A subcontractor for your web agency: how it works

Every agency runs into two situations that end with the same question. The first: there are more projects at once than the team can handle, and hiring someone new makes no sense because the workload goes up and down. The second: a client asks for something nobody in-house really knows how to do — a Next.js build, a server migration, or a fix to a ten-year-old application whose developer disappeared long ago.

In both cases the choice is to say "no" to the client or to find someone who does the work under your name. I currently subcontract for two companies on a regular basis, and in this post I describe how that kind of collaboration works in practice, what to agree on up front and how to tell whether a subcontractor can be trusted.

When subcontracting makes sense

A subcontractor is the right answer when the work can be clearly scoped and responsibility is clear. Typical situations:

• A workload peak. Two projects run at the same time and the deadlines are fixed. Extra hands for a month or two cost less than a new employee.
• A missing skill. A designer produces an excellent design, but someone has to build a fast React or Next.js site from it. Or a client needs Linux server management and the agency has no sysadmin.
• An old system. A client comes to you because their old application no longer runs on a current PHP or Java version. That kind of work needs patience and experience you do not build up on new projects.

Subcontracting is a poor fit when the goal of the project is still open and someone has to work out with the client what to build at all. That is the agency's core work and it should not be handed out.

What to agree on before starting

Most subcontracting problems come not from bad code but from things nobody agreed on. These are worth settling before the first line of code.

Scope. What exactly is my part, and what is not? Is the design finished or do I do that too? Who writes the copy, who tests, who deploys? A short written list saves a lot of arguing later.

The client relationship stays yours. I do not contact your client without your knowledge or offer them my own services. If the client reaches out to me directly, I send them back to you. That is the basic rule of subcontracting, and without it no partnership lasts.

Under your brand. The work goes to the client under your agency's name. I do not put my link in the footer or show your client's project in my portfolio unless you explicitly allow it.

Confidentiality. A non-disclosure agreement is normal in subcontracting and I am happy to sign one. Client data, access and business information stay within the project.

Ownership of code and access. Agree on who owns the finished code and whose name the repository, server and domain are under. My default: everything stays with you or your client, and I only have access for the duration of the work.

Communication channel. Slack, email or your project management tool? One agreed channel beats three half-used ones.

Availability. I always say honestly how much time I have in the coming weeks. If I do not have room, I say so straight away — not when the deadline is already burning.

What I typically take on

I have been doing web projects since 2014. As a subcontractor I most often do the following:

• React and Next.js sites built from a finished design — fast, static or server-rendered, with solid technical SEO. I explain why that matters for search in React and Next.js SEO.
• WordPress sites and fixes, when the client wants that platform.
• Linux server setup and management — I prefer Ubuntu and install new servers on Ubuntu 26.04, and I also manage Debian and RHEL-family machines. Nginx, Apache2, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Docker, Tomcat, Elasticsearch and OpenSearch are everyday tools.
• Restoring legacy software. In both the public and private sector I have brought applications more than ten years old back to life: moved their components to new versions while keeping the business functionality intact, then developed new features on top.
• Book layout for publishers — the print-ready file and, as a separate job if needed, the EPUB.

I have also built two platforms of my own, NUNDINAE and Projektiassistent. So I know the side agencies usually do not see: what happens to a product a year after handover.

How to start: a small test task

I do not recommend starting with your biggest project. It is better to pick one small, clearly scoped task: a single page, one fix in an old system, or a security review of a server.

A test task quickly shows both sides three things: whether communication works, whether the quality meets expectations, and whether the time estimate held. If it goes well, the bigger project carries far less risk. If not, the loss is small.

Red flags when choosing a subcontractor

Choosing the wrong subcontractor is more expensive than having none, because in the client's eyes you are the one responsible. Take these signs seriously:

• Promises everything, immediately. Nobody can do everything and nobody is free all the time. An honest subcontractor tells you what they do not do.
• Will not write the scope down. If the boundaries of the work are only verbal, a dispute is only a matter of time.
• Keeps the code or access to themselves. The repository and server must be on your or the client's account, not the subcontractor's personal one.
• Does not reply. If it takes a week to get an answer at the quoting stage, it will not improve during the project.
• Cannot describe previous work. An NDA does not stop anyone from explaining what kind of work they have done and how.

I wrote more generally about choosing a developer in How to choose a website developer — the same questions apply to a subcontractor.

Write to me

If you have more work than hands right now, or a client is asking for something your team cannot do, describe the situation in a couple of sentences using the form on the subcontracting page or on the contact page. I reply within one working day and tell you honestly whether and how I can help. If the question is about a website directly, see also website development.

Will the client know a subcontractor did the work?

Only if you want them to. By default I work under your name and do not contact the client directly.

Do you sign an NDA?

Yes. An NDA is normal in subcontracting, and I sign it before I see any client data or access.

Can we start with a small job?

Yes, and that is what I recommend. A small test task quickly shows whether the collaboration works.