Long-tail / vraaggericht
Choosing a Software Agency: What to Watch For
Photo: Bia Limova · Pexels
How do you choose a software agency that actually fits? Watch three things: a portfolio that resembles your problem, clear agreements on code ownership, and communication you can follow yourself. This article walks through the criteria, the questions to ask, and the red flags you often spot too late.
Start with your own question, not the agency
Before choosing a software agency, get clear on what you actually need. What problem are you solving, who will use the software, and how will you know it works? Without that answer you pick on gut feeling or on price, and neither is a good reason.
A good agency helps you sharpen that question instead of quoting straight away. Every project we take on starts with an intake and a scope conversation, precisely to test whether custom software is even the right answer. Still torn between building and buying? Read choosing custom or off-the-shelf software and the cost of custom software first.
What to watch for when outsourcing software
When you outsource software, you look at more than the tech. A team that can code well but does not understand your sector or communicates poorly still ships the wrong product. The criteria that matter most:
- Relevant experience: has the agency built something like your problem, not just your technology stack?
- Communication: do you get one point of contact who explains what is happening without jargon?
- Way of working: do they build in short iterations you can follow along, or one big delivery after months?
- Ownership: is it in writing that the code and IP are yours?
- Continuity: what happens if a builder leaves, and is the work handed over cleanly?
Small senior team versus large agency
A large agency has scale: more people, formal processes, an account manager. That helps with big, long-running programmes, but you pay for the overhead and you rarely sit at the table with the people actually building.
With a small senior team the builders are your counterparts. Short lines, quick decisions, no layer in between. The downside, honestly: less capacity when things suddenly need to scale, and a real continuity risk with two or three people. There are two of us, each with 20+ years of experience, and we would rather say no to work than farm it out to a junior you never meet.
For most MVPs, AI integrations and process improvements, speed and direct access weigh more than scale. If you want to validate small first, read building an MVP.
Portfolio and references: what to actually check
A polished portfolio page says little if you do not dig in. Ask about a project that resembles yours in complexity, and ask whether you may call that client. An agency that will not arrange it is usually hiding something.
When you reach that reference, do not ask whether they were happy. Ask what went wrong and how the agency handled it. Every project hits a wall somewhere; what matters is how someone behaves at that point. Also check that the agency exists as a registered business with some track record, for example via the Dutch Business Register at KVK.
Ownership of code, IP and your data
This is the agreement that goes wrong most often. Without a clear arrangement, the agency keeps the copyright on the code it writes for you by default. You end up with software but not the ownership, and you cannot simply move to another party.
Put in writing that the IP and source code transfer to you, that you have access to the repository, and that documentation exists so someone else can continue. If the software processes personal data, arrange a data processing agreement too; the framework is set out by the Dutch Data Protection Authority. These points belong in the quote, not in a conversation afterwards.
When a small senior agency is not the right fit
Fair is fair: sometimes we are not the right choice. If you have a large programme that needs fifteen developers at once, a tight PMO and a 24/7 support obligation, a larger agency or an in-house team fits better. We cannot deliver that scale.
The same applies if you mainly want extra hands working under your own direction (staff augmentation), or if you are deliberately steering on the lowest hourly rate. A small senior team is the wrong fit there. We think along about the product and the choices; that is the value, but also the price. If you want pure execution at a floor rate, pick something else. To see where we are genuinely strong, look at building an AI agent and improving business processes with AI.
Frequently asked questions
How do you choose a software agency that fits?
Start with your own question, then choose on relevant experience, communication and way of working, and put code and IP ownership in writing. Always ask for a reference you may call yourself.
What should you watch for when outsourcing software?
More than the tech: does the team understand your sector, do you get one point of contact, do they build in short iterations with interim deliveries, and are the code and documentation transferable?
Small development team or large agency, which is better?
A small senior team gives you short lines and direct access to the builders, ideal for MVPs and custom work. A large agency fits better for big, long-running programmes with many developers at once.
Who owns the code an agency builds for me?
Without an agreement, the agency keeps the copyright by default. Put in the quote that IP, source code and documentation transfer to you and that you have access to the repository.
How do you check a reference properly?
Do not ask whether they were happy. Ask what went wrong and how the agency responded. That shows how someone behaves when a project stalls, and every project stalls at some point.
An idea or a process that could work better? Happy to think along, no strings attached.
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