[willheim]

Don't be ashamed or afraid to nag. Fire fast and early. Understand that the project you're working on is only one of likely many they are working on. Give early deadlines but plan them to be weeks/months before you need it. Contractors saying 2-4weeks likely mean 2-4months. You want to see dedication and accomplishments. If you see none of that then fire them. Have someone local to check the code. Get code updates often (should be uploading to a trac). Know your contractors. Are they managers farming out the work or are they doing the work themselves? Does the team keep changing or are they stable? Do they badger you for payouts when their performance has been poor or are they delivering quality work?

Beware of contractors: Many (not all) of them are scam artists who can easily take advantage of those new to the system. They will not be solely focused on your project and by bouncing between projects it means it takes time for them to laser in and be sharp when they do sit down to do your task. Don't hire anyone who doesn't have stellar reviews. Their resumes mean little (ie, they stretch the truth a lot). If your reasonable concerns are not addressed promptly and to your satisfaction: fire them.