Contractor Portfolio — Past Performance That Closes Bids

A commercial portfolio isn't Instagram. It's a stack of one-page project sheets — each one a buyer name (with permission) or buyer type, project scope, dollar value, timeline, before/after photos, and a one-sentence result. 5–8 sheets total.

Store it as both a PDF (for bid attachments) and a public web page on your site (for buyers who Google you before opening the bid). See website examples for how our clients structure the portfolio section on their website.

Here's the exact template. Swap the placeholders and export to PDF:

Build 5–8 of these. Store the master versions in Google Docs. Clone per bid submission and reorder so the most-comparable projects appear first — the buyer decides after page 2, so lead with your closest-fit work.

Rules that separate a portfolio from a phone camera roll:

Same angle, before and after. Mark the spot, stand there twice. Buyers instantly dismiss photos taken from different angles as "cherry-picked."
Good light. Morning or golden hour. Never harsh midday shadows. Cloudy days actually shoot best.
Landscape orientation. Portfolios and websites are wider than they are tall.
Nothing in frame that shouldn't be there. No fingers, no truck bumpers, no logos of competitors, no license plates, no bystanders.
Shoot 3–5 per project. You'll pick the best two.

Your phone is fine. iPhone 12+ and any Pixel or Samsung from 2022+ shoot better photos than a $2K DSLR in the hands of someone who doesn't own one. Just stop shooting through your windshield.

A one-paragraph case study on your website carries more weight than 20 stock photos. Use this three-part formula — two sentences each:

Problem. What the buyer needed done and why it mattered. (Example: "A 240-unit community had failed 3 consecutive quarterly walks due to gum-stained sidewalks and stained dumpster pads.")
Approach. What you actually did. (Example: "We deployed hot-water surface cleaning with a citrus-based degreaser on flatwork and a hot-shot rinse on dumpster pads, on a monthly rotation with same-day photo reporting.")
Result. Measurable outcome. (Example: "Community passed the next three walk-throughs without a note. Contract renewed for year two with a portfolio expansion to two sister properties.")

Publish 3–5 of these on your website and one per bid submission. Every Attano website client gets a portfolio + case study section built from their existing projects — see website examples.

For most commercial work, sharing the scope and value range is fine without written permission. Sharing the buyer's name publicly requires permission — always ask, always in writing (an email reply is enough). Never share confidential financial details, security details, or floor plans.

If the buyer says no to attribution, use a description instead: "Class A office park, Center City Philadelphia, 220K sqft." Buyers who care about the reference will still recognize the project type and the caliber of client.

For public agency work: contract values are usually public record. You can reference agency name, contract number, and value without asking — it's already published.

Attach the portfolio in five places, minimum:

1. Every bid submission — as a PDF appendix behind your capability statement.
2. Your website — as a public /portfolio page, indexable by Google.
3. Vendor portal profiles — Compliance Depot, Net Vendor, RealPage all allow portfolio uploads.
4. LinkedIn — company page featured section, plus one carousel post per new project.
5. Outreach emails — attach 2–3 sheets when you introduce yourself to a new facility manager (see the intro email in commercial contracts 101).