Ask for evidence you can inspect

A sales claim is not evidence. Ask for material that you can read, check or repeat.

A relevant project example

Ask for a project that resembles yours. Ask what the team built, what the client supplied and what changed after launch. A logo wall does not answer these questions.

Ask for a reference who can discuss handover, missed assumptions and support. Respect client confidentiality. Where a live demonstration is not possible, ask for a redacted test report.

The people who do the work

Meet the people who will do the work. Confirm the delivery lead, the data lead and the support owner. Ask which work goes to subcontractors. Ask where data is processed. Put substitutions and approvals in the contract.

Dependencies and data flows

Ask the agency to explain its dependencies and its data flows. If a supplier refuses, pause the purchase until you understand the consequence.

Written answers

Send the same questions to every agency. Ask for written answers that become part of the scope. A sales call can clarify an answer, but it should not replace the record.

Record each answer, its evidence and the person who is responsible. Unanswered questions are risks to resolve before a contract.

Use the listing as a start only

A listing on this site records a business and its location. It does not prove AI expertise. Use it to find agencies. Use the steps above to judge them.

Sources

• AIAgencies guide: How to vet an AI agency (this site)
• AIAgencies guide: Questions to ask an AI vendor before signing (this site)
• AIAgencies home page questions (this site)