The proposal looked flawless: partner logos on the cover, a long list of technologies and "over 200 certified professionals." Three months into the contract, the senior consultant from the sales meeting is gone, the person actually assigned is learning on the job, and nobody is sure what happens if you want to switch providers. None of that was in the proposal, because nobody asked.
Choosing an IT services company in Chile has little in common with buying a license. You are hiring people, processes and a commitment that will last years, and almost everything that matters can be checked before you sign. Below are the points we would review ourselves if we were on the other side of the table, from coverage and certifications to how you get out of the contract.
We won't compare IT outsourcing models (staff augmentation, squads or managed services) here. We covered that in Managed IT services: what they include and when they make sense. This article assumes you already know which model you want and now have to decide who to hire.
Coverage: what they really cover, and with whom
Can this provider do what you need, with people who work there today? Proposals tend to list every technology the company has ever touched. What helps you is knowing how many people work on your stack right now and who would be assigned to your account.
Ask for the names and résumés of the proposed people, not generic profiles. If the provider can't commit specific people before signing, have them commit to a deadline for presenting them and to your right to reject them.
Check the hours as well. Many services are sold with 9x5 coverage, which may suit your company perfectly or may leave you without support on a Saturday during month-end close. Hours that match how you operate are worth more than the widest hours available.
Then there's continuity. Ask what happens if the assigned person resigns or gets sick: who replaces them, how fast, and whether the knowledge transfer is on the provider's dime or yours.
Certifications: verify them, don't settle for the logo
A logo on a proposal proves nothing by itself. Most serious certifications have a public registry or some way to check them.
| What they tell you | How to verify it |
|---|---|
| "We're a Microsoft partner" | Under the current program, Microsoft requires a minimum of 70 points on its Partner Capability Score for each Solutions Partner designation. Ask for the link to the provider's public profile in Microsoft's partner directory and check which designations are current. |
| "Our team is certified" | Ask each assigned person to share the link to their Microsoft Learn transcript, which lists the certifications they have earned. What matters is what the person working with you holds, not the company total. |
| "We're ISO 27001 certified" | Ask for the certificate and look it up in IAF CertSearch, the database of certificates issued by accredited bodies. Check that it's current and that its scope covers the service you're buying. |
A certification whose scope doesn't touch your service, or one held by a single person who has already left, won't protect you much. Ask about both.
SLA: check what's actually measured
Before comparing service level agreement (SLA) times across providers, make sure they measure the same thing. That means response time and resolution time tracked separately, severity levels with examples from your own business, and explicit coverage hours for each severity.
If you see any of these in a proposal, ask before going further:
- The SLA only commits to "response" and says nothing about resolution.
- The provider decides each incident's severity, with no written criteria.
- There are no service credits and no termination right for repeated breaches.
For the details, Managed IT services SLA: what to demand and how to read it walks through severity tables, availability percentages and penalties.
References and labor compliance
The references a provider hands you are always good, so ask a different question. Request contacts at clients with a service similar to yours (same size, same stack, same model) and talk to them. Ask how long the relationship lasted, what happened the first time something went wrong, and whether they would hire the provider again.
In Chile there's also a legal issue many companies overlook. If the service is delivered as subcontracting, the Labor Code makes the principal company jointly liable for the contractor's labor and social security obligations to its workers (article 183-B). That liability becomes subsidiary if you exercise your rights to information and withholding (articles 183-C and 183-D). In practice, that means asking every month for the certificate of compliance with labor and social security obligations (the Labor Directorate's F30-1) and withholding payments if the provider can't show it.
One more point: the law excludes the mere intermediation of workers from subcontracting. If all you receive is staff that your company directs, and the provider isn't delivering a service of its own, article 183-A treats the owner of the work as the employer. Only temporary staffing companies registered as such can supply workers (article 183-F). Have your legal advisor check how the service is described in the contract, especially if you're hiring staff augmentation.
Transition: the first 90 days
Plenty of contracts go sideways during the initial handover. A serious transition plan has dates, owners and deliverables, and it makes clear when the provider formally takes over the service.
At a minimum, ask for:
- A discovery stage with an output document covering inventory, access, processes and risks found.
- A period of parallel or shadowed operation before the SLA starts running with penalties.
- Acceptance criteria for closing the transition.
- An account owner on the provider's side, with a name and phone number.
If the provider will access systems holding customer or employee data, it acts as a data processor. Law 21,719 takes effect on December 1, 2026, and its new article 15 bis requires a contract that sets out the purpose and duration of the engagement, the processing purpose, the types of data and the categories of data subjects. The processor can't subcontract without specific written authorization, and when the service ends it must delete or return the data. We go deeper in GDPR data protection and Chile.
Negotiate the exit at the start
Nobody wants to talk about how the relationship ends when they're signing, which is exactly why that's the best time to do it. Once you've decided to leave, you have little leverage left.
Put in writing:
- Admin credentials, subscriptions, code repositories and documentation in your company's name from day one.
- A handover period to the next provider or your own team, with a deadline, included hours and a price agreed now.
- Delivery of the knowledge base, ticket history and inventory in formats you can actually use.
- The notice period for termination and the grounds for early termination without penalty.
A quick test: ask the provider how it went the last time a client left. A concrete, unbothered answer is a good sign.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check whether an IT services company is a Microsoft partner?
Ask for the link to its profile in Microsoft's public partner directory and check which Solutions Partner designations are current. For individuals, ask for their Microsoft Learn transcript link.
What document should I request monthly from an IT outsourcing provider in Chile?
If the service is subcontracting, the Labor Directorate's certificate of compliance with labor and social security obligations (F30-1). Exercising that right to information, along with the right to withhold, limits your liability to subsidiary.
How long should the transition to a new IT provider take?
It depends on scope, but the plan should have dates, deliverables and acceptance criteria. More than the length, what matters is that the SLA with penalties only starts once the transition is formally closed.
Let's talk
At Disrupsoft we deliver Microsoft-focused IT outsourcing in three models: staff augmentation, squads and managed services with an SLA and service catalog. If you're comparing providers, we'll walk you through our plans, response times and onboarding so you have something concrete to compare against.
