Ask these before the first file moves
Before a CPA firm outsources bookkeeping, ask three things: who reviews the package before you do, whose name the client sees, and whether the first file is a current monthly close or a cleanup. Autonomi Books reviews every package with a licensed CPA, ships it under your brand, and will not pretend a behind file is month one.
The firm page is For CPA Firms. Outsourced bookkeeping for a CPA firm is how the work is split. This is the question list to use on the call.
Who reviews it, and where are they
Ask whether a licensed CPA reviews the package before it reaches your desk, and whether that review is US-based. A package that arrives for you to rebuild is not a handoff. It is a second job.
Ask what happens when the person who learned the client leaves. If the answer is "we will introduce the new person," you are staffing, not buying a delivery. The chart of accounts, the formats, and the client rules should be written down so the next close does not start from a conversation.
Whose name is on the work
Ask to see a sample with your branding in mind. Sample deliverables is a monthly package you can read before a Pilot Client. The client-facing pages should be able to carry your name. The review notes stay with you.
If you need the client to know a second firm is involved, this is the wrong product. White-label means they do not.
Is the first file even a monthly file
Ask, for the client you want to start with, when the books were last closed to the bank. If the answer is "a while ago," that file is bookkeeping cleanup, with a $499 diagnostic, not a Pilot Client. A cleanup file is not monthly work is the rule.
A current file can start as a Pilot Client. Read that package before you talk about the rest of the book. There is no published monthly rate. The quote comes after the scope is real.
Start a Pilot Client only when the answers above are the ones you wanted.