Begin with domain experience, not the length of the client list. Ask for a couple of case studies that resemble your domain and your stack, and then find out who actually wrote that code. A solid partner is happy to connect you with the tech lead. Vague answers at this stage almost always mean the delivery team is not the team you were shown.
The agreement deserves more attention than the sales deck. Three clauses do most of the work: ownership of the code, confidentiality, and notice periods and handover. All the work product should transfer to you as it is paid for, together with designs, scripts and infrastructure configuration. Be careful with any clause that leaves framework code in the vendor’s hands, as it is usually exactly the piece that locks you in.
Ask where their numbers come from. An honest estimate is accompanied by the assumptions behind it, a breakdown per feature and a range rather than a single number. A fixed-price contract works only when the specification is complete; otherwise the provider pads the number and you fund the buffer regardless. Hourly billing moves the risk back to the client, so it needs a sprint cadence, demos and a budget cap.
Process matters as much as the number of developers. Establish how change requests are handled, who defines done and how testing is organised. A well-run team will be able to demonstrate get a project quote live build at the end of each sprint. Written acceptance criteria stay your only real protection against endless rounds of rework.
Before signing, plan for the end of the engagement at the start rather than at the end. Ask that the repository stays in your organisation from day one, and that documentation which is better vue or react written as you go rather than left to the end. A provider confident in its own work accepts it without argument; resistance at this point tells you a great deal.
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