Supplier or partner?
Deciding on an IT provider is a crucial step that can affect the success of a technology project, but also the long-term business relationship. That is why at SYZYGY Warsaw we prefer to talk about IT partners, because we believe that working together is more than just signing a contract. An IT partner shares knowledge, supports the development of your team and is committed to your business goals, not just your technology goals.
But no matter what you call the relationship, the most important thing is to ask the right questions to discover how a potential IT partner approaches collaboration, solves problems and what they really offer. We outline a set of questions to ask an IT provider to get a thorough understanding of their way of working and organisational culture.

Questions to ask when choosing an IT partner?
Experience
1. What experience do you have of working on similar problems at other clients?
Ask for examples of projects that have dealt with similar challenges.
Ask, ‘What have you learned from these implementations and how can this knowledge help us?’
Every project is different, but experience in similar situations allows your IT partner to understand the specifics of your needs more quickly. It is worth finding out what solutions they have used in the past, what difficulties they encountered and how they overcame them. This will show whether they can translate the experience they have gained into new challenges.
2. Why do existing clients want to work with you?
Ask what sets them apart from the competition. It is important to understand what values other clients see in them.
The answer to this question will show how an IT partner builds relationships with clients and what they base their reputation on. Clients often choose partners not only for their technical competence, but also for their way of working, their approach to communication and their ability to support their business objectives.
3. Show 3 projects that have been successful and 3 that have been the biggest learning for you
This question assesses your ability to learn from difficult situations and your flexibility in dealing with problems.
Every company has its successes and failures, but it is the ability to learn from mistakes that distinguishes the best IT partners. The answer will show whether they are able to analyse their actions, make changes and grow from the lessons learned.
4. What experience do you have with projects that involve several partners?
Find out how they manage communication and collaboration in more complex structures.
Projects with multiple parties involved require excellent coordination and communication skills. The partner should be able to work with both other suppliers and the client’s internal teams, ensuring consistency of effort and avoiding conflict.
Values
5. What are your values? What guides your decision to start working with a client?
This question provides insight into their approach to work ethics and priorities.
A supplier’s values can have a direct impact on the way a project is delivered and the approach to collaboration. If they coincide with yours, it will be easier to build mutual trust and achieve common goals. For example, a partner who values transparency will be more open to sharing information and reporting regularly.

6. What clients have you refused to work with and why?
Ask what is key for them when choosing to collaborate. Are they driven by added value or perhaps by social interest?
A partner who knows who they do not want to work with often has a better understanding of their competences and values. The answer will show whether the company acts in an informed manner and is able to reject projects that do not fit with its working philosophy or technical capabilities.
Client Relations / Communication
7. What kind of relationship with the client do you expect?
Determine whether they prefer to operate in full partnership or prefer a more classic supplier-client approach.
Relationships have a key impact on the quality of the collaboration. A supplier who expects a partnership approach is likely to be more committed to your goals and more flexible in adapting to changing needs.
8. What kind of communication do you expect with the customer? What kind of meetings? How often? How do we get to know each other?
Find out what their communication plan looks like and how they build relationships at an operational level.
Clearly establishing communication rules eliminates misunderstandings and increases the effectiveness of the collaboration. A partner who offers regular meetings and open communication minimises the risk of mistakes due to lack of information.
9. How do you like to work?
Although the question sounds simple, it allows you to discover their preferences regarding work organisation and team dynamics.
A partner’s working style can significantly affect the success of a project. Matching the working styles of both parties avoids potential conflicts and improves the pace of the project.
Costs
10. What does the quote include?
Make sure that tooling, licensing, SaaS and maintenance costs are included in the quote.
Lack of transparency in the quote can lead to hidden costs that will be difficult to estimate at later stages. A detailed answer avoids unwanted financial surprises during the collaboration.
11. What is the most common model in which you work? How do you bill your clients?
Ask about their preferences for billing models: time & material, fixed price, or other.
Understanding their approach to billing will help to align the way you work together with your internal financial processes and avoid misunderstandings about expectations.
12. How often do you raise rates?
Get to know their pricing policy over the long term.
Knowing the regularity of rate increases will allow you to better plan long-term budgets. This question also allows you to assess whether the partner is operating in a predictable and transparent way in terms of pricing policy.
13. How big are you entering into projects? What is the minimum budget amount?
Understand what projects they are interested in in terms of scale.
The answer will show whether your project fits into the partner’s remit and is a priority for them.
Building and maintaining teams
14. Who will work for us?
Ask about the composition of the team, its experience and how people are assigned to the project.
Knowing the composition of the team allows you to assess the competence of the people working on the project. You will find out if the partner assigns people with the right experience to the project or if they rely on less experienced team members, which can affect the speed and quality of project delivery.

