
  • Distributed engineering team
Browse available talent

Questions to ask a provider

  1. 1How many hours of overlap will we get each day?
  2. 2Who are our onshore points of contact?
  3. 3How do you handle data protection across borders?
  4. 4What is staff turnover at your delivery centres?

Ready to staff up?

Browse people available now, or post a request and let vendors come to you.