Before signing a software agency, ask fifteen questions across five areas: who exactly will build your product, how scope and changes are priced, who owns the code and accounts, how quality and security are enforced, and what happens after launch. The answers belong in the contract, not in the sales call. This checklist gives you each question, the answer a good agency gives, and the answer that should make you walk — use it in your final meeting before any money moves.
Why interrogate an agency at all?
Because software disputes in India almost never reach court — projects just die quietly, with the client holding a half-finished system and the agency holding the code. The fifteen questions below exist to surface, before signing, the gaps that cause those quiet deaths: anonymous staffing, elastic scope, hostage credentials, invisible quality, and absent support. Asking them costs one meeting. Not asking them costs, in our experience of rescued projects, anywhere from ₹3 lakh to the entire budget. If you're still building your shortlist, start with our guide on how to choose a software development company in India, then bring this list to the finalists.
Team and accountability (questions 1–3)
1. Who exactly will work on my project — names, roles, experience? Good answer: named engineers, their seniority, and how much of their week you get. Walk away if: "our team of 200 experts" with no names. The demo-team-vanishes bait-and-switch is the most common complaint against Indian agencies; neutralise it by putting names in the agreement.
2. Who is my single point of contact, and how fast do you respond? Good answer: one named person, direct access to engineers on demos, and a stated response SLA (24 hours is standard; NexaEx commits to it in writing). Walk away if: every conversation must route through a salesperson.
3. What similar systems have you shipped, and can I speak to that client? Good answer: live URLs or app-store links plus a reference call. Ask the reference what went wrong and how it was handled — every real project has friction. Walk away if: portfolio screenshots only, or references who report suspicious perfection. Working products are the strongest evidence; browse an agency's case studies and click things.
Scope, price and change (questions 4–6)
4. What exactly is included in this price — and what is not? Good answer: a written scope with screens, features, integrations, and an explicit exclusions list. Walk away if: a one-line quote for a five-lakh project. Ambiguity always resolves against the buyer. Sanity-check any number against market rates with a project cost calculator.
5. How do you price changes after signing? Good answer: a defined change-request process with rates (typically ₹1,200–2,500/hour or per-feature quotes at 2026 Indian rates). "Unlimited revisions" sounds generous and is a lie — it means the agency has priced in doing everything once, badly. Walk away if: changes are "adjusted later" with no mechanism.
6. What is the payment schedule, and what do I see before each payment? Good answer: 20–30% advance, remainder tied to demonstrable milestones you can click through on a staging link. Walk away if: 50%+ upfront, or payments tied to dates rather than deliverables. Also confirm GST treatment — a registered vendor's 18% GST invoice gives your company input-tax credit; an unregistered "cheaper" quote often costs more net.
Ownership and access (questions 7–9)
These three questions prevent the hostage scenario, the single worst outcome in agency engagements.
7. Do I own the code, and is IP assignment written into the contract? Good answer: unconditional yes — all code, designs, and documentation assigned to you on payment. Under the Indian Copyright Act, ownership does not transfer automatically just because you paid; it must be in writing. Walk away if: any licensing arrangement, "framework fees", or hesitation.
8. Will the code, hosting, and domain live in accounts I control? Good answer: Git repository in your organisation, deployment on your AWS/Vercel/GCP account, domain in your registrar account — from week one, not at handover. Walk away if: "we host everything for you" with no access. That model converts every future decision into a renegotiation.
9. What do I receive at handover? Good answer: source code, database schemas, environment configuration, deployment documentation, and admin credentials — as a listed contractual deliverable. Walk away if: handover is vague or priced as an extra.
How is quality actually enforced? (questions 10–12)
10. What is your testing process before I see a release? Good answer: code review by a second engineer, automated tests on critical paths, a staging environment, and a QA pass before demos. Walk away if: "we test thoroughly" with no mechanics — that means you are the QA department, in production.
11. How do you handle security and data protection? Good answer: specifics — encrypted data at rest and transit, role-based access, audit logs, and DPDP Act 2023 awareness: if your software processes personal data of Indian users, you are the data fiduciary and your vendor must support consent, minimisation, and breach notification. Sector overlays matter too (RBI digital-lending norms for fintech, for example). Walk away if: blank looks at "DPDP".
12. Can I see the code during development? Good answer: yes — you or any advisor you nominate can read the repository at any time. Even if you can't read code today, this right keeps everyone honest and makes a second opinion possible. Walk away if: code visibility only after final payment.
