Free Buyer’s Checklist
25 things to check before hiring a software development company.
A concise, vendor-neutral checklist drawn from how software projects really succeed and fail. Read it here, and get a formatted copy to keep and share with your team.
The Checklist
Twenty-five checks, in four areas.
If you can tick most of these before you sign, you have de-risked the majority of what typically goes wrong.
Scope & Requirements
- The requirement is documented, not just described in conversation
- Functional requirements are specific and testable
- Non-functional requirements (performance, security, scale) are defined
- Exclusions are stated explicitly, not left to assumption
- User journeys and edge cases are covered
- Acceptance criteria define what 'done' means for each deliverable
Estimate & Commercials
- The estimate explains effort, team and timeline — not just a price
- Infrastructure and running costs are accounted for
- The delivery model (fixed price, T&M, dedicated team) fits the work
- Payment is tied to verifiable milestones, not the calendar
- Change-request pricing and process are agreed up front
- The quote has been benchmarked against an independent estimate
Vendor & Team
- The proposed team — not just the sales lead — has been assessed
- References with comparable projects have been checked
- The vendor's relevant domain experience is real, not implied
- The proposed architecture fits your requirement, not the vendor's habit
- The vendor can clearly explain their technology choices
- Delivery methodology and reporting cadence are defined
Delivery, Risk & Handover
- An independent QA / verification approach exists
- Progress is measured against acceptance criteria, not percentages
- Documentation to be delivered is specified
- Source-code ownership, IP and credentials transfer on payment
- Warranty, support and defect-resolution terms are clear
- A delay, escalation and exit procedure is defined
Independent Technology Advisory
Want us to run this checklist against your actual proposal?
Send us the proposal you’ve received and we’ll assess it, point by point, on your side of the table.