5 Website Mistakes Costing UK Construction Firms £500K+ in Lost Tenders

Your website gets checked before you get shortlisted. Procurement directors spend 2-3 minutes scanning your site to answer one question: "Can these guys actually deliver a £3m project?" If your website looks like it was built in 2010 or loads slower than your competitors', they're moving on. Here are the 5 mistakes that cost you tender opportunities—and how to fix them fast.

Why Your Website Matters for Tender Success

Before we get into the mistakes, understand this: Your website is part of your tender response. Even if it's not explicitly scored in the evaluation criteria, procurement directors Google you, and your website is the first impression. Complement your website credibility with our winning tender response strategies.

They're looking for three things:

• Credibility: Are you a legitimate, established contractor?
• Capability: Do you have experience in projects like ours?
• Professionalism: If your website is outdated, is your site management the same?

Procurement managers commonly visit a contractor's website during the tender evaluation process to verify credibility and capability. If your site undermines the credibility you've built in your tender submission, you're losing work to competitors with better digital presence.

Mistake #1: No Project Portfolio (Or Generic Case Studies)

This is the single biggest website mistake construction firms make. Procurement directors visit your site to see visual proof you've delivered projects like theirs. If you don't have a portfolio page, or it's just text descriptions without photos, you've lost them.

What They're Looking For:

• Photos of completed projects (exterior shots, interiors, before/after)
• Project specifications (value, duration, sector, client type)
• Challenges you overcame (tight timelines, complex logistics, etc.)
• Results achieved (on time, under budget, zero defects, etc.)

The Fix:

Create a Projects or Case Studies page with 8-12 recent projects. Each project should include:

• High-quality photos: Minimum 3-5 images per project showing scale and quality
• Project stats: Value, location, duration, client (if permissible)
• Sector/type: Commercial, residential, education, healthcare, etc.
• Key challenges: What made this project difficult? How did you solve it?
• Procurement route: Design & Build, Traditional, NEC—this signals your capability

Example structure:

South Bank Commercial Development
£4.8m | 14 months | Design & Build

New-build 3-storey office building with basement parking in a constrained urban site. Main challenge was coordinating with adjacent railway infrastructure—requiring Network Rail approvals and restricted working hours.

Delivered 3 weeks early with zero safety incidents. Client awarded us two further projects based on performance.

This level of detail tells procurement directors: "These guys handle complex projects professionally." Generic project lists don't.

Mistake #2: Slow Loading Speed (Over 3 Seconds)

If your website takes longer than 3 seconds to load, 40% of visitors abandon it. Procurement directors won't wait—they'll assume you're technically incompetent and move to the next shortlist candidate.

Why It Happens:

• Massive uncompressed images (5MB photos straight from a DSLR camera)
• Outdated hosting on cheap shared servers
• No caching or optimisation
• Too many plugins/widgets slowing page rendering

The Fix:

Run your website through Google PageSpeed Insights (free tool). It'll tell you exactly what's slowing you down. Common quick fixes:

• Compress images: Use tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to reduce file sizes by 60-80% without visible quality loss
• Upgrade hosting: Move from shared hosting to a managed WordPress host (Kinsta, WP Engine) or decent VPS
• Enable caching: Use a plugin like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache to speed up repeat visits
• Use a CDN: Cloudflare (free tier) distributes your images globally for faster loading

Target: Under 2 seconds load time on desktop, under 3 seconds on mobile. Anything slower and you're losing impatient procurement directors.

Mistake #3: Missing or Outdated Certifications/Accreditations

Procurement teams check your website for proof of accreditations before shortlisting. If you're on Constructionline or CHAS but don't display the logos, they'll assume you're not accredited—and you won't make the shortlist.

What to Display:

• Industry memberships: CECA, FMB, NFBC, CIOB
• Quality standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
• Safety accreditations: CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline (with current expiry dates)
• Framework approvals: Crown Commercial Service, YORbuild, NHS frameworks
• Awards: Industry awards, regional business awards (if recent—nobody cares about 2015 awards)

The Fix:

Create an Accreditations or Why Choose Us page with all certification logos, expiry dates, and certificate numbers. Make it easy for procurement teams to verify your credentials without emailing you.

Also add logos to your footer (visible on every page). This builds instant trust—visitors see you're a credible, accredited contractor without having to hunt for evidence.

"We added our Constructionline Gold and CHAS logos to our homepage footer. Within a week, we got a tender invitation from a council saying they'd found us through Google and verified our accreditations on our site. That turned into a £2.1m contract." — Groundworks contractor, Kent

Mistake #4: Poor Mobile Experience

45% of procurement directors access contractor websites from mobile devices (during site visits, commutes, or while reviewing tender submissions remotely). If your site isn't mobile-friendly, you're signalling: "We don't keep up with technology."

Common Mobile Issues:

• Text too small to read without zooming
• Buttons too close together (clicking "Contact" accidentally opens "About")
• Images not resizing, requiring horizontal scrolling
• Forms impossible to fill out on a phone
• Pop-ups that can't be closed on mobile

The Fix:

Test your website on a phone right now. Can you:

• Read the text easily without zooming?
• Navigate the menu with one thumb?
• View project photos clearly?
• Fill out the contact form?
• Call your office with one tap (click-to-call phone number)?

If any of those are difficult, your site needs mobile optimisation. Most modern website builders (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix) are mobile-responsive by default—but custom themes or old sites might not be.

