Software partners are often chosen on the strength of a good presentation and a competitive quote. But the presentation is given by people you may never see again, and the quote is only as good as the assumptions behind it. These questions help you find out what working together will really be like.

1. Who will actually build it?

Ask to meet the people who will work on your project, not just the people who sell it. At many firms, sales and delivery are separate teams, and important context gets lost in the handover. The more directly you can talk to the builders, the fewer surprises you will get.

2. What will you show us, and when?

A good partner shows working software early and often, not just status reports. Ask how often you will see progress and whether you can try it yourself. Short iterations let you change course before it gets expensive.

3. What happens when something goes wrong?

Every project hits a setback at some point. The question is how you find out. Ask for an example of a project that didn’t go to plan and what the partner did about it. An honest answer tells you more than a list of successes.

4. Who owns the code and the data?

Agree up front that you own the source code, the data and the documentation, and that you can move to another supplier if you want to. A partner who is confident in their work has no reason to lock you in.

5. How do you handle security and privacy?

Ask how security is built into development, where data is hosted and whether the partner will sign a data processing agreement. If AI is involved, ask how the requirements of the EU AI Act are taken into account.

6. What does it cost after go-live?

The quote for the build is only part of the picture. Ask about hosting, licences, support and maintenance, and how changes after go-live are priced. Clear agreements up front prevent awkward conversations later.

7. Can you explain it without jargon?

If a partner can’t explain their approach in plain language, that is a warning sign. Good engineers can explain complex things simply. It also tells you how easy they will be to work with when decisions need to be made.

Our answers

We wrote these questions because they are the ones we would want to be asked ourselves. At AIpportunity, the team you talk to is the team that builds your application. Curious how we would answer them? Read more about how we work or start a conversation.