Reviews
Part of Seven England web agencies named, and identity checks to run before reputation
Web design agencies review methodology: how a verdict is reached
How an England web design agency review reaches a verdict: gates set in advance, pass, fail or unresolved results, published weights and a named next step.
A review verdict follows from gates written before any agency is examined. For each mandatory criterion the reviewer records pass, fail or unresolved, with source, owner and expiry, and the verdict names the next step. No agency has been tested or reviewed under this method, so no test results or agency findings appear here.
No qualified reviewer is yet assigned. Research was completed on 6 September 2026. It was unfunded desk work with no affiliate link, supplier access, gift or commercial relationship. No agency was contacted or used, and no website, service, reference or deliverable was tested. The publication verdict is hold.
The registers and regulators used in the method are Companies House, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
What to take away
- A mandatory criterion ends as pass, fail or unresolved, and unresolved is not a pass.
- A failed data, security, accessibility, rights or exit requirement is never averaged away.
- When optional criteria are scored, weights and calculations are published, with the effect of unknowns shown.
- The verdict names the next gatecontrolled test, documents, hold or reject.
Set the gates before the search
Write the mandatory gates before looking at any agency, so the result cannot shape the test. Name the legal entity, trading name, exact service, office or delivery geography and contract route. Describe the buyer's website task, users, data, platform, budget authority, delivery boundary and exit need.
The eligible universe might be every candidate found through declared searches that meets those mandatory fields. It is not "leading agencies" unless that term has an evidence-based definition. Record search strings, registers, supplier sites, directories, closing date, removals and reasons.
A regulator record can confirm identity and status, not service quality. A register result can support identity fields, but its disclaimer says filed information is not verified or validated merely because it appears on the register.
Evidence class sets the ceiling for a gate
Each statement gets one evidence class, and the class caps what it can prove. An official record proves the fact and scope it states. A first party page proves that the supplier made a dated statement. A permissioned reference gives that person's account within the question set.
An observed test shows what happened in the tested configuration. Editorial judgement is a bounded opinion, not an external fact.
For example, an England agency's service page states that it builds accessible sites to WCAG 2.2 AA. That page is a first party record, so it supports only the dated statement. An observed test or official record would be needed to support the claim itself.
Do not convert awards, testimonials or portfolio claims into independent outcomes. The Competition and Markets Authority's guidance for businesses and agencies says not to write or arrange fake reviews on behalf of clients. Qualified legal review must apply the current rules before publication.
Pass, fail or unresolved
Record one of three results for each mandatory criterion, with the source, an owner and an expiry date. A result is only as good as its evidence class and its date.
| Result | What it means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | The evidence meets the criterion within its expiry | The candidate moves to the next gate |
| Fail | The requirement is not met | Reject against the stated requirement |
| Unresolved | A document or test is missing or has expired | Hold, with the missing item, owner and recheck date recorded |
Unresolved is not a pass. It keeps the gate open and blocks preference scoring. If the expiry passes, the verdict returns to hold.
Do not average away a failed data, security, accessibility, rights or exit requirement. Score preferences only after mandatory gates pass. When optional criteria are scored, publish the weights and calculations and show how unknowns affect the result.
Put identical questions to every candidate
Issue one evidence schedule covering delivery, accessibility, privacy and PECR, security, intellectual property, claims, contract, support, continuity and exit. Use the same reply deadline and missing-data rule for every candidate, so an unanswered question counts the same way each time.
The NCSC's supplier assurance questions are questions to ask suppliers that help you gain confidence in their cyber security. Supplier answers still need evidence proportionate to the buyer's risk.
If hands-on work is authorised, publish the task script, synthetic or permissioned fixture, environment, date, assessor, expected result, actual output and limitations. The W3C's accessibility evaluation overview illustrates why scope, representative pages, evaluator expertise and reporting matter. It does not certify an agency or settle English law.
Name the next gate in the verdict
The verdict should name the next gate: proceed to controlled test, proceed subject to documents, hold for evidence, or reject against a stated requirement.
Recheck every time-sensitive record and name the reviewer before publication. A 2027 edition needs a fresh search and a new evidence cut-off; it inherits no conclusion from this desk protocol.
Before you act
- Write the mandatory gates before looking at any agency.
- Record search strings, registers, closing date and removals.
- Assign each statement one evidence class.
- Issue one evidence schedule with identical questions and deadline.
- Record pass, fail or unresolved for each mandatory criterion.
- Recheck time-sensitive records and name the reviewer before publication.
Common questions
What happens when mandatory criteria are unresolved?
Unresolved is not a pass. It keeps the gate open and blocks preference scoring. Record the missing document or test, the owner and a recheck date. If the expiry passes, the verdict returns to hold.
What does the register disclaimer say about filed information?
It warns that filing does not verify or validate content. Use it for registered name, number, status and filing dates. Treat accounts, officer details and addresses as filed statements. Cross-check time-sensitive entries on the day of publication.
Why can an optional score not rescue a failed criterion?
A failed data, security, accessibility, rights or exit requirement is not averaged away. Optional criteria are scored only after mandatory gates pass, with weights and calculations published and the effect of unknowns shown.
