2x Sainsbury's Tech Con Partner Award Winner · “More Argos, More Often” 2026

Award-winning nearshore engineering, screened before you ever interview.

Cressoft is a London-based technology consultancy. We plug rigorously vetted nearshore talent into your team: engineers, architects, EMs, PMs, delivery managers, SDETs and data & AI specialists. Fully aligned to your time zone, screened through a multi-stage AI and human process so your managers only meet the strongest people.

4,000+
Fully vetted consultants in our pool
250+
Contractors placed
70+
Hiring managers served
2.5h → 30m
Manager interview time
Recognised at Sainsbury's Tech Con 2026

Sainsbury's Partner Winner, two years running.

At Sainsbury's Tech Con 2026, themed “Beyond Next Level,” Cressoft was named a Partner Winner for “More Argos, More Often.” The presenter credited Cressoft with supporting Sainsbury's with senior engineers across every moment of the customer commerce journey. Our AI-driven talent model delivered specialists at pace, supporting the “More Argos, More Often” priority and powering a mission-critical platform.

A year earlier, at Sainsbury's Tech Con 2025, Cressoft won the “Own It” Strategic Partner of the Year, chosen ahead of Microsoft and Accenture, with a record number of nominations. Our founder also received the Individual Partner award. Back-to-back recognition, from the client.

View on LinkedIn
2026PARTNER WINNER
2025OWN IT AWARD

Exclusive nearshore technology partner for Sainsbury's and Holland & Barrett.

From our LinkedIn announcement

🏆 Two years running. At Sainsbury's Tech Con 2026, themed “Beyond Next Level,” Cressoft was named a Partner Winner for “More Argos, More Often.”

The presenter credited Cressoft with supporting Sainsbury's with senior engineers across every moment of the customer commerce journey, with an AI-driven talent model that delivered specialists at pace, supporting the “More Argos, More Often” priority and powering a mission-critical platform.

It follows our 2025 win, when Cressoft was selected as the “Own It” Strategic Partner of the Year ahead of global giants like Microsoft and Accenture. Back-to-back recognition is a reflection of our team's dedication and our unwavering commitment to Sainsbury's.

#SainsburysTechCon · #Cressoft · #Partnership · #MoreArgosMoreOften · #EngineeringExcellence

Trusted by teams that ship at scale

Sainsbury'sHolland & BarrettHSBCSkyBank of AmericaBuilder.aiForever 8Convex InsuranceArgosNectar

What we do

A consultancy built for engineering teams under delivery pressure

We are not a CV broker. We carry the screening bar ourselves, embed with your team, and stay accountable for the engagement long after the introduction.

Staff augmentation

Plug vetted individual contributors or small squads straight into your existing teams. Scale up in weeks, not quarters, without the overhead of permanent hiring.

Outcome-based delivery

We own the outcome, end to end. A Cressoft squad handles discovery, design, build, ship and hand over against an agreed scope, milestones and acceptance criteria, with day-to-day delivery managed by us.

Nearshore, time-zone aligned

High-performing consultants from Turkey and surrounding regions, working your hours. Full overlap for standups, pairing and real-time collaboration.

Screened before you see them

Every consultant clears a multi-stage AI and human pipeline, adapted to their role family, now including our new AI Fluency Lab. You receive a complete candidate report, then interview only the people worth your time.

Breadth of roles

Backend, frontend, fullstack, AI and data, SDET, QA, DevOps, Platform, Solutions Architects, Engineering Managers, Delivery Managers and Product Managers.

Managed for the long run

Once placed, a dedicated Talent Manager owns onboarding, timesheets and continuous support. Most of our engagements extend well beyond their first term.

Roles we place

Whole teams, not just engineers

We staff the full delivery org: engineering, architecture, data, AI, platform, QA, product and delivery. Same screening rigour for every role family, adapted to what that role actually does.

Engineering

  • • Backend (Java, Node, Python, Go, Scala, .NET)
  • • Frontend (React, Next.js, Vue, Angular)
  • • Fullstack
  • • Mobile (iOS, Android, React Native)
  • • Senior & staff engineers
  • • Site reliability engineers

Architecture & Leadership

  • • Solutions architects
  • • Principal & tech leads
  • • Engineering managers
  • • Heads of engineering

Data & AI

  • • Data engineers
  • • Data scientists
  • • AI / ML / LLM engineers
  • • MLOps & model platform
  • • Analytics engineers

Platform & DevOps

  • • DevOps engineers
  • • Cloud / platform engineers (AWS, GCP, Azure)
  • • Kubernetes & Terraform specialists
  • • Security & compliance

