Short answer: choose the team that asks precise questions, shows relevant evidence, explains trade-offs and defines how delivery will be tested and operated.
Review evidence, not adjectives
Ask what problem a referenced project solved, what the team personally delivered and what changed after launch. Screenshots prove visual output, not reliability by themselves.
Test technical judgement
Share one difficult constraint and examine the response. Strong partners surface ambiguity and failure modes instead of immediately promising every feature.
Make the agreement operable
Record milestones, acceptance criteria, source ownership, credentials, documentation, support boundaries and the process for changes.
Explore the related MCMinelab solution