Smartsheet is a flexible platform — that’s largely the point. Organisations adopt it precisely because they can shape it around how they actually work, rather than adapting their processes to fit a rigid tool. But flexibility requires expertise to realise, and not every organisation has that in-house.
If you’re looking at professional services to help you build what you need, the choices are broader than most people realise: Smartsheet’s own delivery teams, freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, and a certified Partner Network of mostly independent, owner-led organisations with deep Smartsheet expertise. Many are also Smartsheet resellers.
Cost will always be part of the conversation, but it shouldn’t be the only factor. Here’s what else is worth considering before you commit.
1. Proven expertise and sector experience
Have they built what you’re asking for before? Do they understand your sector? These two questions matter more than almost anything else.
A partner with genuine sector knowledge won’t just build what you describe — they’ll challenge you on the bits you haven’t thought through yet. At Prodactive, our background is in project and programme management. I spent twenty years running PMOs in world-class organisations before founding the business, and that experience shapes every engagement we take on. We’re not just building in Smartsheet; we’re thinking about how the solution lands in reality.
Other partners bring deep expertise in specific sectors — Archer Consulting in US government, 10xViz in education and construction, for example. Find whoever has done the work closest to yours.
2. References and testimonials
What do their clients actually say about them, and which organisations have they worked with? Look for testimonials on their website — not just logos, but real people saying something specific. Generic praise tells you nothing. A testimonial from a named person at a real organisation, describing a concrete outcome, tells you quite a lot.
3. Time zone, geography and language
Can you actually get hold of them when you need them? If you’re on the Pacific Coast or in Asia Pacific, you need a partner who can work to your schedule. InfoSpark, for example, operate in Australia and New Zealand. E2E PPM cover Latin America, as well as the US, also speak Spanish and have engineering expertise. The Smartsheet Partner Network is genuinely global — find someone who fits your working hours and language, not just your requirements.
4. Capability beyond Smartsheet
Most solutions don’t sit in isolation. If yours needs to connect with other platforms in your organisation, you need a partner who can think beyond the Smartsheet boundary — someone who understands how data moves, how integrations work, and how to design something that holds together across your wider technology stack. If they can only build inside Smartsheet, that’s a significant limitation.
5. Availability to start
You’re already paying for your Smartsheet licences. A four-month wait before work begins is four months of cost with nothing to show for it. Ask the question directly: when can you start, and what does your capacity look like over the first few weeks?
6. Flexibility and pragmatism
Are they outcome-focused, or are they counting dashboards? A good partner understands that the goal is a solution that works — and sometimes that means adding a report that wasn’t in the original spec because it’s the right thing to do. Sometimes it’s five minutes of extra work. A partner who reaches for a change request every time you ask a question is more interested in protecting scope than in delivering value.
That said, genuine scope change — something fundamentally different from what was planned — is a different conversation. The best partners know the difference and handle it honestly.
7. Who actually builds it — and do you get to meet them first?
It’s worth asking who will actually be doing the work, and whether you can meet them before the engagement starts. The person you speak to in the sales conversation isn’t always the person who builds your solution.
This matters more than it might seem. Building in Smartsheet isn’t just a technical exercise — it’s a process exercise. The person building your solution needs to understand how work actually flows in your organisation, and to guide you when your process has gaps or assumptions baked in that won’t survive contact with reality. A builder who only follows instructions will deliver exactly what you asked for. A builder with genuine experience will deliver what you actually need.
8. Ongoing support and continuity
What happens after the build is done? Solutions evolve. Processes change. Teams grow. If the person who built your solution has moved on to something else entirely, you’re starting from scratch every time something needs updating.
At Prodactive, we have clients we’ve been working with for years — people who can pick up the phone and reach someone who remembers what was built, why it was built that way, and what the next sensible step is. That continuity is worth a lot.
If you’re looking at an individual contributor rather than a firm, ask honestly whether they’ll have capacity to support you in six months. If the answer is uncertain, factor that into your decision.
The right partner makes the difference between a demo and a working solution
There are excellent people across all of these routes — Smartsheet’s own services, freelancers, and the partner network. The considerations above aren’t about steering you towards any one of them. They’re about helping you ask the right questions before you commit.
If you want to explore what Prodactive can offer, get in touch. And if you want to look more broadly, the Smartsheet Partner Network is the right starting point — you’ll find certified partners with a wide range of sector and technical expertise.
What matters most is finding a partner who will still be relevant to you two years after the first delivery — not just the one who impressed you in the first conversation.
Want to talk it through?
Get in touch here or find Smartsheet Partners at smartsheet.com/partners.
