> What is the best way to find a good fit for what we are trying to build?
I suggest you get the applicants to build you a very basic prototype based on a small number of slides from your powerpoint presentation. This would help the applicant understand the level of effort needed to convert what you have to what you need, and help you learn about the applicants.
This is also a good time to flesh out the basics of how you want the actualy project to look & feel, which also helps the applicant determine the effort required to produce it.
> can you give me a range of what the cost of the developing work might be?
This is a difficult question to answer because it can vary on any number of things, some of them being:
a. The exchange rate between your currency and thier's.
b. What you want the end result to look like, and the effort required.
c. What functionallity you want the end result to have, and the effort required.
d, If you want extras like embedded media (images, audio, video)
e. The "going rates" of software development in the applicant's country.
f. How quickly you want the end result, the applicant may need to reschedule existing commitments.