Quick win: Add a click-to-call phone number at the top of every page on mobile. Make it trivially easy for procurement directors to reach you.

Mistake #5: No Client Testimonials or Case Studies

Procurement directors are risk-averse. They want evidence that other clients have worked with you successfully. If your website has no testimonials, reviews, or case studies, they'll assume you have no happy clients.

What They Want to See:

• Specific testimonials: Not "Great service!" but "ABC Construction delivered our £3m school project 2 weeks early despite supply chain delays. Their site manager was excellent."
• Named clients (if permissible): "We've worked with Barratt Homes, Berkeley Group, and Countryside Partnerships" is more credible than "major housebuilders"
• Video testimonials: Even better—a 30-second video of a client talking about your professionalism
• Repeat clients: "Delivered 12 projects for this client over 5 years" signals trust

The Fix:

After completing projects, ask clients for testimonials. Use this email template:

"Hi [Name],

Thanks for working with us on [Project Name]. We're updating our website and wondering if you'd be happy to provide a short testimonial about the project?

Specifically, it would be helpful if you could mention:
• Whether we delivered on time/budget
• How our site team performed
• Whether you'd work with us again

Even 2-3 sentences would be brilliant. Let me know if you need any other info from our side."

Get 8-10 testimonials and rotate them on your homepage, project pages, and a dedicated Testimonials page. Include the client's name, company, and project type for credibility.

Bonus Mistake: Outdated "News" or "Blog" Section

If your website has a News section with the last post dated 2019, you've just signalled: "We're not actively trading." Procurement directors will assume you're struggling for work or have gone dormant.

The Fix:

Either:

• Update it monthly: Post project wins, completions, new hires, accreditation renewals
• Remove it entirely: Better to have no news section than an abandoned one

If you commit to a blog/news section, treat it like your Google Business Profile—post something every 2-4 weeks. Even basic updates like "Just won a £2.3m retail fit-out in Manchester" show you're active and winning work.

How Procurement Teams Evaluate Your Website

Understanding their mental checklist helps you prioritize fixes. Here's what procurement directors scan for in their 2-3 minute website visit:

First 30 Seconds (Homepage):

• Is it a construction/contractor website? (Clear from design/imagery)
• What do they specialise in? (Sectors, project types)
• Where do they operate? (Geographic coverage)
• Are they established? (Years trading, accreditation logos)

Next 60 Seconds (Project Portfolio):

• Do they have relevant experience? (Projects matching their tender)
• What scale of projects? (Values comparable to their contract)
• Quality of work? (Photos look professional and high-spec)

Final 30 Seconds (About/Contact):

• Who runs the business? (Meet the team, directors)
• How do I get in touch? (Phone, email, contact form)
• Are they accredited? (Certifications, memberships)

If your website doesn't answer these questions in 3 minutes, they're moving to the next shortlist candidate.

The ROI of Fixing These Mistakes

Here's what happens when you get your website right:

• Increased shortlist rate: Procurement directors who verify your capability online are more likely to score you highly
• Fewer clarification questions: Your portfolio and accreditations page answer their questions upfront
• Stronger tender scoring: When evaluators research you, they find evidence that reinforces your submission
• Inbound tender invitations: Procurement teams searching for "groundworks contractor Birmingham" find you and invite you to tender

Construction firms that optimise their websites report higher shortlist conversion rates and increased inbound tender opportunities. When procurement teams can quickly verify your capability, credibility, and track record, you're far more likely to make the final shortlist.

Quick-Fix Priority List

If you can only fix one thing this week, prioritize in this order:

1. Add a project portfolio page (8-12 projects with photos and specs) — 2-4 hours
2. Display accreditation logos (footer and dedicated page) — 1 hour
3. Test mobile experience and fix glaring issues (text size, navigation) — 1-2 hours
4. Compress images to improve load speed (run through TinyPNG) — 1 hour
5. Add 5 client testimonials (email past clients this week) — 2 hours

Total time investment: One working day. Potential return: Not losing £500k+ in tender opportunities to competitors with better websites.

Key Takeaways

1. Add a project portfolio with photos and specs — Procurement directors need visual proof of capability
2. Fix slow loading speed (under 3 seconds) — Compress images, upgrade hosting, enable caching
3. Display all certifications and accreditations — Make it easy for procurement teams to verify credentials
4. Ensure mobile-friendly experience — 45% of tender evaluators view your site on mobile devices
5. Include client testimonials and case studies — Social proof reduces perceived risk for procurement directors
6. Remove or update abandoned news sections — Old content signals inactivity and hurts credibility

Next Steps

Your website is losing you tender opportunities right now if it has these mistakes. Here's what to do this week:

1. Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights — identify speed issues
2. Test your site on mobile — note what's broken or difficult to use
3. Audit your project portfolio — do you have 8-12 recent projects with photos?
4. Check accreditations — are all logos displayed and up to date?
5. Email 5 recent clients — request testimonials this week

The firms winning tenders aren't necessarily the best contractors—they're the ones who make it easy for procurement directors to verify their capability, credibility, and professionalism. Your website is how you do that in 3 minutes.

Fix these 5 mistakes and you'll stop losing shortlist opportunities to competitors who simply have better digital presence. Need help? Our construction website building service creates conversion-optimised sites that win tenders, while our technical SEO guide and Google Business Profile optimisation ensure procurement teams actually find you when searching for contractors.