What TORTUS does

TORTUS BV is a privately held Dutch staffing and recruitment agency operating out of Utrecht in the gebouwgebonden techniek (building-related technical) sector. It was founded by Marcel Vlieger, who has been active in labor mediation since 2007, together with co-owners James de Bois (Managing Partner since 2019) and Laurent de Roos (active in the firm since 2011). The firm places engineers, work preparers, project leaders, supervisors, technicians, and craftsmen into Dutch organizations across electrical, mechanical, security, building-management, and maintenance disciplines, covering new construction, renovation, and ongoing service work. A sub-brand, TORTUS Vakwerk, extends the model to freelance craftsmen such as plumbers.

The business is relationship-driven rather than platform-driven, with the company explicitly stating it favors face-to-face contact "without laptops and questionnaires" over automated CV matching. TORTUS sells four engagement models: detachering (temporary staffing of employed or ZZP professionals), werving & selectie (permanent placement on success fee), interim-management (senior interim placements), and ZZP/freelance intermediation. The go-to-market is direct, sales-led, and based on personal networking, referrals, candidate-side registrations via the company website, and outreach to enterprise clients through trade events. Marketing relies on LinkedIn, a content-light website, and word-of-mouth rather than paid acquisition.

TORTUS holds the SNA (NEN 4400-1) and VCU certifications required to operate as a Dutch temporary staffing agency. The customer base includes a mix of large Dutch contractors and technical service providers (Heijmans, BAM, Bosman, SPIE, Unica, Hoppenbrouwers, Croonwolter&dros, Equans, Kuijpers, Deerns, ITN) plus opportunistic adjacencies such as KLM (Schiphol), Amsterdam UMC, ASML, Royal FloraHolland, Rijksvastgoedbedrijf, HANAB, and Delta Lease Touwer. The team comprises 8 named professionals operating Netherlands-wide and now marketed Benelux-wide.

Name

TORTUS

Legal name

TORTUS BV

Website

https://tortus.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TORTUS BV is a privately held Dutch staffing and recruitment agency based in Utrecht that places engineers, technicians, and craftsmen into building-related technical roles via temporary staffing, permanent placement, interim-management, and ZZP intermediation for Dutch enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hilversum

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Detachering (Temporary Staffing): TORTUS places technical professionals from their talent pool at client organizations on a temporary basis. The company earns margin on the hourly/daily rates charged to clients. Candidates can be employed by TORTUS or work as ZZP/freelancers.
2. Werving & Selectie (Recruitment & Selection): Direct permanent placement of candidates at client organizations. TORTUS charges a success fee for matching candidates with organizations for permanent positions.
3. Interim-management: Placement of experienced managers and senior professionals in interim management roles for client projects.
4. ZZP/Freelance Vermittlung: Facilitation of freelance technical professionals (Zelfstandigen Zonder Personeel) for client projects. TORTUS Vakwerk brand specifically targets craftsmen like plumbers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TORTUS is a Dutch staffing and recruitment agency that connects technical professionals with organizations in the building-related technology (gebouwgebonden techniek) sector, including electrical, mechanical, security, and building management disciplines. The company delivers four core engagement models: temporary staffing (detachering), permanent recruitment and selection (werving & selectie), interim management placement, and freelance/ZZP brokering, operating from Utrecht and serving clients across the Netherlands.

Product overview

TORTUS is a staffing and recruitment agency, not a software product company. The company provides personnel placement services in the building-bound technical sector (utiliteitsbranche) in the Netherlands. Services offered include: detachment/detachering (temporary staffing), interim-management, and recruitment & selection (werving & selectie). TORTUS connects technical professionals with employers in electro-technical, mechanical engineering, security systems, building management, and maintenance sectors. The company operates from Utrecht and has been in labor mediation since 2007, serving both candidates seeking employment and organizations seeking technical personnel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Detachering (Temporary Staffing)

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by 100+ candidates and 25+ organizations in the Dutch utilities sector

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HeadFirst: HeadFirst is a Dutch high-tech and technical-professional staffing specialist, comparable to TORTUS in serving Dutch engineering and building-technology clients with interim and permanent placements.
• Yacht (Randstad): Yacht is the Dutch technical and professional staffing brand of Randstad, directly competing with TORTUS in engineering, technical, and building-related placements in the Netherlands.
• Brunel: Brunel is a global specialist in engineering, technical, and project staffing with a strong Netherlands presence in construction/installation talent, competing for the same technical professionals as TORTUS.
• Hays Netherlands: Hays is an international professional-recruitment group with a Dutch practice covering construction, property, and engineering — directly comparable to TORTUS's technical-staffing focus.
• Michael Page: Michael Page's Dutch engineering and construction division recruits technical professionals and project staff — the same candidate-and-client pool TORTUS serves in gebouwgebonden techniek.
• Vakwerkt: Vakwerkt is a Dutch staffing agency focused on technical installation and construction trades, directly comparable to TORTUS's TORTUS Vakwerk sub-brand in the skilled-trades segment.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Robert Half is a global staffing incumbent with technical and engineering practice areas; though broader in scope, it competes for the same technical and project-talent placements in the Netherlands.
• ManpowerGroup Netherlands: ManpowerGroup is one of the largest global staffing groups operating in the Netherlands, with technical and construction divisions that overlap with TORTUS's addressable market.
• Adecco Netherlands: Adecco operates broad staffing services in the Netherlands, including technical and engineering divisions that compete for the same building-technology clients as TORTUS.
• Tempo-Team: Tempo-Team is a major Dutch staffing brand covering technical, administrative, and industrial placements, with overlap on TORTUS's detachering and engineering-temp services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tortus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TORTUS