Blog - Wirtek

Pragmasoft, a Wirtek Company, Recognised as Leading Critical Energy Operations Engineering Specialists 2026 by EU Business News

Written by Wirtek | 5 Aug 2026

Wirtek announces that Pragmasoft, a Wirtek company, has been named Leading Critical Energy Operations Engineering Specialists 2026 in the Portuguese Business Awards 2026, presented by EU Business News. The recognition highlights Pragmasoft's engineering work on the real-time and safety-critical software that keeps energy infrastructure running.

The Portuguese Business Awards is a new programme launched by EU Business News in 2026 to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership across Portugal's business landscape, spanning everything from emerging companies to established sector leaders. Winners are selected on the basis of their performance over the preceding twelve months, and this inaugural edition covered a broad spread of industries across the country.

For Pragmasoft, the category itself is the point: critical energy operations engineering is precisely the discipline the company has built its reputation on for more than 25 years.

Engineering for systems that cannot fail

Founded in Portugal in 2000 by Humberto Ferreira, Pragmasoft began with custom software development and systems integration, and over the following two decades built deep expertise in SCADA systems, substation automation, real-time communication protocols and industrial control software. Its work sits in environments where downtime is not an option: grid operations, substation control, energy management and industrial automation.

That expertise has been proven over long-running client relationships, including a collaboration with Efacec spanning more than 15 years, delivering advances in substation automation, SCADA integration and grid management that have strengthened Portugal's clean-energy infrastructure. Pragmasoft has also been a member of the Aliança para a Transição Energética (ATE) since 2024, contributing to Portugal's national sustainability goals, and was awarded the Portuguese National Multimedia Award in 2012 for its technological work.

A second recognition within twelve months

The award follows Pragmasoft's PME Líder 2025 distinction from IAPMEI, the Portuguese Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, announced in March 2026 in recognition of the company's economic and financial performance, management quality and market credibility.

Pragmasoft became part of the Wirtek Group in July 2024, when Wirtek acquired the Portuguese software company as part of its growth strategy. The acquisition expanded Wirtek's international delivery footprint, including a new office in Porto, and significantly strengthened the group's capabilities in clean energy and industrial software. 

Looking ahead

As European energy systems become more distributed, more digital and more heavily regulated, the demand for engineering that can be trusted in critical operations continues to grow. Wirtek and Pragmasoft will continue to combine deep energy domain expertise with international software engineering capacity, supporting clients as they modernise infrastructure, improve efficiency and meet evolving EU requirements across energy, data and cybersecurity.

 

 

About Pragmasoft

Pragmasoft is a Portuguese software engineering company specialising in custom software development and dedicated development teams for critical industrial systems. With more than two decades of experience, the company delivers solutions across sectors including energy, automation, mobility, and industrial technologies. Since 2024, Pragmasoft has been part of the Wirtek Group, contributing specialised expertise to the development of innovative digital solutions supporting the global energy transition.

About the Portuguese Business Awards

The Portuguese Business Awards is an awards programme run by EU Business News, launched in 2026, created to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership across Portugal's business landscape. Winners are assessed on their performance over the previous twelve months. The full winners list is published on the EU Business News website.