The verdict in three sentences
A bilingual or trilingual institutional website is delivered in 14 to 20 weeks in Rabat, provided content production starts in week 3 rather than after development. The leading cause of delay is not technical: content approval up the hierarchy accounts for about 35% of schedule slippage. For a fixed deadline such as an international forum, start from the go-live date, work backwards and keep two weeks of buffer before the event.
The model retroplanning, phase by phase
Phases overlap: content moves forward alongside UX and design, and testing starts in batches during development. Budgets are in MAD excluding tax (1 EUR is about 10.8 MAD).
| Phase | Duration | Weeks | Deliverables | Client approver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping and workshops | 2 weeks | W1 to W2 | Scoping note, sitemap, schedule | Secretary general |
| UX and journeys | 3 weeks | W3 to W5 | Wireframes, user journeys, accessibility mock-up | Communications |
| Visual design | 3 weeks | W5 to W8 | Web guidelines, 8 to 12 templates, design system | Steering committee |
| Development | 6 weeks | W8 to W14 | CMS, FR/AR/EN, RTL, forms | IT department |
| Content production | 4 weeks | W6 to W12 (parallel) | Copy, translations, media, PDF documents | Business units |
| Testing and accessibility | 2 weeks | W14 to W16 | Test plan, WCAG 2.1 AA audit, sign-off | IT and communications |
| Go-live and buffer | 2 to 4 weeks | W16 to W20 | Switchover, monitoring, training | Secretary general |
The critical path runs through design approval (W8) and delivery of translated content (W12). If either slips by a week, the whole launch slips by the same amount.
Budget by scope
| Scope | Timeline | 2026 budget (MAD excl. tax) | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 to 25 page site, FR/AR | 12 to 14 weeks | 250,000 to 330,000 | Regional institution |
| 30 to 50 page site, FR/AR/EN | 14 to 16 weeks | 330,000 to 420,000 | National public body |
| + document library and tenders | 16 to 18 weeks | 420,000 to 500,000 | Public agency |
| + authenticated user portal | 18 to 20 weeks | 500,000 to 600,000 | Office with citizen services |
| Security audit and penetration test | 1 to 2 weeks | 25,000 to 60,000 | Recommended for DGSSI |
| Annual maintenance | 12 months | 36,000 to 90,000 | All profiles |
Hosting in Morocco or on a compliant cloud, and the filing with the CNDP (Law 09-08 on personal data), must be planned at scoping: a late filing can block the launch of forms that collect personal data. For London-based partners or funders, this is the local equivalent of a UK GDPR assessment.
Bottlenecks and how to neutralise them
| Cause of delay | Share of observed delays | Average delay | Countermeasure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content approval up the hierarchy | 35% | 3 to 5 weeks | Two-level approval circuit max, 5 business-day deadline |
| Late Arabic and English translations | 20% | 2 to 3 weeks | Translator hired from W4, approved glossary |
| Design revision rounds | 15% | 1 to 3 weeks | 2 rounds included, single committee decision |
| Technical access (DNS, hosting) | 12% | 1 to 2 weeks | Access list requested in W1 |
| Public procurement and budget commitment | 10% | 2 to 6 weeks | Start the procedure before scoping |
| Bugs in testing | 8% | 1 week | Batch testing from W11 |
Mini case study
Mr Bennani, secretary general of a public institution in Rabat, must present the new website at an international forum on 15 May, attended by London-based investors. He works backwards: go-live by 1 May at the latest (two weeks of buffer), so scoping starts 18 weeks earlier, around 26 December. The budget is MAD 410,000 excl. tax (about EUR 38,000) for 40 pages in FR/AR/EN. By limiting the approval circuit to two signatories with a 5 business-day deadline, he avoids the usual 3 to 5 weeks of delay. His team estimates the cost of launching after the forum at about MAD 120,000 in printed materials and communications to redo. Discipline on approvals is therefore worth nearly 30% of the website budget.
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FAQ
Can an institutional website be delivered in under 12 weeks?
Yes for a reduced 15-page FR/AR scope with content already written, around MAD 250,000 excl. tax. Below 10 weeks, the accessibility audit and testing are usually sacrificed.
Why does content approval take so long?
Each department reviews its pages and leadership requests arbitration. Without a defined circuit, a text goes through 4 to 6 reviewers on average, adding 3 to 5 weeks.
Does right-to-left Arabic support extend the timeline?
Yes, by about 1 to 2 weeks in development and testing, and 10 to 15% on budget. Mirrored templates and optimised Arabic fonts must also be planned.
Who should lead the project on the institution's side?
An internal project lead available at least 30% of their time, with authority to approve. Without that role, decisions always escalate and each milestone takes an extra week.
Should I keep a buffer before the event?
Yes, at least two weeks between go-live and the forum. It absorbs post-launch fixes and search engine indexing, which takes 1 to 3 weeks.
Let's scope your project. Give us your deadline and scope: we build the retroplanning, the budget in MAD or EUR and the dedicated team. 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.
