The verdict in three sentences
For an Austin outdoor furniture maker selling through 180 dealers with 350 SKUs, a B2B ordering portal costs roughly 30,000 to 120,000 USD and takes 3 to 6 months as a 2026 estimate. The quality of your brief drives the spread between quotes: without measurable requirements for dealer pricing, seasonal preorders and ERP sync, every vendor prices a different project. The template below can be completed in two or three internal workshops and lets you compare quotes line by line.
The brief template, ready to fill in
Each section carries a measurable requirement: a vendor must be able to say yes, no, or at what cost.
| Section | What you describe | Sample measurable requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Context and goals | Dealer count, share of revenue from preorders, current channels | 60 % of orders placed through the portal within 12 months |
| Users and permissions | Dealers, reps, customer service, management | 4 roles, several buyers per dealer account |
| Catalogue | 350 SKUs, collections, finishes, sets, spare parts | Product page with 6 images, dimensions, assembly PDF |
| Pricing | Dealer price tiers, volume breaks, free freight thresholds | Net prices shown per account in under 2 seconds |
| Seasonal preorders | Window from September to December, delivery January to March | Ship date chosen per line, allocation caps per collection |
| Ordering and payment | Minimum order, net terms, deposits | 2,000 USD minimum order, configurable per dealer |
| Sales tax | Resale certificates for tax exempt dealer purchases | Certificate stored per account, tax applied only when required |
| ERP sync | Customers, price lists, stock, orders, invoices with NetSuite, Dynamics or similar | Stock synced every 15 minutes, orders in real time |
| Logistics | LTL freight, pallets, delivery appointments | Pallet count calculated before checkout |
| Accessibility and security | Peak preorder load, authentication, WCAG 2.1 AA target | 100 concurrent users, MFA for admin accounts |
| Exit terms | Ownership of code, data and accounts | Source code delivered, full export within 10 business days |
On sales tax, store each dealer's resale certificate and follow the Texas Comptroller's guidance, plus the rules of every other state you ship to. On accessibility, a WCAG 2.1 AA target reduces ADA related exposure for public facing pages.
Budget and timeline by work package
| Work package | Scope | Budget (2026 market ballpark) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package 1: core | Dealer accounts, catalogue, dealer pricing, ordering | 15,000 to 45,000 USD | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Package 2: preorders | Seasonal windows, ship dates, allocation caps | 6,000 to 20,000 USD | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Package 3: ERP sync | Customers, price lists, stock, orders, invoices | 7,000 to 35,000 USD | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Package 4: logistics and documents | Pallets, delivery appointments, downloadable invoices and packing slips | 2,000 to 12,000 USD | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Acceptance testing and training | Pilot with 10 dealers, staff training | Included or 5 to 10 % of total | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Total | Full portal | 30,000 to 120,000 USD | 3 to 6 months |
For comparison, Kolonell's prices for a custom application are 6,100 to 10,670 EUR for a medium application and 10,670 to 22,870 EUR and up for a complex one (4,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA and up), with Premium maintenance at 183 EUR a month.
Acceptance criteria to write now
Acceptance testing turns requirements into tests. Write them before you go to market, one example per package is enough to start. A tier B dealer sees net prices, never list price. A preorder entered in October for a February ship date lands in the ERP with the right date. A stockout in the ERP shows on the portal within 15 minutes. An invoice issued in the ERP can be downloaded by the dealer the same day.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Jake, VP of sales at an Austin outdoor furniture maker, receives 180 preorder spreadsheets each season, each rekeyed in 50 minutes, so about 150 hours. Keying errors affect 3 % of orders at an average cost of 600 USD (return freight, goodwill credits), about 3,240 USD a season. With a 70,000 USD portal and 80 % of preorders entered by dealers, he saves about 120 hours at 45 USD loaded, so 5,400 USD, plus about 2,600 USD of avoided errors. Replenishment orders, twice as numerous, add similar savings: Jake estimates payback in about 3 years on internal costs alone, faster if dealers raise their average order because they see real time stock.
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FAQ
How much does a B2B ordering portal for 180 dealers cost?
As a 2026 market ballpark, 30,000 to 120,000 USD depending on pricing complexity, preorders and ERP sync. The ERP package often takes 25 to 30 % of the budget.
How long does it take?
3 to 6 months. To be live for a September preorder window, start vendor selection by February at the latest.
Custom build or off the shelf B2B platform?
A platform with B2B features works if pricing and preorders are standard. Custom development pays off when allocation caps and per line ship dates are central to how you sell.
How do we avoid budget overruns?
Freeze scope per package, ask for a fixed price per package and hold back 10 to 15 % of budget for post acceptance adjustments.
Will dealers actually use it?
As a ballpark, 50 to 80 % of dealers adopt it in the first season when reps onboard them and net prices are visible.
Let's scope your project. Send us your brief, even partly filled in, and we will price each package, set a week by week timeline and flag the ERP integration risks. 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.
