Navigating the landscape to find the perfect tech talent can be akin to embarking on a challenging journey with obscured vision. This is where outsourcing and nearshoring companies enter the scene, committed to skillfully traversing complex terrain and delivering top-tier developers. Before you embark on this expedition with EPAM, let's closely examine how it operates, considering both its strengths and potential drawbacks, all tailored to suit your unique needs.
Climbing the peaks of tech talent with EPAM
EPAM's journey to the summit of tech talent has been marked by significant milestones. With a client roster featuring giants like SAP AG and a presence in over 50 countries, EPAM offers a vast pool of expertise. The company's ascent to the top of Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list in 2020 and its billion-dollar revenue quarter in 2021 underscore its rapid growth.
- Diverse Client Roster: EPAM Systems showcases its prowess by maintaining a distinguished client portfolio, featuring industry titans like SAP AG. This underscores EPAM's capability to not only attract but effectively cater to major players within the IT sector.
- Global Presence: With a footprint spanning over 50 countries, EPAM ensures a vast and varied pool of expertise. Clients benefit from access to a diverse range of talent and perspectives, enriching their projects with a global outlook.
- Rapid Growth and Recognition: In 2020, EPAM soared to the summit of Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list, a testament to its rapid ascension in the competitive IT services sector. The achievement of a billion-dollar revenue quarter in 2021 further solidifies EPAM's success and growth trajectory.

But before you summit, check the base camp
While EPAM has demonstrated transparency in certain aspects, we wanted to delve into the opinions of both clients and employees to gain a more comprehensive understanding. In a review on G2.com, a client praised the experience and technical prowess of the staff in a project involving the development of customer-facing big data-based applications.
However, the client noted a need for improvement in communication and business understanding capabilities. This observation underscores the importance of not only having a skilled team but also providing a quality service where transparency, communication, and teamwork are crucial to achieving optimal results and ensuring excellence in every aspect.

Continuing our research, we found several reviews in Trustpilot echoing similar concerns, particularly regarding false job postings. This issue raises concerns among applicants, as there seems to be a lack of solid support from EPAM when advertising vacancies for various positions. Here are some of these experiences:


After analyzing the various perspectives obtained, there are considerations to keep in mind before scaling their services:
- Minimum Commitments: EPAM requires a NDA for detailed budget discussions, potentially hindering transparency and making it challenging for clients to assess costs beforehand.
- Pricing Transparency: EPAM lacks clarity on cost breakdowns, including commissions and the process if a client wishes to bring a candidate onto their payroll, posing potential challenges for clients.
- Reimbursement: EPAM's policy focuses on finding replacements for departing candidates, without offering reimbursement, potentially leading to unexpected costs for clients.
- Flexibility in Replacements: While quick replacements are advantageous, some clients may prefer involvement in the selection process rather than having replacements automatically assigned.
Our thoughts on the pricing structure of Toptal
While it's not possible for us to find details about how much of what a client pays ultimately goes to a candidate, we believe clients looking for transparent and straightforward pricing may want to look at other alternatives.
Our opinion is that if they are charging a client more than $12,000 monthly for a developer, they should at the very least be giving $9,600 to the candidate, but it's likely that it's even less than that.
What Hiring Managers Should Ask Before Choosing a Talent Partner
Before partnering with any talent provider — whether Toptal, Teilur, or others — hiring managers should consider asking the following key questions:
- What percentage of the fee actually goes to the talent?
- Are replacement or satisfaction guarantees included in the contract?
- How are regional salary benchmarks determined?
- Is there full transparency in how rates are broken down?
- What is the long-term cost difference between hiring directly and through a platform?
These questions can help businesses make informed decisions and ensure that pricing aligns with both market realities and ethical compensation practices.








