FAQ

Is De Voorhoede an umbrella organisation of freelance front-end developers?

No, we are a team: we share insights, our love for front-end, and work together on internal and open source projects. All our developers and project managers are employees of De Voorhoede.

Why wouldn’t I just hire a freelance developer?

It’s also possible to arrange that one of our developers will join your team for a while. Here are some of the reasons our clients prefer one of us to a freelancer:

• Since we all share a common approach and use the same tools, it’s easy for us to scale up or replace someone when they are on holidays or sick.

• When running into issues, there is always a team of specialists as a back-up or sounding board.

• One of our project managers is always part of the team to ensure the project stays on track and the developers can keep their focus on code.

• After your project is finished, we won’t disappear. We are always willing to make an aftercare arrangement and like to keep in touch to hear about your next steps.

Why don’t you do full-stack development or back-end as well?

We do have back-end experience. If you already have your own back-end, we’re happy to add a new front-end to it. Thing is, the field of front-end is expanding rapidly and it’s hard to keep up, so we need to (and enjoy to) specialise. That’s why we decided to focus on front-end development.

Be that as it may, we know several very fine businesses that do back-end. We contact them often for a second opinion on a project or hire one of their developers to strengthen our team. So we can lead your entire digital project from start to finish. If you have a very small project it may make sense to hire a full-stack developer to save on overhead.

And what about design?

No, we are not designers. We work very closely with a few design agencies, for example Valsplat, Tomorrow and Hike One. Do you have a project or business plan that involves design, front- and back-end development? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We know a lot of specialists, and we can help you to build the perfect team for your project. If you desire, we can manage your entire digital project from start to finish.

Do you work on-site at clients?

Yes. Most of the time we are a part of an Agile team of front- and back-end developers, designers and a product owner. Working closely together helps to improve the quality of the product we are working on. When we work in a more traditional way (“waterfall”) we can also work from our main office in Amsterdam (Koivistokade 70) or our location in Delft (Koornmarkt 22). There is one exception: on our weekly Voorhoede Fridays we all work from our office. That way we can share knowledge and help each other, which in turn is beneficial for our clients as well.

So you prefer to work Agile. How does it work?

Yes, we really like this way of working. To work Agile means you work within a multidisciplinary team, try to reduce waste and deliver results in an iterative way. You might have heard of Scrum or Kanban before? These are both Agile methods. Although we like this way of working a lot, we are realistic enough to choose a different approach if it better suits the project.

Do you have Scrum Masters in your team as well?

Yes we do. All our project managers as well as some of our more experienced front-end developers are certified Scrum Masters.

Do you use Angular or React or some other framework?

We consider a front-end JavaScript framework a means to an end. A framework can be a great asset in the right project. We prefer to select the tools we use based on project requirements, the team’s experience, the available infrastructure, support from system engineers, etc. But, to give you an idea: in previous projects we have worked with jQuery, Bootstrap, Angular, Backbone, Ember, React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt, Redux and D3. Since we have a good understanding of browsers, the web and JavaScript frameworks in general, it’s easy to pick up new frameworks if needed.

Do you also make Wordpress websites?

No, we don’t. Mostly because we don’t like the restrictions. But we have something we think is better. Whenever we need to add a Content Management System (CMS), we have a few options that we have come to like over the years. These are all very flexible, allowing us to build a solid front-end without being hampered by CMS restrictions. For you, this means having a 100% handmade website with the power of a tried and tested CMS behind it. More information can be found on our page about custom website development.

What’s your hourly rate?

We work with a regular hourly rate of €120,-. For our tech lead the hourly rate is €145,-.

How much does it cost to build my app / website?

It would be great if this question was as easy as the previous one. Many factors come into play when estimating the time it takes to make something, even if it’s straightforward. The first step would be to get a clear understanding of your situation and goals. Based on a briefing or first meeting we can always give you a rough estimate or draft a complete proposal. Free of charge, of course.

We can also help you with a Prototype. With this prototype you can gain insight into the complexity of your project.

De Voorhoede sounds Dutch. Do you do projects in English?

De Voorhoede is a literal translation of The Vanguard (meaning, according to Merriam Webster, 1: the troops moving at the head of an army and 2: the forefront of an action or movement).

As front-end developers, the result of our work is the first thing that users come across. In that sense, we are the spearhead of any army (well, team) that is building a website. The second meaning rings also true: we take a leading role in our trade with our deep understanding of browser- and front-end technology and as advocates of the web as a mature software platform.

Many of our projects are in international / multilingual teams. We can deliver project quotes, documentation etcetera entirely in English. Every one of us has a good understanding of the English language, both in writing and speaking. English is also our main language at the office, because we have some non-native dutch colleagues.