Your website and public sector tenders: what buyers check

Key takeaways

Public sector procurement teams assess bids formally, but many also look at your website to check you are real, stable and aligned with their requirements. A tender-ready website shows company details, relevant case studies, accreditations such as Cyber Essentials, key policies, accessibility and named leadership. It should match what your bid says exactly.

• Buyers check that your website matches your bid.
• Publish accreditations, such as Cyber Essentials, and key policies.
• Show public sector or similar case studies.
• Make the site accessible; public bodies notice.

Do procurement teams look at supplier websites?

Formal evaluation follows the tender documents, but buyers and evaluators often look at bidders' websites to check legitimacy, capability and consistency, especially for smaller suppliers they do not know. The Procurement Act 2023, in force from February 2025, also aims to make it easier for small businesses to bid, so more SMEs face this check.

• How website design influences brand credibility
• How B2B buyers shortlist suppliers from their websites

What should a tender-ready website show?

Publish what buyers commonly ask for.

• Company details, years trading and named directors.
• Relevant case studies, ideally public sector or similar.
• Accreditations, such as Cyber Essentials, ISO standards or sector schemes.
• Policies: data protection, environmental, equality and, if required, modern slavery.
• An accessibility statement and an accessible site.

• Accreditation badges on your website: which to show
• Does accessibility affect how credible your brand looks?

Why does consistency with the bid matter?

Evaluators notice when a bid claims capabilities, staff or accreditations the website does not show, or the reverse. Inconsistency raises doubts about accuracy. Keep case studies, team details and accreditations aligned between bid library and website, and update both together.

• Website claims and the CAP Code: what UK firms can say
• How customers check a business is legitimate

Which accreditations matter for public sector work?

Requirements vary by contract, but Cyber Essentials is required for many central government contracts that involve handling certain information. ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and sector-specific schemes are commonly requested. Organisations above the turnover threshold must publish a modern slavery statement. Show those you hold, with certificate numbers or dates.

• Website security for small businesses: the basics

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a firm bidding for council contracts has strong credentials in its bid but a website with no policies, no accessibility statement and no public sector examples. Adding a 'Working with the public sector' page covering credentials, policies and two case studies makes the website support the bid.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Tender-ready website checklist

• Company details and named leadership.
• Relevant case studies.
• Accreditations with dates or numbers.
• Key policies published.
• Accessibility statement and an accessible site.
• Consistency with your bid library.

• The website credibility score: rate your site out of 10
• Website accessibility for UK businesses

Next step

Compare your last bid with your website. List every claim the website does not support, and fix it.