Drupal development partner selection: How to identify a company that “build” Drupal, not just “use” it

One of our clients was comparing proposals from three different vendors. All of them claimed to have”extensive Drupal experience” and”certified engineers,” making it difficult to identify a clear differentiator.
We suggested a simple evaluation method: review each company’s public profile on Drupal.org. Among the three vendors, only one actively maintained and published Drupal modules for the community.
That is one of the advantages of working with an open-source platform like Drupal. A vendor’s technical capability is not hidden behind marketing materials. Much of it is publicly visible and can be evaluated before a project even begins. In this article, we explain how to identify a Drupal partner that can truly build solutions, and why that distinction can have a direct impact on project cost, maintainability, and long-term success.

Where does a Drupal vendor’s technical capability really show?

Supporting large-scale websites requires more than simply “configuring and using” a CMS. It requires a team that understands Drupal’s internal architecture and can develop custom functionality when business requirements demand it.
> Source: themeisle「2025 CMS Market Share」
And in the Drupal ecosystem, whether a company can truly “build” Drupal solutions is not something that can be hidden. Much of that evidence is publicly recorded on Drupal.org.

Four indicators to evaluate before selecting a Drupal development partner
Do not rely on marketing claims in proposals. Focus on facts that can be independently verified.
①Years of activity on Drupal.org – This helps determine whether the company has a long-term commitment to Drupal or simply entered the market as a trend. Drupal’s core architecture was fundamentally rebuilt around 2015 with the adoption of Symfony, effectively creating a very different platform. A vendor that has remained active across this transition demonstrates long-term expertise and adaptability.
②Number of publicly maintained projects
This is one of the clearest ways to distinguish between a company that “uses” Drupal and one that “builds” Drupal. There is a significant difference in technical depth between a vendor that maintains no public modules and one that actively maintains dozens of projects for the Drupal community.
③Security Advisory coverage and maintainer privileges
In the Drupal ecosystem, only maintainers who have passed the community review process can participate in projects covered by Drupal’s official Security Advisory program. This serves as external validation that their code quality and development practices have been reviewed and trusted by the community.
④Activity in the issue queue
Check whether the team actively participates in Drupal core discussions and issue resolution. This experience becomes valuable when troubleshooting complex problems, as it allows the team to quickly determine whether an issue is a known Drupal core limitation, a project-specific problem, or a compatibility issue.

Risks to consider
These indicators are powerful, but they should not be used in isolation.
A larger number of projects does not automatically mean a better Drupal partner. In some cases, a single well-maintained module that is widely adopted by the community can be more valuable than dozens of less impactful projects. Look beyond the numbers and examine the quality and relevance of the work.
Individual expertise and team capability are also not the same thing. A company may have one highly skilled Drupal engineer, but if critical knowledge resides with that individual alone, project quality can decline when responsibilities change. It is equally important to verify whether knowledge, processes, and development practices are standardized across the organization.
Likewise, the absence of public contributions does not necessarily mean a lack of technical expertise. Some vendors work exclusively on client projects governed by non-disclosure agreements and therefore have little opportunity to publish code publicly. In such cases, however, clients need alternative ways to evaluate technical capability.

Market trends in Japan
Drupal continues to be adopted in Japan, particularly in sectors that require high levels of security and governance.
It is widely used by government agencies, universities, and public-sector organizations, thanks to its strengths in security, multilingual content management, accessibility, and granular role-based permissions.
Outside Japan, Drupal has a strong presence in government and public institutions. For example, it has been reported that approximately 25% of Canadian government websites use Drupal, and the platform has also been adopted by the White House and various state government websites.
In Japan, organizations such as the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have adopted Drupal for their digital platforms.
Source: ANNAI, Drupal adoption cases in government and public-sector organizations, and related references.
In environments with strict security, governance, and compliance requirements, a vendor that can merely “use” Drupal is often not enough. This is precisely why organizations must carefully evaluate whether a potential partner has the capability to “build” Drupal solutions as well as implement them.

TTV’s Drupal experience
■Industries we support
To date, we have delivered and maintained more than 10 Drupal websites across a wide range of industries, including eCommerce, corporate websites, healthcare, and hospitality management systems. Our experience covers both new implementations and ongoing maintenance and support, with expertise extending to the latest Drupal 11 platform.
■Community contributions: 20 Contrib modules
Our Drupal specialists have contributed 20 Contrib modules to the Drupal community based on real-world project requirements. Rather than simply claiming “Drupal expertise”, our work is publicly available and can be independently verified by the global Drupal community.
Two representative examples include:
Context Breadcrumb – A module that allows Drupal breadcrumbs to be dynamically generated based on the current display context. It is particularly useful for multi-level websites where “the same page requires different breadcrumb paths depending on how users arrive there.”
Node Preview Context – A module that resolves issues where node context conditions are not evaluated correctly in preview mode. It helps prevent situations where “content editors cannot verify how a page will appear in production before publishing.”
> Published modules: \[drupal.org/u/zipme\_hkt](https://www.drupal.org/u/zipme\_hkt)

■How does that affect costs?
①Lower long-term maintenance costs
By implementing solutions through the appropriate extension points rather than modifying Drupal core directly, security updates can continue to be applied without disruption. This helps avoid situations where “the system can no longer be updated and must be rebuilt.”
②Fewer additional project costs
The more requirements that can be addressed using “existing solutions”, the lower the need for custom development and additional project estimates.
③Faster issue resolution
Because our team actively follows Drupal’s issue queues and community discussions, we can quickly determine whether a problem originates from Drupal core, a contributed module, or a project-specific implementation.

Summary
The key takeaway is not “showcasing achievements,” but “verifiability.”
A Drupal vendor’s technical capabilities can be evaluated before a project begins through their Drupal.org profile, including public modules, contribution history, and security-related maintainer privileges.
For large-scale platforms and public-sector projects, the ability to “build” Drupal solutions rather than simply “use” Drupal often determines whether project requirements can be successfully met.
We have contributed 20 Contrib modules to the Drupal community, delivered and maintained more than 10 Drupal websites, and support the latest Drupal 11 platform.
These contributions are not about technical recognition. They translate into tangible benefits for clients through lower maintenance costs and fewer unexpected development expenses.
As a starting point, we recommend asking every vendor under consideration, including us: “Could you show us your Drupal.org profile?”
We provide Drupal services ranging from new website development and platform modernization to ongoing maintenance and support. We also offer standalone current-state assessments for existing Drupal websites.If you are evaluating Drupal development partners, please feel free to contact us for a consultation.

Source
· Drupal.org Contributor Profile (zipme_hkt) 
· 2025 CMS Market Share Report (Themeisle) 
· Drupal Adoption in Government and Public Sector Organizations (ANNAI) 
· transcosmos technology Vietnam CMS Services