---
title: "How to choose a software company without being a technical person"
description: "What to ask, what the answers tell you, and the warning signs that are visible long before any code is written."
url: https://kftechsolutions.dev/blog/how-to-choose-a-software-company
language: en
published: 2026-09-23
modified: 2026-10-23
author: Kirollos Fayez
site: "KF Tech Solutions — https://kftechsolutions.dev"
---

# How to choose a software company without being a technical person

What to ask, what the answers tell you, and the warning signs that are visible long before any code is written.

You are about to spend a significant amount on something you cannot evaluate
directly. That is uncomfortable, and the usual response — asking about technologies
— makes it worse, because the answers are unverifiable.

You do not need to assess technical skill. You need to assess whether someone
understood your problem, and whether they will still be reachable in a year. Both
are assessable without technical knowledge.

## The signal that matters most

**Do they ask more questions than they answer?**

A supplier who responds to your first description with a quote has not understood
the problem, because your first description was not complete — nobody's is. A good
one will spend the first conversation asking about your process, your existing
systems, who will use it, and what happens when things go wrong.

The strongest signal is a supplier who, twenty minutes in, restates your problem
back to you more clearly than you stated it. That is the whole test, and it works
regardless of your technical background.

## Seven questions, and what the answers mean

### "Can you show me something similar you have built, and tell me what went wrong with it?"

Everyone has a portfolio. What you are listening for is the second half. Every real
project has a difficult part; a supplier who cannot name one either has not
delivered much or is not being straight with you.

### "Who exactly will do the work?"

You want names and a reason to believe those people will still be on it. Beware the
senior team at the pitch and a different team afterwards.

### "Who will own the code?"

The answer must be you, without qualification. Hesitation here is the single most
useful red flag on this list — see
[nine things to check in a contract](https://kftechsolutions.dev/blog/software-development-contract-what-to-check).

### "What happens after launch?"

Ask specifically: who fixes defects, for how long, at what cost, and how fast. A
supplier without a clear answer has not thought past invoicing.

### "What do you need from us?"

Good suppliers are demanding. They need decisions, access, and someone's time.
A supplier who says "nothing, leave it with us" is describing a project that will
deliver something you did not want.

### "What would you not build for us?"

A supplier willing to say "you do not need this, buy it instead" is worth more than
one who agrees with everything. If everything you suggest is a good idea, you are
talking to a sales process, not an engineer.

### "Can we start with something small and paid?"

The single best risk reducer available. Two to four weeks, tightly scoped, with a
real deliverable. It costs a fraction of the project and tells you more than any
reference list.

## Warning signs

| Sign | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A price before any questions | They are guessing, and the difference comes back as change requests |
| Unwilling to name who does the work | Subcontracted, or not yet hired |
| Evasive about code ownership | You will be locked in |
| No written scope | Every disagreement becomes your problem |
| "We can start Monday" | No pipeline, which is itself information |
| Dismissive of your existing systems | They will underestimate the integration, which is where the cost is |
| Only discusses technologies | Focused on what is interesting to them, not on what you need |

## Checking references properly

Ask for three, and ask for **one where things went wrong**. A supplier who cannot
provide that either has no history or is managing your impression.

When you speak to a reference, avoid "were you happy?" — nobody says no. Ask
instead:

- What surprised you about the project?
- What did you have to do that you had not expected?
- If you did it again, what would you change?
- Are they still responsive now?

That last one matters most. Plenty of suppliers deliver well and vanish afterwards.

## What price actually tells you

Little, on its own. A large spread between quotes usually means the brief allowed
several interpretations, not that one supplier is dishonest.

Normalise before comparing: same scope, same handover, same warranty, same
maintenance assumption, over three years.

The genuinely cheapest quote is worth one question: what is missing? Usually it is
the admin interface, error handling, or any support after launch.

## Common questions

### Big company or small team?

A small team gives you the people you met and faster decisions. A larger firm gives
you continuity if someone leaves. For most projects under six months, the small team
wins on outcome; above that, ask directly what happens if your lead developer goes.

### Local or remote?

Time zone matters more than distance. A supplier one or two hours from you shares a
working day; eight hours away means a day's delay on every question. The
considerations are in
[nearshoring to Egypt](https://kftechsolutions.dev/blog/nearshoring-software-development-egypt).

### Should we write a specification first?

Write one page, not a specification. Who uses it, the three things they do, which
systems it must talk to. A supplier who cannot work from that page — or who will not
help you turn it into a scope — is not the right supplier.

---

KF Tech Solutions is a software studio in Cairo, Egypt, founded by Kirollos Fayez in 2020; its only website is kftechsolutions.dev. It is not affiliated with KFTECH Software Solutions (kftechsols.com).