Find out what is actually moving
Separate content, data, functionality and operational responsibility. A tender might ask you to move 5,000 pages, replace editorial workflows, reconnect forms and assume hosting. Those are several workstreams, even if the notice uses the single word “migration”.
Request the available inventory and identify what is missing. A count of published URLs may exclude media, documents, redirects, unpublished material and multiple languages. Ask who decides what is retained, rewritten, archived or deleted. Your estimate should expose those decisions rather than silently absorbing them.
Use a dependency register
| Dependency | Evidence needed | Owner to identify |
|---|---|---|
| Content export | Formats, sample exports, media references and permissions. | Buyer content lead and current platform supplier. |
| Connected services | Interface documentation, test environments and support arrangements. | Each system owner. |
| URLs and search | Current URL inventory, redirect decisions and search behaviour. | Technical and content leads. |
| Acceptance | Migration checks, editorial sign-off and assurance criteria. | Named approvers with time allocated. |
| Changeover | Freeze window, cutover plan, rollback and contract end dates. | Delivery, hosting and incumbent contacts. |
Check the timetable against the incumbent contract
The GOV.UK guidance on moving away from legacy systems stresses agreement with stakeholders and planning the changeover with room for delays. It also warns about scheduling too close to an existing contract's expiry. For a supplier, the practical question is who controls each dependency and what happens if it arrives late.
Check when export access is available, whether the current supplier must assist and how long the old service can remain operational. A migration plan based on immediate access is fragile if access depends on a negotiation that has not happened.
A worked screening example
Hypothetical example: a six-person agency can demonstrate migrations to the required CMS. A buyer needs a replacement site in 12 weeks. Its document store has no confirmed export format, and a third party maintains the login integration.
The platform experience is relevant, but it does not settle the bid decision. Assign a short technical investigation to the export and integration, using sample data and an agreed test environment. If access cannot be obtained before pricing, keep the uncertainty explicit and assess whether the competition permits the proposed assumptions.
Price the transition as well as the destination
Build separate estimates for discovery, transformation, trial migration, exception handling, editorial review, cutover and early support. Include re-runs when content changes during the project. Identify any licence overlap and the period when two environments must operate.
Ask how the buyer will accept the migrated content: a count, a sample, functional checks or a fuller reconciliation. Different acceptance approaches require different evidence. Record exclusions clearly in your internal scope model, then check that they are compatible with the buyer's requirements.
Questions to resolve before the bid
- Can suppliers inspect a representative export and integration documentation?
- Who owns content clean-up and decisions about obsolete material?
- What support will the incumbent provide, and by which dates?
- What defines a successful trial migration and final acceptance?
- Who can authorise rollback, and how long is the old platform available?
Use the clarification question templates for unresolved points. A good initial screening result identifies a reason to investigate alongside relevant experience. It should not turn unknown dependencies into a promise that the migration will be easy.
Keep working through the decision
See your own tenders judged.
Start with five free briefs, no card. Confirm your email and check the capability profile drafted from your website. See which published notices deserve a closer look, with the reasons.