// subcontracting guide · québec
Web development subcontracting in Québec: a guide for agencies
For agencies deciding whether to hand off their web development: why agencies do it, how the work runs from brief to launch, and what to check before you sign with a partner. Plain answers you can check against any partner, including us.
$ man web-dev-subcontracting
Definition
An agency hands the coding of a site or online store to an outside team and stays the only point of contact for its own client. The agency keeps the relationship, the invoice and the credit. The subcontractor owns the code work, the deadline and the technical risk. In Québec the same model also goes by white-label web development.
See also
white-label web development, website reseller program, pricing
// why subcontract
Why an agency subcontracts its web development
The same three reasons come up almost every time, whatever the size of the agency.
No developer on staff
Plenty of small marketing, SEO and design agencies have no full-time developer. A client asks for a site, the agency says yes, and nobody in the building can build it.
A developer who is already booked
Agencies that do have a developer keep that person busy on active mandates. Sending one-off projects out keeps a single person from being stretched across too many files at once.
Hours spent where the margin is
Code is often not the agency's best-paid hour. Subcontracting the build frees time for strategy, design and advertising, where the agency earns more.
// process
How white-label subcontracting works
With most serious partners it comes down to four steps, in this order.
- The brief. The agency sends what it has: a Loom, a Figma file, a page list. The subcontractor confirms the tier and the delivery date before the agency commits to its own client.
- The build. The subcontractor works on its own setup, never directly on the client's live domain, so nothing half-finished is ever public.
- The review. The agency gets a private preview link and sees the work before its client does. Ask how many revision rounds are included. Ours: up to three before launch, and one consolidated round on the one-page starter.
- The delivery. The site goes live on the client's domain, under the agency's brand. The agency receives the code and access, and the subcontractor steps out of the picture.
// before you sign
What to check with a subcontracting partner
A reliable partner answers these five questions clearly before the first call.
- Can you see a price before the call? If a quote only shows up after a discovery call, the agency cannot plan its margin ahead of time. A public starting price per tier solves that.
- Is the delivery date in writing? "Two to four weeks" is not a date. A written date lets the agency make a promise to its own client and keep it.
- Does the agency own the code at delivery? Some subcontractors keep access or a technical dependency after the final payment. Handing over the code and access should be standard, not an add-on.
- Is an NDA available? The subcontractor should never contact the end client or leave a trace in the code. An NDA on request protects the agency's relationship.
- Does the timezone overlap? A partner on the other side of the world replies the next morning. A North American partner replies the same working day, which matters when a client is waiting on you.
// where nexawebdev fits
How NexaWebDev answers those five questions
NexaWebDev builds sites in custom code, Webflow, WordPress or Shopify that Québec agencies resell under their own brand. Starting prices are public. The one-page starter is delivered in an agreed 48-hour slot, and every other tier gets its date in the written quote. Code and access are handed over at delivery, an NDA is available on request, and the team works from Montréal on North American hours. The service itself is on the white-label web development page, and the tier-by-tier grid is on the pricing page.
// proof
Work you can click
Partner work ships under our partners' brands, so it stays off this page. These two you can open right now.
Kitchen renovation
A service-business mockup for a kitchen renovation company.
// faq
What agencies ask before subcontracting
What is web development subcontracting?
An agency hands the coding of a site or online store to an outside team and stays the only point of contact for its own client. The agency keeps the relationship, the invoice and the credit; the subcontractor owns the code work and the deadline. In Québec the same model is also called white-label web development.
Why do agencies subcontract their web development?
Three reasons come up most often: the agency has no developer on staff, it has one who is already fully booked, or it would rather spend its hours on strategy, design and advertising than on code. Subcontracting lets it sell a web project without hiring someone for a single mandate.
How does white-label subcontracting work, step by step?
Four steps. The agency sends the brief and confirms the tier and delivery date. The subcontractor builds on its own setup, never on the client's live domain. The agency reviews the result on a private link before its client sees it. Then the site goes live under the agency's brand, with the code and access handed over.
What should I check before signing a subcontracting partner?
Five things: a price you can see before the call, a delivery date in writing, an NDA available on request, code and access transferred to you at delivery, and a timezone that overlaps with your working day.
Will my end client find out the site was subcontracted?
Not if the subcontractor follows the white-label model: no credit or signature in the code, no direct contact with your client, and a signed NDA on request. That is what separates a white-label partner from a one-off resource.
Is subcontracting cheaper than hiring a developer?
It depends on volume. A salaried developer costs the same every month, with or without mandates. Subcontracting is paid per project, at a price agreed in writing before each build. Below a steady flow of mandates, paying per project costs less; above it, hiring starts to make sense. We will help you run that math, even when the answer is to hire.
Does NexaWebDev take subcontracting work from Québec agencies?
Yes. That is the whole job: we code, the agency sells and delivers under its own name, and its client never sees us. We work in French and English, on North American business hours, with an NDA on request.
// next step
Send us your first brief
A 15-minute call to see if the model works for your agency. Prefer it in writing? Email us instead.