12 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Software Vendor
Use these in your RFP or discovery call. Good vendors answer calmly. Vague vendors change the subject.
- Who is my day-to-day contact?
- What is in scope — and what is out?
- How do you handle change requests?
- Who owns the IP and repositories?
- Can I speak to a recent client (with their permission)?
- What similar work can you show that is real?
- What is your testing process?
- How do you deploy and who holds the cloud account?
- What does support look like after launch?
- What assumptions are baked into this estimate?
- How do you staff holidays and attrition?
- Why are you a fit for this problem — not every problem?
If answers rely on “cutting-edge” and “100% success,” walk away. Prefer partners who publish constraints — like our pricing guidance and agency vs freelancer notes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important question to ask?
Ask what is explicitly out of scope — vague proposals are the usual source of overruns.
Want help putting this into practice?
BitLegacy builds software and websites that solve real business problems — and runs BitLegacy Hotels, hotel management software for independent Indian hotels.
About the author
Captainjeet Kaur
Managing Director, BitLegacy Solutions LLP
Captainjeet Kaur is Managing Director of BitLegacy Solutions LLP — the India-based team behind BitLegacy Hotels and custom software for SMEs and startups. She writes practical buying and product guidance without unverifiable claims. Meet the team.
