How Do I Choose a B2B Software Development Firm?

Hiring a software development firm is a large decision for a small business. The work is hard to see while it is happening, the costs are hard to compare, and you may not know what to ask until something has already gone wrong.

This guide is a buyer's checklist. It covers what you are actually buying, how pricing models shift risk, what to look for, the questions to ask, the red flags, and when you should not hire a firm at all.

Decide what you are buying

Start with the outcome, not the technology. "A portal where clients can see their job status and approve quotes" is something a firm can scope and price. "An app" is not.

Write one page that covers:

• The problem. What is slow, error-prone or impossible today?
• The people. Who will use the software: staff, clients, partners?
• The outcome. What will be true once it works? Fewer calls, faster quotes, no retyping.
• The constraints. Budget range, deadline, tools it must work with, and any privacy or industry rules.

A good firm will improve this page in discovery. A firm that skips it and quotes immediately is guessing.

How pricing models shift risk

Fixed price. You agree on a written scope and a price before the build starts. If the work takes longer, the firm absorbs it. Changes are priced separately as change orders. This suits small businesses with a defined project and a fixed budget. The trade-off is that scope must be written carefully, and anything left out becomes a change.

Time and materials (hourly). You pay for the hours worked. This suits work whose shape genuinely cannot be known up front, such as research or an evolving product. The risk of overruns sits with you, so it needs a cap, regular reports and someone on your side who can judge progress.

Retainer. A fixed monthly amount for a block of time. Useful for ongoing changes, but check what happens to unused hours and what counts as in scope.

There is no single right model. What matters is that you know who carries the risk and that the contract says so.

What to look for

Use this checklist when comparing firms:

1. A paid discovery before the quote. A short, priced engagement that produces a written scope and a fixed or capped price. It shows the firm takes scope seriously, and it gives you a document you own even if you do not proceed.
2. Working software early and often. A demo of real, working software every week or two, not a status report.
3. A named developer. You know who will build it and can talk to them.
4. Plain-language scope. You can read the scope and understand exactly what you will get.
5. Change orders priced in advance. You know what a change costs before you ask for it.
6. Ownership in writing. Code, accounts and data in your name, with copyright assigned to you.
7. A plan for after launch. Who hosts it, who maintains it, who answers your staff's questions, and what each costs per month or year.
8. Security and privacy basics. They can explain how they handle sign-in, access control and personal information, and they know the Canadian privacy rules that apply to you.
9. Accessibility. They build to WCAG 2.1 level AA, the W3C standard, without being asked.
10. References you can verify. Work you can see and people you can call, rather than logos on a slide.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Who will write the code, and are they employees or subcontractors?
• How often will I see working software, and how will I give feedback?
• What exactly is included, and what is not?
• How are changes priced, and who approves them?
• Who owns the code, the domain, the hosting account and the data?
• Where will it be hosted, and where will my data be stored?
• What happens after launch, and what does maintenance cost?
• If we part ways, what do I receive, and in what form?

Red flags

• A price quoted before anyone has understood the problem.
• No demos until the end of the project.
• Code, hosting or domains registered in the firm's name with no plan to transfer them.
• Vague scope, such as "a modern, scalable platform," with no list of screens or features.
• Open-ended hourly billing with no cap or reporting.
• Pressure to sign quickly or to pay most of the cost up front.
• No answer to "who maintains this after launch?"

Who owns what

Under Canada's Copyright Act, the author of a work generally owns its copyright, and an employer owns work made by an employee in the course of employment. A firm or contractor is not your employee, so unless your contract assigns the copyright to you, the firm may keep it. The Act requires an assignment to be in writing and signed. Ask for an assignment clause, or at least a clear licence, and have a lawyer review the contract for anything significant. This guide is not legal advice.

If you are an agency

Agencies face the same choice from a different side. When a client asks for a portal, dashboard or automation you cannot build in-house, you need a development partner who stays behind your brand. Look for the same things as above, plus three more. The partner should work under your name and never contact your client directly unless you ask. The agreement should state the price you pay and leave the resale price to you. And handover should run through you, so the client relationship stays yours. Ask how the partner handles hosting and maintenance after launch, because your client will call you, not them, when something breaks.

When not to hire a firm

You may not need a firm if:

• An off-the-shelf product does most of what you need. Configure it first; you can always build later.
• A connector such as Zapier or Make can join the tools you already use.
• The process you want to automate changes every month. Settle it first.
• You cannot yet describe the outcome in a sentence. Spend a week on the one-page brief above.

If you are unsure what kind of help you need, read what web application development consultants do.

What it costs with us

Brodeur Software Development works the way this checklist describes: paid discovery, fixed scope, weekly demos, and everything handed over in your name. We never bill hourly; changes are priced as fixed work units. All prices are CAD, taxes extra.

• Discovery: $500, credited to the build. One call, a written scope and a fixed quote.
• Builds: $4,500 to $15,000, quoted after discovery and delivered in one-week sprints, with a demo of working software at the end of each week.
• White-label for agencies: $650 a day, five-day minimum. You resell the work under your brand at your own price.

Smaller jobs start from known prices: a website from $1,200, configuration of the systems you already have from $400, an app or client portal from $800, and an automation from $80.

After handover, hosting and care go to Run It at getmore.digital, and user support goes to Fix It at gotthis.support. AI strategy is scoped with BetterWay Technology at betterway.technology.

Your next step

Write the one-page brief, then use the checklist above with every firm you talk to, including us. When you are ready, start at Work with Us and book a discovery.