Our latam talent methodology for comparing providers

How were the criteria chosen?

The criteria follow the decisions a hiring buyer must make before signing: what work the provider handles, what you pay, and how you judge candidates. They also cover when the hire can start and what happens if the placement ends.

A useful comparison should let a VP of Engineering or Head of Talent turn each row into a question for a sales call. "Strong screening" is hard to test. "Can I see the role-specific assessment and scoring guide?" gives you something to review.

Start with the role. Write down the work the person will own, the experience they need and the hours your team shares. Include the budget and target start date. Use the same requirements across each conversation.

For a senior engineer, you might ask to review a technical assessment tied to your stack. For a marketing hire, you might ask for a campaign walkthrough. A screening process earns attention when it tests the work you need done.

We use these criteria as a buying checklist. A row should not become a numerical rating without a stated scoring rule. Likewise, a recommendation for one role should not become a claim that a provider is best for every buyer.

Ownership belongs beside the comparison. This site is an Opus-owned reference; recommendations are editorial. Apply the same questions to Opus that you would apply to any option on your shortlist.

What does each nearshore scorecard row mean?

Read each row as a defined question. Keep the service scope attached to the answer, especially when comparing a recruiting agency, an employer of record, or a managed hiring arrangement.

Hiring model and responsibility

This row asks who handles each part of the hire. Request a written split of duties for candidate search, employment contracts, payroll and benefits. Name the party responsible for daily management, too.

Avoid treating a model label as a complete service description. Ask what your own team must still do after signing. If you already have a finalist, your needs will differ from those of a team starting a search.

Keep those differences visible when you compare prices. A quote for a narrow service should stay attached to that scope.

Price and total cost

The cost row should identify the billing unit and what it includes. Check whether the price is monthly, hourly or tied to a placement. Confirm the currency and any conditions that can change the bill.

Ask for a quote for your actual role and location. Include benefits, equipment, paid leave and any charges that apply when the engagement ends. Ask how exchange-rate changes affect the amount you pay.

A headline fee is not enough to build a hiring budget. Your finance team needs to know which costs recur and which arise only at a specific event.

Opus dollar rates: Not published. Ask for a written quote for the role you plan to fill. Do not turn a quote for one position into a general price for all Latin American talent.

Candidate screening

This row asks what the candidate must demonstrate before reaching your interview team. Look for the assessment itself, the pass criteria and who reviews the result.

A count of screening steps tells you little about their depth. Ask how the process tests the skills your role requires. For an engineer, that could mean explaining design choices or reviewing code. For a client-facing hire, ask how spoken and written communication are assessed.

Keep your own final interview tied to the job. Use the same evaluation sheet for each finalist so the decision does not rest on who gave the smoothest introduction.

Hiring timeline

Separate the date you approve the role from the first shortlist, offer acceptance and first working day. Ask whether the timeline uses calendar days or business days.

For context, SHRM describes median time to fill as roughly a month and a half in its 2025 benchmarks. Its clock runs from job requisition to offer acceptance. That definition matters when comparing it with a provider's hiring claim. SHRM recruiting benchmarks.

A shortlist deadline and a start-date commitment answer different questions. Before planning a release or handing over a workload, confirm the candidate's notice period and agreed first day.

Ask what pauses the clock. Your team's interview availability and approval process should appear in the hiring plan, alongside the provider's tasks.

Working hours and location

This row should name the city and the agreed work schedule. "US overlap" needs a practical definition: which meetings can the person attend, and during which hours can teammates expect a reply?

Bogotá stays on UTC-5 without daylight saving time. Buenos Aires stays on UTC-3 without daylight saving time. Their relationship to a US team's clock can change when that team changes clocks. IANA time zone rules.

Mexico City does not observe daylight saving time, while Tijuana does. A country name alone is therefore too broad for a working-hours check. IANA North America time zone rules.

Put the schedule in the offer or service agreement. Review on-call coverage separately from normal working hours. A shared afternoon does not establish overnight availability.

Replacement terms

This row asks what happens after a hire leaves or stops meeting the role's needs. Read the scope of the remedy and the conditions for using it.

Ask when coverage begins, what triggers a replacement search and whether any fees continue during the gap. Confirm whether the remedy is another search, a credit or a refund.

A replacement term also needs a process. Your team should know whom to contact, what information to send and how the next search starts. Check the signed terms before treating a headline promise as part of your hiring plan.

Retention and client counts

Treat company-reported results as claims about a particular group of hires or customers. Ask for the reporting period, the group counted and the calculation.

For retention, clarify how departures and replacements are handled. For a client count, ask whether the figure covers current clients or every client served over time.

Those details help you decide whether a figure answers your question. They do not establish how an individual candidate will perform on your team. Use the candidate assessment and reference calls to make that decision.

Reviews and evidence labels

Reviews can help you prepare questions for a call. Look for accounts that name the type of role, the service purchased and how long the relationship lasted.

Keep a reviewer's experience separate from a contractual promise. A successful search for a junior role does not establish a delivery schedule for your senior vacancy.

"Not published" is a specific label, not a failing grade. Do not convert it to zero, assume a service is absent or fill the cell with an estimate. Ask the provider for the term you need before signing.

Talk to Opus about a role.

How often do we re-check?

Use the page's review date as a checkpoint. This draft is dated November 9, 2026. That date does not mean every price or contract term remains fixed until the next edit.

Before making a hiring decision, reconfirm the rows that could change your budget or schedule. Start with the quote, service scope, replacement terms and expected start date. Ask the provider to date its response.

A useful re-check compares the same field with its earlier wording. If a guarantee changes, review the whole term, including exclusions and how to claim it. If a timeline changes, check whether its start and end points also changed.

Keep a copy of the proposal you approved. When public wording and your signed agreement differ, ask the provider to explain which terms apply to your engagement.

There is no reason to wait for a page update to resolve a live buying question. Get the answer in writing before the decision depends on it.

Disclosure

Ownership should affect how you read a recommendation. Use this site's comparisons to prepare your shortlist, then test the proposed service against the work your team needs done.

The same standards should apply to every option: define the service, attach a date to the claim and distinguish a reported result from a contractual term. A favorable description should still leave you able to ask a precise follow-up question.

You should also be able to disagree with a recommendation for a clear reason. You may already have a candidate, need a different work schedule or want your team to handle more of the hiring process. Those requirements belong in the comparison.

Before you sign, ask for the full proposal and the agreement that governs your hire. Review the price, duties and exit terms together.

How to report a correction

Make the correction specific enough to check. Identify the page and exact row, then quote the wording you believe should change. Include the replacement wording and the date it took effect.

A dated public link is useful for a published term. For a quote or contract, share only the relevant excerpt and explain which service it covers. Remove candidate details, bank information and confidential commercial terms.

Send the correction through the site's contact route, or ask your Opus contact to pass it to the editorial team. Keep a copy of what you sent.

If the issue is a recommendation you disagree with, name the requirement it overlooks. For example, explain that the proposed arrangement does not cover the working hours or employment setup you need.

If a disputed term affects an active hire, request written confirmation directly from the provider while the correction is reviewed.

Talk to Opus about a role.

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