Quality & Test

  • • SDETs / test engineers
  • • QA leads
  • • Performance & load testers
  • • Automation specialists

Delivery & Product

  • • Delivery managers
  • • Project managers (Agile / SAFe)
  • • Product managers
  • • Scrum masters
  • • Business analysts

The screening pipeline

AI and human screening before you spend a minute

Most agencies forward CVs and hope. We run every consultant through a multi-stage AI and human pipeline that compresses your interview time from around 2.5 hours per candidate to as little as 30 minutes, without lowering the bar, and finishes with one shareable, fully digital Candidate Report. The AI Fluency Lab is our newest premium stage. The pipeline adapts by role family: engineers and SDETs take the coding exercise, while product, delivery and engineering managers swap it for role-specific scenarios and structured interviews. Same rigour, applied to what the role actually does.

1

AI CV AnalysisAI

Every CV is parsed against the actual role spec and scored on skills, experience and location eligibility. Smart filtering with verified experience and link validation, so weak fits never reach a human reviewer.

Skills matchExperienceLocation eligibilityLink validation
2

Recruiter Tech CallHuman

A 25-minute live conversation with a Cressoft tech recruiter. We assess English fluency, communication style, motivation, availability, rate, and cultural and technical fit before anyone moves forward.

English fluencyCommunicationMotivationAvailability & rate
3

Whiteboard Screening with AI EvaluationAI + Human

An asynchronous system-design exercise where the candidate sketches a real solution while narrating on webcam. Our AI reads the board, the drawing timeline and the spoken transcript as one, scoring four weighted pillars with every score backed by evidence. It also generates tailored follow-up questions for your live interview. We only forward candidates who land at Strong Hire or Lean Hire.

Technical Depth 35%Communication 25%Problem Decomposition 25%Authentic Delivery 15%
4

Coding Exercises & MCQs with AI EvaluationAI

Role-specific coding tasks and multiple-choice questions, reviewed for correctness, code quality, problem solving and technical depth. Full session playback plus integrity checks for session leaving, code copying, external paste and attempted searches.

CorrectnessCode qualityProblem solvingIntegrity checks
5

AI Fluency LabAINew

A new premium stage that measures how well an engineer uses AI, not just whether they use it. The candidate works through a real coding task with our own built-in AI assistant, every prompt and paste logged. Mid-task the AI hands over a confident wrong answer, and we measure whether they catch it or ship it. Results plot AI adoption against AI judgment, telling an AI-fluent engineer apart from a vibe-coder.

AI adoptionAI judgmentHallucination catchEvidence-linked
The result: your hiring managers only meet pre-qualified people, with a complete evidence pack in hand. And of course, you always meet and interview candidates before any final commitment.

One report, not a CV

Everything your team needs to decide, in a single pack

For every engineer we present you receive one comprehensive Candidate Report: a live, shareable, fully digital portal generated automatically at the end of the pipeline. It carries AI percentile breakdowns, a verified skills matrix, full coding-session playback with integrity flags, whiteboard system-design evidence, AI Fluency Lab signals, an English assessment, and a clear recommendation. We use a four-tier internal rubric to grade the pipeline; only candidates who land at Strong Hire or Lean Hire reach your inbox.

See how it works for clients
Cressoft Candidate Report
Hard skills match92
Years of experience88
Domain / industry fit84
Seniority match90
Communication & English86
Recommendation: Strong Hire
Code playbackIntegrity: cleanAI Fluency LabWhiteboard 8.1/10

The difference

Cressoft vs a traditional recruitment agency

Traditional agencyCressoft
Screening before you see anyoneForward the CV, hope for the bestMulti-stage AI and human pipeline, including the AI Fluency Lab
What you receive per candidateA CV and a phone-screen noteA full report: scores, code playback, video, recommendation
Technical assessment integrityUnverified take-home or noneFull session playback with anti-cheat checks
Manager interview timeAround 2.5 hours per candidateAs little as 30 minutes
After placementMargin collected, relationship endsDedicated Talent Manager for the engagement
AccountabilityReplace and re-invoiceLong-term partnership, most engagements extend
ProofSelf-describedSainsbury's Partner Award winner two years running, 4.8 on Clutch

Why teams choose Cressoft

What makes us different from a recruitment agency

Award-winning, not self-declared

Sainsbury's has recognised Cressoft two years running: 2025 Strategic Partner of the Year, chosen ahead of Microsoft and Accenture, and 2026 "More Argos, More Often" Partner Winner. The recognition came from the client, not from us.

AI plus human, not either-or

Five screening stages combine AI scoring with real recruiter conversations. Speed from automation, judgement from people who have shipped software.

