The verdict in three sentences
For a general contractor in Toronto, the corporate website works first for prequalification panels and owner procurement teams, who check certifications and project experience before shortlisting. In the GTA market, a site with 25 to 40 project profiles and drone imagery, health and safety, COR and ISO 9001/45001 pages and accessible design costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, CAD 35,000 to 90,000 over 8 to 12 weeks. Ongoing maintenance then runs CAD 300 to 1,200 a month depending on the vendor.
What owners check before shortlisting you
A procurement officer at a municipality, a school board or an infrastructure owner may receive fifteen prequalification submissions for one package. Before reading yours in detail, they search the company name. A site last refreshed in 2017, with no recent photos and no downloadable certificates, loses points before scoring starts. The sections below answer their questions in the order they ask them.
| Section | What the owner checks | Recommended format | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project profiles | Size, type and location of completed work | One page per project: value band, duration, owner, drone photos | Very high |
| Certifications | COR from IHSA, ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 | Downloadable PDFs with expiry dates | Very high |
| Health and safety | Lost-time injury rate, hours without incident, training | Dedicated page updated quarterly | High |
| Capacity | Bonding capacity, equipment fleet, self-perform trades | Table by category | High |
| Leadership and team | Project managers, superintendents, headcount | Simplified org chart and key figures | Medium |
| Offices and regions | Toronto head office, regional offices | Map and contacts | Medium |
| CCDC 11 readiness | Data matching the standard qualification statement | Downloadable summary | High |
The health and safety page deserves special care. Owners and construction managers expect precise safety metrics from contractors, and a published injury rate, even a modest one, builds more trust than a generic statement about safety culture. Project profiles should stay factual: scope, key quantities, schedule met or not, before and after photos.
The budget line by line
| Item | 2026 order of magnitude in the Toronto market | Timeline | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| UX and visual design | CAD 6,000 to 14,000 | 2 to 3 weeks | Existing brand or refresh |
| Development and CMS | CAD 14,000 to 36,000 | 4 to 6 weeks | Project pages filterable by sector and region |
| Writing 25 to 40 project profiles | CAD 6,000 to 16,000 | 3 to 5 weeks | Interviews with project managers |
| Drone photography | CAD 5,000 to 14,000 | 2 to 4 weeks | CAD 800 to 2,500 per site depending on access |
| AODA accessibility and French pages | CAD 4,000 to 10,000 | 2 weeks | WCAG compliance, bilingual key pages for federal work |
| Total project | CAD 35,000 to 90,000 | 8 to 12 weeks | |
| Maintenance and updates | CAD 300 to 1,200 a month | Ongoing | New projects, renewed certificates |
Ontario's AODA requires organisations with 50 or more employees to meet WCAG 2.0 AA on their public websites, so accessibility is not optional for a mid-sized contractor. Drone shoots need planning too: the pilot needs a Transport Canada certificate, and active sites often require the owner's written permission. Group flights by clusters of sites. At Kolonell, an institutional site of this kind is always priced on quote, after a scoping workshop; languages are set in the quote.
Mini case study
Daniel, President of a general contractor in Toronto, submits 20 bids a year and wins 15%, so 3 contracts. The average contract is CAD 6 million at a 5% net margin, or CAD 300,000 per contract.
His team spends 6 hours per submission gathering photos, certificates and project descriptions. With up-to-date profiles and downloadable certificates on the website, that drops to 2 hours: 4 hours × 20 bids = 80 hours saved a year. If a stronger presentation of past work wins one extra contract every two years, the effect is worth 300,000 / 2 = CAD 150,000 of margin a year as an estimate, for a site budgeted at CAD 70,000. Even with one extra win every five years, the investment pays off.
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FAQ
Can we publish contract values?
Yes, if the contract allows it and the owner agrees. A value band (for example CAD 5 to 10 million) is usually enough and reassures as much as an exact figure.
How many project profiles do we need at launch?
Twenty-five well-documented profiles are enough to start, covering each sector: institutional, commercial, civil, industrial. Add 1 to 2 a month afterwards.
Do we need French pages?
For federal work in the National Capital Region and some Ontario public owners, key French pages help. Projects, certifications and safety cover about 80% of what those reviewers read.
Is drone imagery essential?
Not for every project, but for the top 10 to 15 it shows scale better than any text. Count CAD 800 to 2,500 per site in the local market.
How do we keep the site current without a marketing team?
A CMS with a project profile form lets operations add a project in 20 minutes. Monthly maintenance covers review, certificate renewals and security.
Let's scope your project. Send us your project list and certifications, and we will scope the site structure, project profiles and an 8 to 12 week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