15. How will you build the team for our project?
Find out whether the team members will be dedicated solely to you.
Whether the team will be fully focused on your project has an impact on productivity. Frequent rotation between projects can lead to a decrease in commitment and the risk that your needs are not a priority.
16. How often do people leave your company? What is the turnover rate?
Ask about the stability of the team and their talent retention strategy.
This is critical to maintaining work continuity and project quality. A supplier with high turnover may find it difficult to build long-term relationships and keep project knowledge within the team.
Understanding the business
17. How do you ensure that you understand the client’s business?
Ask what information they need to better understand your needs and objectives.
A partner who understands your business objectives is better able to deliver tailored solutions. The transcript emphasises that a good understanding of the client’s needs minimises the risk of errors and accelerates the achievement of project goals.
Start of the collaboration (Onboarding)
18. What will the start of our collaboration look like?
Find out if they have an onboarding process and team-building workshops.
Well-planned onboarding allows both parties to quickly understand each other’s needs and priorities. With an integration workshop, teams can get to know each other better, which positively impacts communication and collaboration.
Implementation and post-implementation support
19. How do you ensure that the progress of project work is monitored and reported?
Explore their approach to transparency during implementation.
Regular reporting gives you a full picture of the project’s progress and allows you to react quickly to any problems. The transcript highlights the importance of monitoring tools and their integration into project management processes.
20. What does the post-implementation service look like?
Ask about the SLA, maintenance and development of the system after implementation.
The project does not end with implementation – it is important that the supplier has solutions in place for post-launch support. Understanding the scope of the post-implementation service will avoid unexpected costs and ensure the continuity of the system.
Development
21. What development practices do you use?
Learn about quality standards and methods to ensure system scalability. Using good development practices, such as code review, test-driven development (TDD) or continuous integration (CI), guarantees high quality code and reduces the risk of future errors.
22. What experience do you have with the X technology stack?
Match the question to the technology resulting from your solution concept.
A supplier who is familiar with the technology stack the client is working with can understand the project needs faster and offer effective solutions. The transcript highlights that matching the technology to the specifics of the organisation is crucial to the long-term success of the project.
Summary
The above set of questions has been created to help you better understand your potential IT partner’s work culture, experience and approach. With these, you can ensure that you choose the team that best suits your business needs and goals. Remember, a good IT partner is one that not only delivers the project, but also co-creates value for your organisation and supports it in achieving long-term success.
Download a PDF of the checklist
Download this article as a PDF 📧 In the 20 pages of “Checklist of Questions You Need to Ask,” you’ll find additional tips, unpublished items, and an easy-to-read layout ready for convenient printing and working on your IT partner selection.

Author
Michał Łukawski
IT Client Partner
With more than 16 years of experience in the IT industry, Michal Lukawski helps corporate clients create and develop digital products that address real business needs. He served as Managing Director of SYZYGY Warsaw and was a member of the team responsible for the organization’s transformation to Teal. His approach combines understanding business needs with building lasting relationships based on transparency and shared accountability. Michael is a proponent of agile working methods with a focus on rapid time-to-market and continuous value improvement.
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