UK website redesign tenders: search and screening guide.

Search by deliverable, then widen the language

Begin with the official Find a Tender search. For relevant older opportunities and contract history, also use Contracts Finder. Check the national portals for the places where you work. Save the searches that produce useful results rather than relying on one phrase.

Find a Tender publishes different stages of a procurement. A pipeline, engagement or award notice is useful intelligence, but it is not necessarily an invitation to submit a bid now. Open the notice, check its type and follow the buyer's instructions to the current documents.

These are suggested query terms, not verified lists of open contracts. Use classifications from genuinely relevant notices to refine a search, and keep a broader search to catch buyers who use different language.

Separate launch scope from ongoing obligations

Write a short scope inventory before deciding to bid. Count what needs designing, moving, integrating and supporting. A total page count alone says little about effort if a small number of forms connect to complex systems.

• Research and design: audiences, research access, journeys, prototypes and approval rounds.
• Content: inventory, rewriting, document remediation, translations and publishing responsibility.
• Build: CMS, identity, search, payments and other integrations.
• Assurance: accessibility testing, security requirements and acceptance evidence.
• Operation: hosting, monitoring, support hours, recovery and handover.

The government's accessibility audit guidance covers more than an automated scan, including assistive technology testing and time to act on findings. Ask what the buyer expects you to deliver and what another supplier will provide.

A small brief can hide a large service

Hypothetical example: a notice describes a 60-page website redesign over four months, followed by three years of support. The agency's initial estimate covers templates and content entry. It omits two authenticated forms, document remediation and weekend incident cover.

The useful next step is to clarify those responsibilities and price the support separately. Neither the page count nor the word “redesign” establishes a manageable scope. If the agency cannot provide the service levels, it needs a permitted delivery arrangement or a decision to pass.

Ask these questions before allocating proposal time

1. Is there an inventory of content, documents, forms and integrations?
2. Who supplies content and approves it, and when will it be ready?
3. What is the required accessibility target and acceptance process?
4. Which hosting, licensing and operational costs sit inside the budget?
5. What access and assistance will the incumbent provide?
6. Is the launch date tied to an event, a contract expiry or another dependency?

Use the formal clarification route and its deadline. Link each question to a specific requirement and record the answer. If the answer remains unknown, keep the assumption visible in your internal decision.

Choose the next action

Apply the bid/no-bid checklist once the scope is clearer. Record comparable work, capacity and the commercial case. TenderVerdict can help you screen published notices against your profile; it does not inspect every supporting document or guarantee that every relevant website contract reaches your brief.

Keep working through the decision