We build for UK founders, so this is the checklist we would want a founder to hold us to.
Why founders look offshore
Experienced engineers and designers already work with UK and US clients every day. The talent is real. What varies is how the work is run.
The reason founders get burned is rarely skill. It is distance: layers of managers between you and the people building, progress reported in documents instead of software, and code that lives in someone else's account.
Rule 1: talk to the people doing the work
Ask who will be on your weekly call. If the answer is an account manager or a project manager who does not write code or design screens, every question you ask is passed along twice and comes back diluted.
Good signs:
- The engineer leading the build is on the call.
- The designer shows the screens themselves.
- You can message the team directly between calls.
Rule 2: see working software every week
A status report tells you what someone believes. A link to a working build tells you what is true. From the second week of a build, you should be able to click something new every week, even if it is rough.
If a team asks for six weeks before showing anything, ask why. Sometimes there is a good reason, such as infrastructure work with nothing visible. Usually there isn't.
Rule 3: own the repository from day one
The code should live in a repository under your company's account (GitHub, GitLab or similar) from the first commit, with the team added as collaborators. Hosting, domains, email and payment services should sit in your name and bill you directly.
This protects you in three ways:
- You can see progress for yourself at any time.
- If the relationship ends, nothing has to be "handed over"; it is already yours.
- Another engineer can review the work whenever you want a second opinion.
Your contract should also assign the intellectual property to you in writing. Under UK law an assignment of copyright has to be in writing and signed by the person assigning it, so check the clause exists rather than assuming it.
Rule 4: tie payment to delivered milestones
Break the work into milestones, each with a deliverable you can check and a demo date. Pay when a milestone is delivered and working, not on a calendar. This keeps both sides honest about progress.
Time zones are an advantage if you plan for them
When the team is a few hours ahead of you, its afternoon overlaps your morning. A short written update can land before your working day starts, and the call can sit in the overlap.
Agree three things at the start:
- A fixed weekly call time inside the overlap.
- One shared channel for questions, with a reply expected within a working day.
- Who makes decisions on your side when you are unavailable.
Data protection if you are UK based
If your offshore team will see personal data, such as user records or customer emails, that is a restricted transfer under UK GDPR. Where the team's country has no UK adequacy decision, the usual route is the ICO's International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU standard clauses, backed by a transfer risk assessment. Keep test data anonymised where you can, and give production access only to the people who need it.
A short checklist before you sign
- Will the people building it be on my calls?
- When will I first click a working build?
- Is the repository in my company's account from day one?
- Does the contract assign the IP to my company in writing?
- Are payments tied to milestones I can check?
- What happens to the code if we stop halfway?
- How is personal data handled, and is there a transfer agreement?
If a team answers all seven clearly, distance stops being a risk and becomes a scheduling detail.