KweekTechComparing two software proposals is difficult because they almost never describe the same thing. Seven questions, asked of every candidate, make the comparison possible in a quarter of an hour.
Who owns the code at the end? The most important and the most often skipped. Software whose source you do not hold is software you are renting, whatever the invoice says.
Who actually writes the code — the team you met, or a subcontractor you will meet later? The answer changes the nature of the contract and of the risk.
What happens the day after launch? Who fixes, who backs up, who updates, and at what price. A quote that does not mention maintenance describes half the project.
How is the price structured? A readable quote separates design, development, hosting and maintenance. A single global figure is uninterpretable, and that is frequently deliberate.
What happens when requirements change? They will. A supplier promising a frozen scope is promising either an overrun or a refusal of your first change request.
Can we see a comparable system in production? Not a mockup, not a screenshot: something used daily by real people. And ideally, permission to speak to those people.
Finally: what do you refuse to do? This last answer is the most revealing of all. A supplier who accepts everything has no craft, and you will find that out at the worst possible moment.