Before looking for an agency, get your own house in order
The best agency can't guess how your team works. Before asking for proposals, write one page about the problem you want to solve, who will use the system and what they do by hand or in spreadsheets today.
It doesn't need to be technical. With that, any serious agency can ask you good questions, and you'll be able to compare proposals that talk about the same thing.
The questions worth asking
- Will I get a written scope? It should state what's in, what's out and how a mid-project change is handled.
- How are deliveries structured? The healthy approach is short stages with something working at each one, not waiting months until the end.
- Who owns the code, the data and the accounts? They should be in your company's name: the repository, the server, the domain and third-party tools.
- How do you test the system before delivery? Ask whether they review it with real or test data, role by role, and whether you get that review in writing.
- What happens after delivery? Who fixes bugs, how fast they respond and whether the system can keep evolving with them or with another team.
- Which costs are on my side? Licenses, servers and AI usage are usually paid separately. What matters is that they say so from the start.
- Do you sign an NDA? If they'll see customer or sales data, it should be signed before you show them anything.
Signs you're on the right track
- They ask more than they sell: they want to understand your process before proposing a solution.
- They suggest starting with a small piece that solves the most urgent problem.
- They show you similar work, even if it's by client profile and without names.
- They're upfront about what they don't know yet and the project's risks.
- The quote is tied to a concrete scope, not a vague list of features.
Signs to stop and ask again
- They promise everything, fast, without having seen how you work.
- Nothing is in writing, or the scope is a single sentence.
- The code or servers are in the agency's name, not yours.
- They don't show you anything until the end of the project.
- It's not clear who handles a bug after delivery.
How to compare two proposals
Compare what each one includes, not just the total. A cheaper proposal that leaves out data migration, testing or post-delivery support can end up costing more.
If the proposals can't be compared because they talk about different things, send both agencies the same page describing your problem and ask them to respond to that.
What to expect from the first meeting
A useful first meeting feels more like an interview about your business than a pitch from the agency. It's normal for them to ask a lot and not give you a number yet.
- How your team sells today and which tools it uses at each step.
- Where time, money or information gets lost.
- Who will use the system and what each person should see.
- What data exists today and where it lives.
- What a good outcome would look like for you in the first few months.
By the end, you should leave with an idea of the next step: a proposal with a defined scope, a discovery stage or an honest recommendation if the problem is better solved with a tool that already exists.
What happens after delivery
A system isn't finished the day it's delivered. As people use it, adjustments come up, along with bugs nobody caught in testing and new ideas from the team. Before you sign, ask how that stage is handled.
- Whether there's a warranty period to fix bugs at no cost, and how long it lasts.
- How to report a problem and how quickly they respond.
- How new improvements are quoted.
- What happens if you want another team to take over maintenance.
An agency that has the after figured out has usually thought the before through as well.