The hidden fees in nearshore staffing contracts — and what to ask

The cheapest-looking rate is often the most expensive contract. Nearshore pricing hides in the structure, not the headline number.

Questions that reveal the truth

• Is your fee a flat amount or a percentage of salary? (Percentages quietly scale against you.)
• Are there separate sourcing, onboarding, or conversion fees?
• If I want to hire the engineer directly later, what does that cost?
• Can you show me exactly where each dollar goes?

Our answer to the last one is a single strip: most of it goes to your engineer, one flat fee is ours, and there are no charges you can't see. If a provider can't do that, the fine print is the product.