Case Study: Rebuilding Trust After Bad Staffing Experience

The Challenge

Client: Healthcare software company, ~1,200 employees, internal engineering team of 55+.

The client had engaged a large national staffing firm for 6 contract engineers. After 3 weeks, it became clear that 4 of the 6 hadn't been adequately vetted—technical skills didn't match stated experience, and fit with the team's culture and communication standards was poor. The company had burned time and internal resources on ramp and remediation. They needed to replace the bad placements quickly and find a partner they could trust not to repeat the mistake.

DASH2's Approach

We stepped in as emergency replacement and conducted full technical vetting on our candidates before presenting them. We also spent time understanding the client's team dynamics, technical environment, and culture to avoid repeating the previous firm's mistakes. We placed 2 strong candidates immediately and worked with the client to identify the right profile for the remaining 4 roles. Beyond placement, we maintained weekly check-ins during the first 4 weeks to ensure integration, not just "placement and disappear."

Results

5 of 6 replacement candidates passed the 90-day mark with strong performance reviews. 3 were converted to contract-to-hire arrangements, and 2 remained as longer-term contractors. The client has since relied on DASH2 for all contract engineering staffing. Retention: 22+ months on the primary relationship.

Timeline: Emergency placement to resolution: 2 weeks. Ongoing partnership: 22+ months.