Hiring full-time developers takes months. Scaling back when a project ends is expensive. 5labs provides staff augmentation that gives you skilled developers, QA engineers, and DevOps specialists when you need them, for as long as you need them. Our engineers integrate directly into your existing team and workflows, working as a seamless extension of your organisation.
Sometimes you need more hands on deck but not a permanent headcount increase. A critical project has a tight deadline. Your in-house team lacks a specific skill set. A key developer is on leave and work cannot stop. Staff augmentation solves these problems without the overhead and commitment of traditional hiring.
At 5labs, we provide pre-vetted software engineers who join your team and work under your direction. They use your tools, attend your standups, follow your processes, and deliver work just like any other team member. The only difference is the flexibility. You can scale up for a product launch, bring in a specialist for three months, or add ongoing capacity without navigating a lengthy recruitment process.
Our augmentation service draws on the same talent pool that delivers our web development, mobile app development, and custom software projects. This means you get engineers with real project experience, not just people who passed an interview.
Skilled engineers, flexible terms, and no recruitment headaches
Full-time or part-time developers who work exclusively on your projects. They become part of your team, learn your codebase, and contribute consistently rather than splitting attention across multiple clients.
Add engineers when workload increases and scale back when it drops. No long-term contracts required. Monthly rolling agreements give you the flexibility to adjust team size based on actual project demands.
Every engineer in our network has been through a rigorous vetting process covering technical skills, communication ability, and project delivery track record. You skip the screening and interview grind and get straight to productive work.
Our engineers work with your existing tools, processes, and communication channels. Jira, GitHub, Slack, Teams, daily standups, sprint planning. They adapt to your workflow, not the other way around.
Need a team for a specific project with a defined scope and timeline? We assemble the right mix of developers, QA engineers, and project coordinators, deliver the project, and wrap up cleanly when it is done.
Your intellectual property stays yours. All augmented staff work under strict NDAs and IP assignment agreements. Code, designs, and documentation produced during the engagement belong entirely to your organisation.
From requirement to productive team member in days, not months
We discuss the skills you need, the technologies involved, team size, expected duration, and how the augmented staff will fit into your existing structure. This conversation typically takes a single call.
Within 24 to 48 hours, we present profiles of engineers who match your requirements. Each profile includes relevant experience, technical skills, availability, and references from previous engagements.
You interview the candidates and choose who you want on your team. There is no obligation to accept anyone who is not the right fit. We can always present additional candidates if needed.
Selected engineers are onboarded to your tools, codebase, and processes. We handle the administrative side while you focus on getting them up to speed on the work. Most engineers are productive within their first week.
We stay involved throughout the engagement to ensure quality, resolve any issues, and handle logistics. Regular check-ins with both you and the engineer ensure the arrangement is working well for everyone.
Engineers skilled across the full modern technology stack
React, Next.js, Vue.js, Angular, Node.js, Python, Django, PHP, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, React Native, Flutter, Swift, and Kotlin. Our developers cover frontend, backend, and mobile across all major frameworks.
AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and CI/CD pipeline management. Our DevOps engineers build and maintain the infrastructure your applications run on.
Selenium, Cypress, Jest, Playwright, Appium, and manual testing expertise. Our QA engineers write automated test suites, perform regression testing, and ensure your releases are stable and bug-free.
Complement your team with these full-service 5labs offerings
Common questions about our dedicated developer and team extension services
Staff augmentation is a flexible hiring model where you bring in external engineers to work alongside your existing team. Unlike outsourcing, where you hand off a project entirely, augmented staff work under your management, use your tools, and follow your processes. You get the skills you need without the overhead of permanent hiring.
We can typically present shortlisted candidates within 24 to 48 hours of receiving your requirements. Once you have selected your preferred engineer, onboarding usually takes 1 to 3 days depending on the complexity of your codebase and tooling. In urgent cases, we can have someone working within a few days of your initial enquiry.
Rates depend on the seniority level, technology stack, and engagement duration. Mid-level developers are available at competitive day rates, while senior and specialist engineers are priced accordingly. Longer engagements benefit from reduced rates. We provide transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Contact us for a detailed rate card.
Our standard minimum is one month, though we can accommodate shorter engagements for specific needs. Most clients find that a minimum of two to three months allows enough time for the engineer to ramp up and deliver meaningful value. There are no long-term lock-in periods. You can extend or wind down with reasonable notice.
Every engineer in our network has been through a thorough vetting process that includes technical assessments, code reviews, reference checks, and trial projects. We also conduct regular check-ins during engagements to ensure performance meets your expectations. If an engineer is not the right fit, we replace them promptly at no extra cost.
Yes. Our engineers work UK business hours as standard. If your team is based in a different time zone, we can arrange overlap hours or full alignment with your working schedule. Clear communication and availability during your core hours are non-negotiable for us.
If an augmented engineer is not meeting expectations, let us know. We address the issue directly and, if necessary, provide a replacement within a few days. Our goal is a productive, positive working relationship, and we take mismatches seriously.
With outsourcing, you hand a project to an external team and they manage the delivery independently. With staff augmentation, the engineers work as part of your team under your direction. You retain full control over priorities, code quality standards, and project management. It is your team, extended with the skills you need.
Dedicated Developers | QA Engineers | DevOps Specialists | Flexible Terms
✓ Pre-Vetted Engineers | ✓ Flexible Contracts | ✓ Edinburgh Based