After launch (questions 13–15)
13. What does the warranty cover, and for how long? Good answer: 30–90 days of free defect fixes post-launch, with "defect" defined against the written scope. Walk away if: support ends at handover, or warranty terms are verbal.
14. What does ongoing maintenance cost? Good answer: a stated AMC — typically 15–20% of build cost per year at 2026 rates — with defined response times, or transparent hourly support at ₹1,200–2,500/hour. Walk away if: no answer; software without a maintenance plan degrades within a year of OS, browser and dependency updates.
15. If we part ways, how do I leave? Good answer: a 30-day exit clause, full handover obligations on termination, and no penalty beyond work already done. The willingness to make leaving easy is the single strongest trust signal an agency can give. Walk away if: lock-ins, "source code on completion of 3-year term", or offence at the question.
The scorecard
| Area | Questions | Deal-breaker if failed |
|---|---|---|
| Team & accountability | 1–3 | Named engineers refused |
| Scope & price | 4–6 | >40% upfront, no change process |
| Ownership & access | 7–9 | Any hesitation on IP or accounts |
| Quality & security | 10–12 | No staging, no DPDP awareness |
| After launch | 13–15 | No warranty, no exit clause |
Score a firm honestly and the decision usually makes itself. If you're choosing between engagement formats rather than vendors, our comparison of dedicated development teams vs freelancers covers that adjacent decision.
How to run the questioning meeting
Fifteen questions can feel adversarial if handled badly, and useless if handled softly. Three rules make the meeting productive:
Send the questions in advance, in writing. You are not trying to catch anyone off guard — you want considered answers you can hold them to. A firm that responds in writing before the call is showing you what working with them will feel like. A firm that says "let's just discuss on the call" is showing you the same thing.
Insist that an engineer attends, not only sales. Questions 10–12 cannot be answered credibly by a business development manager. How the salesperson reacts to "can your tech lead join?" is itself a data point: good agencies welcome it because their engineers close deals for them.
Write the answers into the agreement. This is the step most buyers skip. An answer given in a meeting is marketing; the same answer as a contract clause is protection. After the call, convert the material commitments — named engineers, payment schedule, IP assignment, staging access, warranty period, AMC rate, exit terms — into the draft agreement and watch which ones survive the vendor's legal review. The clauses that quietly disappear tell you which promises were real.
Expect the whole exercise to take one week and possibly cost you a vendor or two from your shortlist. That is the exercise working. The firms that remain — the ones that answered in writing, brought their tech lead, and accepted the clauses — are the ones you can sign with confidence. And if a vendor fails only one or two questions but is strong otherwise, negotiate: most gaps (staging environments, handover lists, exit clauses) are fixable by a willing partner before signing. Unwillingness, not imperfection, is the true disqualifier.
Talk to us
The fastest way to evaluate NexaEx is to ask us these fifteen questions — we enjoy them, and the answers arrive in writing. We build AI solutions, SaaS, mobile apps and enterprise software from Erode, Tamil Nadu for clients across India, with our own products in production as standing proof of process. Reach us at /contact or WhatsApp +91 97912 97741 — we reply within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask a software agency before signing?
Cover five areas: who exactly builds your product (named engineers), how scope and change requests are priced, who owns code and accounts (written IP assignment, your repositories), how quality and security are enforced (staging, testing, DPDP Act compliance), and post-launch terms (warranty, AMC cost, exit clause). Get every answer in the contract.
How much advance payment is normal for a software project?
20-30% at signing is standard in the Indian market, with the remainder tied to demonstrable milestones you can verify on a staging environment. Demands for 50% or more upfront from a vendor you have never worked with shift all the risk to you and are a legitimate reason to renegotiate or walk away.
What should a software handover include?
Complete source code in a repository you control, database schemas, environment configuration, deployment documentation, and all admin credentials - listed as a contractual deliverable, not a favour. Hosting, domain and cloud accounts should already be registered in your company name from the first week of the project.
What is a fair maintenance cost after my software launches?
A typical Indian AMC in 2026 runs 15-20% of the original build cost per year, with defined response times, or transparent hourly support at Rs 1,200-2,500 per hour. Also expect a 30-90 day free defect warranty after launch. Software with no maintenance plan degrades within a year of dependency and OS updates.