Integrity built into testing

Technical assessments flag session leaving, code copying, external paste and attempted searches, with full playback. You see how the work was actually done.

Manager time, protected

We absorb the technical and system-design screening so your interview load drops from around 2.5 hours per candidate to as little as 30 minutes.

Exclusive partner status

Exclusive nearshore technology partner for Sainsbury's and Holland & Barrett, two of the UK's largest retailers, plus high-growth clients across ecommerce, finance and AI.

Accountable after placement

A dedicated Talent Manager owns onboarding, timesheets and continuous support. We stay in the engagement, not just the introduction.

Led by engineers

A consultancy run by people who have shipped at scale

Cressoft is led by senior engineering leadership with a track record inside enterprise retail and global banking. That is why hiring managers trust the bar we set.

Built engineering at enterprise scale

Our leadership has built and led multiple engineering teams inside one of the UK's largest retailers, delivering the outcomes the business needed and adding significant value to every area they touched.

Delivered multi-million-dollar programmes

Hands-on technical leadership on a multi-million-dollar digital transformation at a global bank. Top-rated across the team, with a firm foundation of pragmatism and the ability to be visionary.

We build the tooling we sell

The five-stage screening pipeline, the candidate report and the integrity checks are our own engineering. We are practitioners running a consultancy, not a recruitment desk reselling CVs.

Success stories

Trusted by the people who manage our engineers

Feedback from engineering leaders, hiring managers and the consultants who deliver the work. Independently rated 4.8 out of 5 on Clutch, with a perfect willing-to-refer score.

4.8★★★★★Clutch rating
5.0 / 5.0Willing to refer
11+ yrsDelivering software
3Verified reviews
View Clutch profile
★★★★★

“Cressoft built and led multiple engineering teams that delivered excellent solutions to the outcomes the business needed, adding significant value to the areas they worked in. I always knew I could rely on them to deliver what we needed.”

Director of EngineeringSainsbury's
★★★★★

“Cressoft delivered on a multi-million-dollar digital transformation at HSBC. Highly respected across the team and top-rated: a firm foundation of pragmatism with the ability to be visionary. A true partner.”

Managing DirectorHSBC digital transformation programme
★★★★★

“More than happy to have her as a permanent member of the team. Very pleased with her quality and velocity of work, communication and contribution to the fabric of the team.”

Engineering Manager, Nectar WalletSainsbury's · on a Cressoft Golang engineer
★★★★★

“I really like the interview process of Cressoft.”

Engineering Manager, DevOps & QASainsbury's · on the screening process
★★★★★

“He's been exceptional from day one and the team genuinely don't want to lose him. We're really, really disappointed we can't keep him.”

Engineering Manager, Identity IntegrationHolland & Barrett · on a Cressoft lead Java engineer
★★★★★

“Smashing tickets and contributing significantly to team delivery on Argos Pass, with tight deadlines. Goes above and beyond expectations.”

Engineering Manager, Argos PassArgos · on a Cressoft senior frontend engineer
★★★★★

“Hit the ground running and won the team's Product Ninja award for navigating complex tasks with confidence and clarity.”

Supply Chain Integration LeadSainsbury's · on a Cressoft product manager
★★★★★

“They immediately address all of our requests and needs and are always eager to step up to any challenge.”

Director, Software CompanyClutch verified · staff augmentation, ongoing engagement
★★★★★

“The hiring process at Cressoft is really fast and painless, and doesn't sacrifice the needs of the customer. They're agile in supporting talent and solving problems. Highly recommended.”

Software EngineerCressoft consultant
★★★★★

“One of the best companies I have worked with. Strong management, real support, and genuine engineering depth. Cressoft has good people all around the world.”

Engineering ManagerCressoft consultant
★★★★★

“They're nice and approachable. I found it easy to work with them. We'd like to work with them again as soon as we have other projects.”

Lead Engineer, Insurance CompanyClutch verified · insurance underwriting platform

By the numbers

Proof, not adjectives

250+
Contractors placed
70+
Hiring managers served
4.8
Clutch rating, 5.0 willing to refer
1,300+
Attendees when we won the award

For companies

Tell us the role. We screen, score and send a complete candidate report, then you interview only the strongest people. Talent Manager support included for the life of the engagement.

How we work with clients

For engineers

Work with serious clients, fully remote, on transparent terms. One application, an honest process, and a dedicated Talent Manager once you are placed.

Join the network

Common questions

The honest answers, upfront

We are a London-based technology consultancy. We deploy rigorously screened consultants into client engagements in one of two ways: team augmentation, where individuals embed directly into your team, or full project delivery, where a Cressoft squad takes a project end to end. Either way, we stay accountable for the engagement through a dedicated Talent Manager.