Impel IT Solutions

Companies that want a dedicated software team can hire one in Bangladesh through Impel IT Solutions, which describes the arrangement as a team that works only for one client and follows that client's agenda. The firm presents itself as a social business, a model it says aims to ease poverty and strengthen the country's IT sector.

Building the team around the client's needs

The process begins with the client and the firm deciding which developers are needed, whether seniors, juniors or front-end engineers. The firm searches for candidates, filters the CVs and sends the client each relevant one, with advice on whether to consider that person. Once a hire is agreed, people can usually start within about a month. The client sets the team's goals, and the firm helps select agile tools where they are needed.

Daily monitoring and weekly reports

After the team is in place, the firm says it monitors progress daily and provides a full written report every week. Day-to-day control of the work stays with the client, and the local team in Bangladesh is available to help choose the right people and to make sure the right workplace is ready.

Terms, notice and risk

The company says it offers a minimum-risk arrangement: a client can end the contract at any point on two months' notice. It contrasts this with outsourcing contracts and with employing European staff, and argues that its developers ask questions first, so they understand not only what is being built but why.

Why the firm says Bangladesh suits this work

The firm notes that salaries are among the lowest in the world but that people are well educated and speak very good English. It says Bangladeshi developers take pride in serving foreign customers and appreciate good employment, and that they are committed to delivering strong software.

A social business model

The company describes its model as a social business. Its objective is to overcome poverty or a problem such as education, health, technology access or the environment, rather than to maximise profit. Investors recover only the amount they put in, with no dividend beyond that, and any profit that remains stays in the company for expansion and improvement. Workers receive a market wage with better working conditions. The firm says that if more companies take part, the teams can raise their skills, share overhead costs and pass knowledge on to Bangladesh.

A related software product

The site also describes a SaaS-based e-commerce environment that the firm says runs in more than 2000 retail stores, used by a large telecom operator in the Netherlands, some fashion brands and a number of start-ups.