Software development outsourcers will generally take work from anywhere, provided they have the skills to do it. However, I think that this isn’t always the best approach. One common complaint from outsourcers is that they are just used as an overflow body shop and their skills and consultancy aren’t really valued. If you feel that this is the case then perhaps you should focus on taking work from non-IT companies.

Software houses are more likely to use you as a ‘body shop’ for a range of reasons. The likelihood is that your employees have the same, not different, skills to them. While you can help them complete a project for a client, you are unlikely to be able to build a piece of software that will transform their business.

Consequently while your team may feel the satisfaction of a job well done, they won’t get the same buzz as delivering a project that makes a real difference. Having said that we all know that life includes many mundane moments and it simply isn’t possible, or practical for that matter, to always work on transformational projects.

On the other hand, working for an organisation that isn’t a software house means you are more likely to create greater benefits for them and therefore they may well be more appreciative and your relationship with the customer could really be strengthened as you help them transform their business. In addition, as you the outsourcer is likely to have a greater concentration of development skills and experience than the customer’s in-house team, you will also have more experience in project management, quality assurance and other processes and development methods. You can help improve their in-house processes too.

It is not at all uncommon that following a successful project the customer adopts some of the testing or other methods that the outsourcer uses – that is part of the benefit of outsourcing. So in conclusion, outsourcers should be willing to accept work from any source that they feel they can competently complete without compromising their ethics. However, your work may deliver greater benefit to and your team get more satisfaction from working a company that isn’t a software house.