Procurement teams don’t care how beautiful your website is. They care about risk. If your marketing site can’t answer security, privacy, and compliance questions quickly, deals slow down or die.
This guide is a practical checklist for making your marketing site procurement‑ready without turning it into a legal document. It is not legal advice. It is a visibility guide to reduce friction with compliance teams.
Start with a risk mindset, not a design mindset
A procurement‑ready site makes risk obvious:
- What data you collect
- Where it is stored
- Who processes it
- How you protect it
- What standards you align with
That map is more important than design polish when legal and security teams are involved.
The minimum security proof you should publish
Most procurement teams start with baseline security expectations. OWASP’s Top 10 is the most common reference for web risks, and it is useful as a checklist to confirm you’re covering the basics. OWASP Top 10
You don’t need to publish all of your controls, but you should demonstrate that you address the basics:
- HTTPS and secure hosting
- Access control for admin tools
- Secure form handling
- Monitoring and incident response
If you want a framework for security posture, NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework is a widely used reference. NIST CSF
A simple way to reflect that on the site:
- A short security statement page
- A list of standard controls (without exposing internal details)
- A contact channel for security questions
Your security trust signals post can act as the public‑facing summary.
Privacy proof is about data handling, not legal jargon
A privacy policy is required, but procurement teams want to know how data flows through your systems.
If you serve EU clients, GDPR is the reference point. The legal text is published through EUR‑Lex. GDPR text
If you serve California clients, the Attorney General’s office provides the official CCPA materials. California Consumer Privacy Act
If you serve Australia, the OAIC provides the Privacy Act overview. Australian Privacy Act
You do not need to quote these laws. You need to show that your data handling is aligned with them. That means:
- A clear privacy policy
- A data processing summary (what you collect and why)
- A contact path for data requests
Your privacy policy and cookie consent guide should be linked from every relevant page.
Accessibility is a procurement issue now
Accessibility is not just an ethical issue. It is a compliance and procurement issue. WCAG is the standard that many regulations reference globally. The W3C’s WCAG 2.2 recommendation is the current reference. WCAG 2.2
If your site is not aligned with WCAG basics, you may fail procurement reviews for public sector or enterprise buyers. At minimum, document:
- Keyboard accessibility
- Color contrast and readability
- Form labeling and error states
If you need to improve, your website accessibility guide can help align the site before review.
Vendor transparency beats vague promises
Procurement teams often ask: who processes the data? If you use vendors like hosting, analytics, or email tools, list them. This can be a short “subprocessors” section in your privacy policy.
You don’t need to expose infrastructure details. You need to show awareness and accountability.
Even a short vendor list reduces back‑and‑forth and signals operational maturity for serious buyers today.
Show evidence without oversharing
Procurement teams want evidence, but they do not need your internal playbooks. A few lightweight signals can carry a lot of weight:
- A security statement that lists baseline controls
- A privacy policy that explains data categories and purposes
- A short compliance summary document you can share on request
If you have a formal security framework, mention it. If you do not, state the controls you implement. The difference is clarity, not perfection.
Data collection on marketing sites is still data collection
Even if your site is “just marketing,” forms and analytics still collect personal data. That makes your contact and brief forms part of the procurement review.
Make sure your forms explain:
- What data is required vs optional
- Why you collect it
- How long you keep it
Your lead form privacy notice can be reused for this. It keeps the language short and avoids legal noise.
Cookies and analytics: be explicit
If you run analytics, procurement will ask whether you require consent and how data is processed. Don’t hide this behind vague language.
Your cookie notice should explain:
- What types of cookies you use
- Whether they are essential or optional
- How users can change their choices
The cookie consent guide gives a structure that works across multiple regions.
Accessibility proof should be visible and updated
Many teams treat accessibility as a backlog item. Procurement treats it as a risk item. Even a short statement about your current WCAG alignment helps.
If you have completed an accessibility review, note the WCAG version and the date. If you haven’t, say what you are doing to improve it. Transparency is better than silence.
Prepare for security questionnaires
It’s common to receive a security questionnaire as part of procurement. If you already have a short response pack, the process goes faster.
A simple pack can include:
- Hosting provider and region
- Data retention policy summary
- Incident response contact
- Subprocessor list
You don’t need to publish the pack on your site, but you should be ready to share it quickly when asked.
Where to place procurement information on the site
Do not bury compliance information. Place it where procurement teams expect it:
- Privacy policy page
- Legal notice page (if required by your region)
- Security statement or trust page
- Footer links on every page
If you already have a legal notice, make sure it is accurate and current.
Certifications and claims: be precise
If you claim compliance or certification, make sure the statement is exact. “Aligned with” and “certified” are not the same. Procurement teams will ask for proof if you claim a certification you do not have.
If you are not certified, say what you do instead. For example, you can state that you follow OWASP guidance and regular security reviews without claiming a formal audit. Clear wording protects you and builds trust with risk teams.
Build a procurement readiness checklist
Here is a short checklist you can use internally:
- Security statement exists and is current
- Privacy policy includes data categories and purposes
- Cookie notice explains tracking and consent
- Accessibility basics are verified (WCAG alignment)
- Vendor list or subprocessor list is available
- Contact path for security and privacy questions is visible
This list keeps you honest without turning the site into a compliance wall.
Align the site with your sales process
Procurement readiness matters most in long sales cycles. If you want to reduce friction, make your compliance posture easy to find before the legal review begins.
That means connecting the dots across your site:
- Contact page for direct questions
- Project brief for serious buyers
- Business websites service for scope clarity
Procurement teams don’t need a sales pitch. They need confidence that the vendor understands risk and manages it well.
If you want a short review of your current compliance posture, send the links through the contact form and I’ll flag the gaps. A dry run now is cheaper than a stalled deal later.
