Look beyond the headline rate
A lower rate can be offset by unclear specifications, repeated rework or substantial management effort. Equally, an offshore team with relevant experience and clear processes can deliver effectively. Evaluate actual references, technical skills and collaboration practices. Location alone is not evidence of either quality or risk.
Prepare collaboration deliberately
Agree working hours, language, responsibilities and the frequency of demonstrations. Keep requirements, decisions and acceptance criteria in a shared project space. Make sure code, cloud services and release accounts remain accessible. Clarify how issues are escalated and how work is continued if a particular person leaves the project.
Compare comparable scenarios
Estimate the whole project, including your internal coordination time and post-launch support. Review a representative milestone before expanding the engagement. Select the team that can demonstrate reliable progress within your constraints, and keep ownership and delivery transparency explicit regardless of where the developers are based.