Providing a seamless parking experience is more complex than it may seem. P1, an innovative parking company that manages parking facilities for dozens of municipalities and clients across the Netherlands, develops most of its software in-house. For more complex components that are not available as off-the-shelf solutions (standard, ready-made software), P1 has partnered with NetRom Software for over six years. The result is that P1 can now develop faster, more efficiently, and with greater capacity, further improving its services.
P1, part of parking service provider Q-Park, delivers high-quality, user-friendly parking solutions for both parking garages and regulated on-street parking areas. Its services cover a wide range of functionalities, including permit management, enforcement, appeals processing, and management dashboards. To support these services, P1 develops its own software. Willem-Sander Markerink is the program manager responsible for software development at P1.
P1 deliberately moved away from relying on a single, fully integrated solution. Willem-Sander Markerink explained: “Where possible, we purchase software, such as applications for communicating with remote devices. What is not available off the shelf (standard, ready-made solutions), we develop ourselves—particularly applications related to permits and subscriptions.”
However, in-house development requires sufficient capacity, which is difficult to secure in the Netherlands. Markerink added: “It is very challenging to find skilled developers who are willing to commit to a project for the long term. Developers in the Netherlands have a wide range of opportunities.”
Approximately six years ago, P1 engaged NetRom Software for a specific project: a PHP application to handle appeals related to parking fines. Willem-Sander Markerink explained: “A key factor was the geographical proximity within Europe. NetRom was willing to take on the project on a fixed-price basis. That proved to be a successful approach.” Based on this success, P1 decided to structurally integrate NetRom developers into its team. The team now consists of two internal developers and, on the NetRom side, three developers and one QA specialist.
Parking in the Netherlands is highly regulated down to a detailed level, which makes collaboration more complex. Typical Dutch concepts such as parking fines and appeals require additional context and explanation. NetRom is currently developing, among other things, applications for visitor parking, including integrations with the National Parking Register managed by the RDW (the Netherlands Vehicle Authority). Markerink explained: “When someone applies for visitor parking, our software—after verifying eligibility for a discount—automatically calculates the applicable rate.”
The collaboration is close and structured using Scrum practices, including daily stand-ups, planning meetings, sprint refinements, and retrospectives (regular evaluations to improve team performance). Markerink added: “We conduct mutual peer reviews of the code. When new code is added, a merge request (a proposal to integrate code changes) is created, which is reviewed by at least one other developer before being approved.”
‘‘What we find particularly valuable is that NetRom has access to a broad network of other IT professionals.’’
WILLEM-SANDER MARKERINK, progrAMMA MANAGER at P1
The collaboration provides P1 with more than just additional development capacity. Willem-Sander Markerink explained: “What we find particularly valuable is that NetRom has access to a broad network of IT professionals. You can consult them on a wide range of topics, such as which technology is best suited for a specific use case. This has already led us to make decisions that might have turned out differently otherwise.”
P1 regularly participates in public tenders and continues to identify new opportunities. The collaboration between P1 and NetRom demonstrates that nearshoring can offer far more than simply addressing capacity shortages—it represents a strategic partnership that combines domain knowledge, technical expertise, and close team collaboration.
Discover how NetRom helps P1 develop software faster and more efficiently through additional capacity and expertise.
