The ATS for nearshore staff augmentation firms.

Spectacled is nearshore staffing software for firms placing Latin American engineers with US clients. Set the English level each role needs, match your bench to every req, share anonymized profiles, and keep the bill rate, pay rate and markup on each placement. Start with the numbers.

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Updated

How much margin does a nearshore contractor make?

Enter what the client pays and what the contractor costs you. Margin, markup and the rate you need update as you type.

Bill rate and margin calculator

$per hour
What the US client pays you.
hours
Usually 160 for full time.
$a month
What the engineer receives, in US dollars.
$a month
Employer of record, equipment, benefits, payment fees.
%
Your gross margin goal, from 0 to 90%.

The starting numbers are an example, not market rates.

Gross margin45.5%Above your 35% target
Markup on loaded cost83.3%Profit ÷ (pay + other costs)
Gross profit$4,000$48,000 a year
Break-even rate$30.00per hour

Where each billed dollar goes$8,800 billed a month

To reach a 35% margin on this contractor, bill at least $46.15 an hour.

Gross margin
(monthly billing − pay − other costs) ÷ monthly billing
Markup on loaded cost
the same profit ÷ (pay + other costs). A placement record in Spectacled shows markup on the pay rate: (bill − pay) ÷ pay
Break-even rate
(pay + other costs) ÷ billed hours
Rate for a target margin
(pay + other costs) ÷ (1 − target) ÷ billed hours

How does Spectacled run a nearshore bench?

Your contractors are scored against every new req, shown to clients without their names, and placed with the rates and markup on the record.

  • Every candidate you know, scored against each new client req and graded A to D, from Strong fit to Not a fit
  • An anonymized talent showcase: visitors see skills, seniority, location and availability, never the name, contact details, pay or employers
  • Bill rate, pay rate and overtime rates on each contract placement, with the markup worked out as you type
  • Job orders with bill and pay ranges and a target margin; fees and rates hidden from roles that shouldn't see them
  • Contracts from your templates, filled from the deal and signed with built-in e-signature
  • A careers site in Spanish, Portuguese, English, French and German

Spectacled stops at the signed contract. Timesheets, payroll and your employer of record stay in the tools you use today.

How do you screen nearshore candidates for English level?

Set the level each role needs, and every match reads the candidate's own stated level against it. A level nobody stated becomes a question for the call, never counted as missing.

  • Per language on each job: Any level, Conversational, Professional, or Native or bilingual (roughly CEFR B1, C1 and C2)
  • Read from what the candidate states: CEFR levels, LinkedIn's proficiency words or the application form's
  • Below the level counts as missing; not stated reads "Ask about English (needs Professional)"
  • Nothing is inferred from a name, country, school or how someone writes
  • A language is scored only when the job asks for it

Nearshore questions

What is nearshore staff augmentation?
Placing contractors who live in a nearby time zone inside a client's own team, usually engineers in Latin America working with US companies. They work the client's hours on a contract, while the staffing firm recruits, employs or contracts them, and bills the client.
How do I calculate the margin on a contractor?
Subtract what the contractor costs you (pay plus costs like an employer of record, equipment and payment fees) from what you bill the client, then divide by what you bill. At $55 an hour for 160 hours, $8,800 billed against $4,800 of cost is a 45.5% gross margin.
What's the difference between margin and markup?
Both use the same profit. Margin divides it by what you bill; markup divides it by what the contractor costs. $4,000 of profit on $8,800 billed is a 45.5% margin and an 83.3% markup.
How do I screen nearshore candidates for English level?
In Spectacled, set the level each job needs for each language: Conversational, Professional, or Native or bilingual (roughly CEFR B1, C1 and C2). Matches compare it with the level the candidate states. A stated level below it counts as missing; a level the candidate hasn't stated is flagged as a question to ask, not marked missing. Nothing is inferred from a name, country or school.
Can I keep bill and pay rates on each placement?
Yes. Contract, contract-to-hire and temp placements keep the bill rate, pay rate and overtime rates, and Spectacled works out the markup from them as you type. Fees and rates are visible only to the roles you allow.
Does Spectacled run payroll or act as an employer of record?
No. Spectacled covers the work from sourcing to the signed contract and keeps the bill rate, pay rate and markup on each placement. Pay contractors through your employer of record or payroll tool; placements export to CSV with their rates.
Can clients browse my bench without seeing names?
Yes. The talent showcase shows anonymized profiles: a code instead of a name, with the job title, seniority, years of experience, location, skills, education and availability. Names, contact details, pay and employers are never shown, including to clients signed in to your portal. A client who wants to meet someone requests an intro, and the request is emailed to you.
Does the careers site work in Spanish and Portuguese?
Yes. Job pages and the application form come in Spanish, Portuguese, English, French and German.

Placing contractors onshore too?

The same bench, showcase and contracts work for any staff augmentation desk, wherever your people live.

Spectacled for staff augmentation

Put your bench in front of every new req.

Book a 20-minute walkthrough, or start free and score your contractors against the next role a client sends you.

Book a 20-minute demo (opens Google Calendar in a new tab) Start free
  • 20 minutes on video. Pick a time on the calendar.
  • Bring your current setup. We'll compare it line by line.
  • Or start on your own. The free plan needs no card.