A polished proposal can make two web designers look equally suitable. The useful differences often appear when you ask them to explain how your particular project will work.
Use this scorecard after an initial conversation with each provider. It gives you a consistent way to record evidence, unanswered questions and the commitments that need to appear in the quote.
The total is 100 points. It is a comparison aid, not a certification of a provider’s ability.
Choose a realistic example from your business. A service company might need an enquiry containing the job type, location and photographs. A retailer might need customers to choose delivery or collection without phoning the shop.
Explain that example to each designer. If you serve Portarlington, Mountmellick or other parts of Laois, describe your actual coverage rather than asking for a page for every town.
Ask each provider to show how their proposal would handle the same task.
Award up to five points for each item:
For each item, give zero when it is unanswered, one for a general assurance, three for a clear explanation and five when the commitment is recorded in the proposal. Use the same scoring approach throughout.
Assess five things on a relevant example: navigation, mobile readability, ease of contact, clarity of services or products, and the designer’s explanation of their contribution.
Award up to five points for each. Open the website yourself. A screenshot cannot show whether a form works or a mobile menu is usable.
Our portfolio is a starting point for discussing the work relevant to your project.
Score domain ownership, hosting access, WordPress access and handover guidance out of five each.
Ask which accounts are registered to you and which services the provider manages. If an agency licence is involved, clarify what happens to that licence if you move elsewhere.
A clear explanation is useful; written terms make the arrangement easier to rely on.
Give up to five points each for the plan to test customer actions, move the site into service and check it after launch.
For an existing website, ask how current URLs will be handled. For a shop, ask about payment and delivery tests. Confirm who checks that enquiries reach the correct inbox.
Score the explanation of recurring charges, support arrangements and maintenance responsibilities out of five each.
Record what is included, how to request help and which work is charged separately. Our maintenance plans give you a concrete service to compare against.
Compare the section scores before the totals. A strong design portfolio does not resolve unclear ownership, and a detailed proposal does not replace testing a real example.
Mark any essential requirement that remains unresolved. Clarify it before appointing a provider, regardless of the score.
If you would like to discuss how Istech would approach your brief, start with our Laois web design service or send us your requirements.
