Planning to Bring On a Provider?
Signing with the wrong IT provider is expensive to unwind — not just financially, but in lost time and a demoralized product roadmap. Most of the risk shows up in things founders don’t think to ask during the sales conversation. Here’s a practical checklist before you sign.
Who owns the code and IP after delivery?
This should be explicit in the contract, not assumed. You want full IP transfer on anything built for you, with no ambiguity about libraries, tooling, or reusable components the provider brings to the table.
What’s the actual team composition?
Ask for names and seniority levels, not just headcount. A “team of 5” sold to you at the pitch stage can quietly become 2 mid-level engineers once the contract is signed. Ask who specifically will work on your project, and whether that’s fixed for the engagement or subject to change.
How is communication structured?
You want a single point of contact who’s accountable for delivery, plus direct access to the engineers doing the work — not a relay through account managers who don’t understand the technical details. Daily or near-daily visibility into progress should be the default, not something you have to request.
What happens if a team member leaves mid-project?
Turnover happens everywhere. What matters is whether the provider has a real handover process — documentation, pairing, overlap — or whether continuity depends entirely on one person’s head. Ask this directly; a good provider will have a clear answer.
Is there a real security and QA process?
“We test everything” isn’t an answer. Ask what the QA process actually looks like — automated tests, code review discipline, and whether security is considered during development or bolted on afterward, including basics like dependency scanning and access controls.
What does the exit look like?
If you need to bring the work in-house later, or switch providers, how easy is that? Documentation quality, code readability, and whether the provider actively resists a clean handover are all signals worth checking before you’re locked in.
None of this is exotic — it’s the same diligence you’d apply to any hire. The difference is that with an external outsourcing partner, these questions are easy to skip past in a sales conversation. Asking them upfront is what separates a good engagement from an expensive lesson.