Outsourcing partner selection

Hi,

I was wondering if anybody had gone through the process of selecting an outsourcing partner in India. I have been asked by one of my clients to create a short-list for web development/content management specialists.

Has anyone (who has gone through this process) got any tips or suggestions? Does anyone know where I can find a list of qualified and highly rated companies? I have heard horror stories and ideally would like to invoke best practice in this project.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks.