The verdict in three sentences
Dubai agencies answer a loose brief from an accounting and tax firm with quotes that can run from about AED 20,000 to 110,000 (roughly USD 5,400 to 30,000), mostly because Arabic, right-to-left layout and portal work are priced on guesswork. A one-page requirements table with your audiences, pages, languages, integrations, data protection rules and acceptance tests narrows that range and makes three quotes comparable. Send it well before your clients' busiest filing months, and keep the client portal, document exchange and any CRM link on separate lines.
What goes into the requirements table?
Fill in the middle column yourself; the right column tells each agency how to price it. Examples below are for a mid-size firm in Business Bay serving SMEs and free-zone companies.
| Requirement | Example answer | Status in the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Goals and audiences | SME owners, free-zone founders in JLT and Dubai Silicon Oasis, CFOs of groups registering for Corporate Tax and VAT | Must have |
| Pages and templates | Home, 8 service pages (Corporate Tax, VAT, bookkeeping, payroll, audit support, liquidation, free-zone setup support, advisory), team, insights, contact, legal | Must have, count templates |
| Content ownership | Partner writes technical notes, marketing edits, managing partner signs off any title or regulatory statement | Must have |
| Languages | English at launch; Arabic phase two; Hindi or Russian landing pages optional | Arabic and RTL on quote |
| Integrations | Link to the existing client portal; document upload tool; CRM form routing; booking calendar | Each one a separate line, complex ones on quote |
| Accessibility | WCAG 2.2 AA on templates, menus and forms, tested in English and Arabic | Must have |
| Data protection | Forms limited to name, company, email, phone, service needed; no Emirates ID, passport, TRN or bank details | Must have |
| Hosting and domain | Domain, hosting and CMS admin accounts registered to the firm | Must have |
| SEO migration | Current URLs exported (often 30 to 100), 301 map approved by the firm, Search Console checks for 6 weeks | Must have if a site exists |
| Acceptance criteria | Forms reach the right partner, redirects return 301, RTL pages pass a native reader check, regulatory wording signed off | Must have |
| Timeline and budget | Go-live target and a stated range, for example USD 5,000 to 10,000 | Must have |
On regulated wording: show Federal Tax Authority tax agent registration, or professional titles, only for the people and entities that actually hold them. Describe Corporate Tax (in force for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023) and VAT in general terms; the website is not the place for tax advice.
How does a loose brief distort Dubai quotes?
Figures are a 2026 ballpark from typical Dubai agency quotes, converted at the pegged rate of about AED 3.67 per US dollar and rounded.
| Topic | Loose brief: "bilingual site, portal, modern" | Requirements table |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic version | Priced from 0 to +100% depending on who translates | Phase two, RTL scope listed, translator named |
| Service pages | "Up to 20 pages" or unlimited | 8 service pages, 6 templates |
| Client portal | Ignored, or a custom build above AED 40,000 (USD 10,900) | Link to existing portal, any integration on quote |
| Forms | Generic contact form collecting anything | One enquiry form, 5 fields, no ID or TRN |
| Hosting | Agency-owned, renewal undefined | Firm-owned accounts |
| SEO | Not mentioned | URL export and 301 map required |
| Total quote range | AED 20,000 to 110,000 (USD 5,400 to 30,000) | AED 30,000 to 60,000 (USD 8,200 to 16,300) |
How do you compare three quotes without bias?
Here the scale runs from 0 to 10; weighted points = weight x score / 10. Agree the weights with your partners before opening the quotes.
| Criterion | Weight | Quote A, Dubai agency, AED 75,000 (USD 20,400) | Quote B, freelancer, AED 22,000 (USD 6,000) | Quote C, remote studio, USD 8,900 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches the requirements table | 30 | 9 (27) | 6 (18) | 8 (24) |
| Arabic and RTL handling | 15 | 9 (13.5) | 4 (6) | 7 (10.5) |
| Integrations on separate lines | 15 | 6 (9) | 4 (6) | 9 (13.5) |
| Data protection approach | 15 | 8 (12) | 4 (6) | 8 (12) |
| Ownership of domain and hosting | 10 | 6 (6) | 5 (5) | 9 (9) |
| Timeline and support | 15 | 8 (12) | 5 (7.5) | 7 (10.5) |
| Total | 100 | 79.5 | 48.5 | 79.5 |
A tie between A and C is common. Then decide on what the grid cannot price: if native Arabic copy produced in-house by the agency matters most, A earns its premium (about USD 257 per point against USD 112 for C). If the Arabic phase can wait, C costs less than half. B, at about USD 124 per point, leaves gaps in RTL and data protection.
How does the Kolonell grid read against the table?
The international offer has three fixed tiers in USD; everything outside them is a quoted line.
| Requirement | Starter, USD 2,900 | Growth, USD 4,900 | Premium, USD 8,900 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Languages | One | One | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, RTL scope set in the quote |
| Service pages | Compact | Full service range and insights | Full range per language |
| Copywriting | Native English | Native English | Native English; Arabic by a native translator (third-party cost) or your team |
| Portal, document exchange, CRM | On quote | On quote | On quote |
| SEO migration | Scoped in the quote | Scoped in the quote | Scoped in the quote |
| Delivery and support | 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, 3 months of support | Same | Same, maintenance afterwards on quote |
A project manager is reachable during Dubai business hours throughout.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example. Farah Haddad is a partner at "Creekside Ledger", a fictional twelve-person accounting firm in Business Bay. Her first loose brief returned three quotes: AED 22,000, AED 48,000 and AED 110,000 (about USD 6,000, 13,100 and 30,000).
She rewrites it as a requirements table: English first, Arabic in phase two, 8 service pages, portal linked rather than rebuilt, one 5-field form, 42 URLs to redirect, go-live in late spring.
- Local agency, precise brief: AED 45,000, about USD 12,250, Arabic included.
- Kolonell Growth for phase one: USD 4,900. Arabic phase two would move to Premium at USD 8,900 plus a native translator (third-party cost) and RTL scope on quote.
- Difference on phase one: 12,250 minus 4,900 = USD 7,350, which she weighs against having Arabic from day one.
FAQ
Which data protection law applies to our website forms?
Firms in the DIFC fall under the DIFC data protection regime; onshore firms fall under the UAE federal personal data law (Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021). In both cases, collect 5 or 6 fields at most and never an Emirates ID, passport, TRN or bank details. This is not legal advice.
Do we need Arabic at launch?
Not always. Many firms serving international SMEs launch in English and add Arabic within 3 to 6 months, which keeps the first quote smaller and the RTL work well tested.
Should the client portal be in the website price?
No: list it separately. Locally a custom portal can exceed AED 40,000 (about USD 10,900) on its own, which would bury the comparison of the site.
When should we go live?
Avoid the months before your clients' deadlines; for calendar-year companies the Corporate Tax return falls nine months after year end, so July to September is busy. Plan 6 weeks of monitoring after launch.
How long does the build take once the table is agreed?
With content ready, Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks. Most delays come from content approval, so name one partner as final approver.
Let's scope your project. Send us your requirements table, even half filled, and we will map it to a tier, list the lines on quote and confirm a 3 to 4 week delivery window. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.
