The important questions at the start of a software project are practical. They are not a scorecard of awards.
What is in the first release
List the workflows that must work. List what can wait. A partner who cannot restate that list has not understood the work.
Who owns the result
Confirm that source code, content, and production access will belong to you, and how third-party licences are handled. The intellectual property terms should say this plainly.
How you will see progress
Agree the reviews. A demonstration against the scope tells you more than a status adjective.
What happens after launch
Ask how defects are reported, how long that support lasts, and what a later change will cost. Those answers belong in the agreement, not in a verbal aside.
A partner who can answer these points is easier to work with than one who leads with a number of clients.