Most Salesforce development discovery calls start with a comparison: who else did you talk to? The honest answer is usually two or three of the firms below. This list reflects firms we lose competitive bake-offs to with regularity, and firms our clients arrive at after trying others first. The verdict at the top of each entry reflects what we would recommend for which buyer.
What follows is a candid evaluation of seven Salesforce SIs and engineering firms. We are not affiliated with any of them. We have hired alumni from Slalom and CodeScience. Pricing below is blended; named-individual rates can be 30-50% higher.
Disclosure: we are not a reseller, partner, or sub-contractor for any consultancy listed below. We hold no affiliate relationships. We have hired alumni from several of these firms (EPAM, Thoughtworks specifically); none of those individuals retain any equity or commission relationship with their previous employers.
1 — Slalom
Slalom is the Salesforce SI we encounter most often after a client has finished implementation and discovered the engineering work was deferred. Founded in 2001 in Seattle, employee-owned, with 13,000+ employees globally and Platinum-tier Salesforce partnership. Their Salesforce practice is concentrated in organizational transformation work.
Where Slalom wins: end-to-end implementation programs (Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, multi-cloud deployments), organizational change management, business analysis tied to Salesforce architecture. Their consultants are good at the BA-to-Apex translation that many SIs struggle with.
Where the gap appears: deep engineering work after implementation. Slalom's Apex and LWC bench is competent but not specialized — they staff to implementations, not to maintaining production Apex over multi-year horizons. Most of our engagements arrive at us after a Slalom implementation when engineering complexity outgrows what the Slalom team can sustain.
2 — Deloitte Digital
Deloitte Digital is the largest Big-4 Salesforce SI. Operating as part of Deloitte's consulting arm with thousands of Salesforce-certified consultants globally. Significant share of Salesforce implementation work in Fortune 500 and government sectors.
Where Deloitte Digital wins: very large enterprise programs (often $20M+ TCV), regulated industries needing compliance experience, multi-cloud Salesforce deployments tied to broader transformation work. Their consulting infrastructure makes them suited to programs that span multiple functions.
Where it does not fit: mid-market or below — the procurement and engagement model is mismatched. Engineering-focused work where the consulting overhead is unwanted. Short engagements where their SOW process eats months of calendar.
3 — Accenture
Accenture is the largest global Salesforce implementation partner by revenue. Public company, 750,000+ employees, with a Salesforce Business Group reporting in the tens of thousands of consultants and Salesforce-certified professionals.
Where Accenture wins: very large multi-region deployments where their global operations and 24/7 capability matter, organizations needing managed services post-implementation at scale, industry-specific Salesforce Industries (Vlocity) deployments where their Vlocity post-acquisition team is concentrated.
Where it has weak fit: any engagement under 20 engineers — the bench-flex model means inconsistent senior coverage on smaller accounts. Engineering-focused work where their delivery model is implementation-oriented. Cost-sensitive engagements where their blended rate is hard to beat downward.
4 — IBM Consulting
IBM Consulting (the former IBM Global Business Services) has a substantial Salesforce practice strengthened by the 2019 acquisition of Bluewolf. Operating across IBM's consulting arm with thousands of Salesforce-certified consultants. Particularly strong in regulated industries and integration-heavy deployments.
Where IBM wins: deployments tied to IBM Cloud or watsonx AI integrations, regulated industries (insurance, banking, government) where IBM's compliance footprint matters, integration-heavy programs where MuleSoft + IBM Integration Bus is the right combo.
Where it does not fit: cost-sensitive deployments where their pricing tier is hard to justify, pure Salesforce engineering work outside the IBM ecosystem alignment, organizations with no existing IBM relationship — onboarding through IBM procurement is a real friction point.
5 — Capgemini
Capgemini operates a Salesforce practice within their broader IT consulting business. Founded in 1967, 340,000+ employees globally, with several thousand Salesforce-certified consultants.
Where Capgemini works: multi-year transformation programs where Salesforce is one component of a broader change, embedded Salesforce in industrial / automotive contexts (post-Altran), enterprises with existing Capgemini relationships across other practice areas.
Where it does not fit: pure Salesforce engagements without broader transformation scope. Mid-market engagements where procurement is mismatched. Deep specialty Apex / LWC work — the Capgemini bench in Salesforce specifically is shallower than Big-4 / Slalom.
6 — CodeScience
CodeScience is one of the specialty Salesforce engineering boutiques representing a tier we compete with on engineering-focused engagements. Founded in 2010, acquired by IBM in 2021, now operating as part of IBM Consulting with retained brand identity. Specialty in AppExchange product development.
Where CodeScience wins: clients building AppExchange products (security review experience, packaging discipline), engineering-focused engagements where their senior bench is competitive with smaller boutiques, deployments where IBM affiliation provides procurement leverage.
Where it does not fit: pure Apex maintenance engagements where smaller specialty firms offer better cost-per-engineer. Implementation-oriented work — CodeScience is engineering-oriented and not great at standing up greenfield orgs.
7 — 7Summits (IBM)
7Summits is an Experience Cloud / Community Cloud specialty firm acquired by IBM in 2021. Founded in 2009, now operating within IBM Consulting with retained brand. Most specialized firm for Salesforce Experience Cloud (customer portals, partner portals).
Where 7Summits wins: Experience Cloud builds where the design and engineering needs are both serious. Their UX design team is competitive with general design agencies and their Salesforce engineering is solid.
Where it does not fit: Apex / integration / CI/CD engagements outside Experience Cloud scope. Mid-market customer portal builds where their pricing tier is hard to justify. Headless Salesforce architectures — they remain Experience Cloud focused.
If you are running an active bake-off and want a candid second opinion on any specific proposal you have received, we will read the SOW and give you a 30-minute call with our perspective. No charge, no follow-up sales pressure.