Most guides on how to choose a software development partner end with a list of virtues. This one ends with things you can check in writing before you sign. It is written by a software company in Bucharest, so you will see our own answers at the end. The checks work the same for any provider, in Romania or elsewhere.
Proof. Checks 1 and 2
1. Software of theirs that still runs
Ask for work launched years ago that is still in production and still maintained by them. A launch shows the provider can build. Years of updates show they build things that last, and that clients stay.
2. Work you can open
A portfolio should link to things you can install, visit or verify: an app in the store, a live site, a public record. Where a client cannot be named, ask what the work was and what it ran on.
People and hours. Checks 3 to 5
3. Who is accountable
Ask who you will talk to from the first call to the last release, and who signs the contract.
4. Overlap hours, in your time zone
Ask for the exact window of shared hours, in your time zone, and whether it is in the contract. From Romania, a company in the UK shares most of the working day. A company on US Eastern time shares about two hours on a standard day, and more on request, with a shifted schedule. See nearshore vs offshore, in hours.
5. Language and written specifications
Ask in which language the specification, the documentation and the calls will be. A written specification and versions you can test matter more when the overlap is short.
Money and contract. Checks 6 to 9
6. The pricing model, and what the quote includes
Fixed price, time and materials, or a monthly subscription: ask which one the provider proposes for your project and why. Ask what happens when the scope changes, and how hours are recorded. Compare quotes on the same scope, not on the hourly rate alone. See fixed price or time and materials.
7. Terms you can read before the first call
A provider with nothing to hide can send its standard terms before you meet. Read the parts on acceptance, changes of scope, liability, termination and which law applies.
8. What you own and what you get at handover
Ask for the list of what is handed over at the end, in writing, and which accounts are registered in your name from day one. Ask what rights you get in the deliverables, and from when.
9. Confidentiality and NDAs
Ask whether confidentiality is already in the standard terms, and whether the provider signs your NDA before you share details. Check how long the obligation lasts after the contract ends.
Data and security. Checks 10 and 11
10. Where your data goes
Ask for the data processing agreement and the list of sub-processors before you sign, not after. For a provider in the EU, the GDPR applies directly.
11. How access and incidents are handled
Ask how your credentials are stored, who has access, how fast you are told about a breach, and whether anyone on the provider’s side holds a security certification you can verify with the issuer.
Reviews and after launch. Check 12
12. Independent reviews, and what happens after launch
Read reviews on independent directories, and ask to speak to a client. Then ask what happens after launch: who keeps the software running, under what terms, and how you move to another provider if you ever need to.
Questions to ask an app developer. Before you sign
- Which of your apps are still in the stores and still maintained by you?
- Who is accountable for my project, from the first call to the last release?
- Which hours will you be online in my time zone, and is that in the contract?
- Flutter or native for my app, and why?
- Fixed price or time and materials, and what happens when the scope changes?
- Whose name will the App Store and Google Play accounts be in?
- What do I receive at handover, and what rights do I have in it?
- Will you sign my NDA before I share details?
- Where will my users’ data be stored, and who processes it?
- Who keeps the app running after launch, and on what terms?
How Amazing Soft answers the twelve checks
| Check | Our answer | Where to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Software that still runs | Apps we published in 2016 are still in the App Store and Google Play, updated by us. | Portfolio |
| Who is accountable | The Managing Partners, from the first consultation to the last release. | Leadership |
| Overlap hours | Seven shared hours with the UK; two with US Eastern time on a standard day, and up to five on request, with a shifted schedule set in the contract. | US and Canada; UK and EU |
| Language | English and Romanian. Specifications and documentation for companies abroad are in English. | Working with a software company in Romania |
| Pricing model | Usually a fixed price per stage for a new build; time and materials or a monthly subscription after launch. The cost is agreed after the consultation. | Fixed price or time and materials |
| Terms | Public, in English, before the first call. | Terms of Service |
| Handover | We hand over the domain, the hosting, the accounts, the files and the documentation. Accounts are in your company’s name from the start. | Terms of Service, article 10 |
| NDA | Confidentiality is in our Terms; we can sign your NDA before you share details, and it prevails. | Terms of Service, article 11 |
| Data | Public data processing agreement and sub-processor list, with the data location and transfer mechanism for each provider. | Data processing agreement; sub-processors |
| Security | One of our Managing Partners holds the PECB Chief Information Security Officer certification, verifiable with the issuer. We notify a breach affecting your data within 48 hours. | Recognition; data processing agreement, article 12 |
| After launch | Monthly support in three tiers, with hours and terms in the contract. On request, help with moving to another provider, estimated separately. | Maintenance and support; Terms of Service, article 15 |
Questions. Short answers
How do I choose a software development company?
Check what you can verify in writing: software of theirs still in production, who is accountable, the overlap hours, the pricing model, the terms, what you own at handover, the NDA, the data processing agreement and independent reviews.
How do I choose a mobile app development company?
The same checks, plus three specific to apps: which of their apps are still in the stores, whether they recommend Flutter or native for your case and why, and whose name the developer accounts will be in.
Is a software company in Romania a good choice for a US or Canadian company?
It can be, if the overlap is enough for your project. On a standard day it is about two hours with US Eastern time, and more on request, with a shifted schedule. Romania is in the EU, so the GDPR applies to the provider directly.
What should be in a contract with a software development partner?
The scope, the stages and the acceptance rules; the pricing model and payment terms; confidentiality; the rights in the deliverables and the handover; data protection; liability; termination; and the law that applies.