John,
I can see you've decided not to be burned more times then 
Maybe one of the problems you face is because you specify the technology
to use up front. Of course if you already have an existing system, this
may make sense. To get to use the real hackers, the best developers
basically, you should let them decide the technology (except if they
suggest .net of course, which is a sign they're not really hackers
anyway :-b ). Although lots of great systems has been build using PHP up
though the years, a lot of the best developers has become "fed up" with
it, especially as so many wannabe developers that are only in it for the
money (the type of people that normally only use proprietary
technologies) has flooded the marketplace, making it difficult for
entrepreneurs like yourself to spot the really good ones.
When I recruit sub contractors I use my own experience as a developer
and software architect for more than a decade to evaluate whether
they're any good. It's still not a fool proof method, but the chances
for a hacker to find another hacker will always be much higher than a
non-hacker finding one - it takes one to know one.
(OK, I admit that doesn't help you much - you don't have a hacker, but
you need one to get one...)
As mentioned in an earlier thread, you want a hacker because they a
really good one is generally 10x more productive than an average one.
You might have to pay more, but you certainly get more as well. But be
careful, you can't just use the price as a guide to how good they are.
I've had absolutely amazing developers charging average rates and I've
seen completely useless ones charge sky-high rates. YMMV, basically.
I can't recommend myself, because I stopped using PHP ages ago, and I am
mostly involved on a higher level, managing the process, designing
complex database structures and making sure everyone understand each
other. Also, most of the devs I normally work with are overseas, and you
wanted UK based ones. I have to say most of my clients also prefer UK
based people, but given the choice between an average developer here and
a real hacker overseas, the choice is easy.
Just my 2¢, hopefully you can extract some useful information out of it 
Ronny.

For the record:
hacker = *really* good software developer, who doesn't have to have
prior knowledge about something in order to achieve something useful in
a minimum amount of time - they'll just do it, learn as they go along
cracker = bad hacker (the ones that hack CIA, etc)

a cracker is usually also a hacker but a hacker is not necessarily (or
rarely) a cracker.

John Hamlen wrote:
> Dear Fellow Entrepreneurs,
>
> Does anyone have a developer/company they are dying to recommend with expertise described in the subject line?
>
> I have a project that won't be a simple, hack-some-existing-code type affair. It will include elements such as interfacing to an SMS gateway.
>
> I've got my fingers burned a couple of times going through Elance, so I'd much rather rely on a personal recommendation than Elance feedback and uploaded examples of their work.
>
> Any recommendations much appreciated! UK based guys/girls preferred.
>
> Many thanks in advance,
> John
>
>
>
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