How to find your umbrella company?

A seasoned team in the IT ecosystem

In practice, business development is primarily your responsibility. But you should be able to count on a committed team to defend your interests, beyond providing tools (CRM, offer templates, standard contracts...). During your exchanges with the commercial team, probe these 3 key points:

Knowledge of professions and technologies: can they understand your technical stack? Challenge your skills? Promote your expertise to a client company if needed?

Mastery of the IT ecosystem: do they know the major accounts, IT service companies, specialized recruitment firms? Do they have an extensive network in the sector?

Understanding of your challenges: are they interested in your skills development projects, training, certification? Do they challenge you on your mission and career choices?

Processes adapted to IT project rhythms

Once on assignment, you'll need efficient administrative support. An IT project almost always evolves along the way: shifting scope, technical adjustments, budget revision, etc. Your company must have agile processes to adapt to these changes:

Quick turnaround for establishing contracts and amendments

Robust information system to manage billing modifications

Dedicated contacts to coordinate all project aspects

Emergency procedures to resolve complex situations

Tools provided: consultant portal, electronic signature, etc.

Don't hesitate to contact consultants currently working with the umbrella company. They are always best positioned to judge the real effectiveness of this daily support.

Contracts adapted to IT projects

Each IT project has its specificities: one will emphasize intellectual property, another responsibility, confidentiality, late penalties, etc. Verify during your exchanges that the company understands this market's codes:

Copyright assignment clauses, compliant with intellectual property legal framework

Definition of deliverables and acceptance criteria

Guarantees for production deployment

Confidentiality commitment adapted to project sensitivity

Limitation of penalties for delays or defects

This last point is a recurring sticking point in IT. We've seen companies impose a penalty clause of 10% of the mission amount per day of delay, without a cap. Totally disproportionate and dangerous for the consultant!

A complete and user-friendly consultant space

For daily management, ideally your company should have, like Weepo, a complete and intuitive consultant portal, allowing you to manage your activity from A to Z:

Entry and validation of activity reports

Monitoring of each employment contract and billing

Leave and absence management

Access to administrative documents (contracts, pay slips, certificates, etc.)

Communications with the umbrella company teams

Multilingual support if possible

First necessity: being able to communicate with contacts who master the languages and cultures of your intervention countries. Specifically, you need:

Contracts and documents written in English (or even in the country's language)

Sales representatives capable of communicating with your foreign clients

Administrative support provided in the project's language

HR experts familiar with local specificities

Remember to confirm these language capabilities upfront. The minimum would be the ability to conduct business exchanges in English.

Mastery of regulations and billing rules

Beyond language, working internationally requires juggling different legislations, procedures, and organizations. During your exchanges, assess how well your company masters good practices for billing IT services abroad:

Compliance with European directive on electronic services

Application of intra-community VAT or customs duties on service pricing

Compliance with consumer law in the country of execution

Jurisdiction clause in case of dispute

Study authentic feedback from IT experts

To gauge the seriousness and IT expertise of an umbrella company, nothing beats feedback from consultants who work with them:

Browse consultant testimonials on the website and social media. Are they positive, detailed, authentic?

Research the highlighted client references: are they recognized in IT? Do they match your targets?

If possible, target reviews from profiles similar to yours (developers, project managers, data scientists): they'll be more relevant to you.

Contact some consultants directly to get their unfiltered feedback.

Attend an event organized by the company to form your own opinion.

Verify financial health and longevity

Beyond image, your umbrella company's stability matters. Imagine if they suddenly closed down! To avoid this risk:

Study their available key figures: turnover, net result, equity... Are they growing? Do they reflect good financial health?

Check their longevity: a company present for several years in the market has the advantage of stability.

Research the shareholding and governance: who are the decision-makers? What are the development projects? Are there risks of resale or change of direction?

Consult their statutes and recent general meeting minutes to get an idea of their policy.

A solid company has every interest in being transparent about these matters. Be wary of those who dodge or are reluctant to provide requested information.