The verdict in three sentences
For a group of 800 employees across 12 sites, a custom collaborative intranet costs 400,000 to 900,000 MAD excl. VAT (about 37,000 to 83,000 EUR) in 2026, with a 5-month timeline. SharePoint, already included in most Microsoft 365 licences, is cheaper upfront, but it handles paperless HR requests, bilingual interfaces and field teams without a desk poorly. The right choice depends mostly on how many of your employees have no work email address.
In Amsterdam, development day rates run 2 to 3 times higher than in Rabat, so an equivalent project typically lands between 90,000 and 200,000 EUR excl. VAT. The structure of the decision is the same, and the figures below give you a reliable ratio.
What a group intranet includes in 2026
A useful intranet for a services group is more than a news feed. For an HR director, it must first cut the volume of requests handled by email, phone or paper: leave, employment certificates, salary certificates, address updates, expense claims. In an 800-person group, you see on average 2 to 3 HR requests per employee per month, close to 2,000 requests a month.
| Module | Scope | Share of budget (2026 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Directory and org chart | Employee profiles, search by site and role, payroll sync | 8 to 12 % |
| News and communication | News feed per site, notifications, management messages | 10 to 15 % |
| HR requests | Leave with approval flow, PDF certificates, request tracking | 25 to 30 % |
| Document space | Procedures, internal rules, templates, role-based rights | 10 to 15 % |
| Field mobile app | Phone-number login, notifications, requests from a smartphone | 15 to 20 % |
| Bilingual interface | Two-language UI and content, right-to-left support where needed | 8 to 10 % |
| Directory connection and security | Single sign-on, access logs, data protection compliance | 8 to 10 % |
Morocco's law 09-08 on personal data requires declaring processing to the CNDP; in the Netherlands, the GDPR and the Dutch Data Protection Authority play the same role. An intranet storing HR data must plan for this from the scoping stage.
SharePoint or custom: the costed comparison
If your group already holds Microsoft 365 Business Standard or E3 licences, SharePoint is included. The real cost lies in configuration, customisation and extra licences for field staff who don't have one.
| Criterion | SharePoint (Microsoft 365) | Custom intranet |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | 120,000 to 300,000 MAD excl. VAT (integrator) | 400,000 to 900,000 MAD excl. VAT |
| Field staff licences | 40 to 130 MAD (4 to 12 EUR) per user per month | No per-user licence |
| HR requests with approval flow | Possible via Power Automate, hard to maintain | Native, built around your rules |
| Bilingual interface | Decent, limited customisation | Complete, right-to-left handled |
| Access without work email | Difficult | Phone login with SMS code |
| Timeline | 2 to 3 months | 5 months |
| Annual maintenance | 15 to 20 % of project | 12 to 18 % of project |
The tipping point is simple: if 400 of your 800 employees work in the field without a Microsoft licence, equipping them costs 190,000 to 620,000 MAD a year. Over three years, custom becomes competitive or clearly cheaper.
A realistic 5-month plan
Month one is scoping: interviews with HR, internal communications and two or three site managers, an inventory of paper forms, hosting choice. Months 2 to 4 cover design and development in batches, with a demo every two weeks. Month 5 is a pilot on two sites, fixes and training for HR correspondents. A gradual rollout site by site limits the risk of rejection.
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Nadia, HR director of a services group in Rabat, handles 2,000 HR requests a month with a team of 6. Each request takes 12 minutes on average from receipt to reply, or 400 hours a month. With an intranet that generates certificates automatically and routes leave to the right manager, the average drops to 4 minutes, saving 267 hours a month. At 120 MAD per loaded hour, that is about 32,000 MAD a month, or 384,000 MAD a year. For a 650,000 MAD project, payback comes in 20 months, before counting the Microsoft licences avoided for 400 field staff.
FAQ
How much does a custom intranet for 800 employees cost?
Budget 400,000 to 900,000 MAD excl. VAT (37,000 to 83,000 EUR) in Rabat depending on modules and the mobile app. In Amsterdam, expect roughly 90,000 to 200,000 EUR for the same scope.
Isn't SharePoint enough if we already have Microsoft 365?
For office staff, SharePoint can be enough. The issue is field teams without licences: 4 to 12 EUR per person per month adds up quickly across 400 people.
Does a bilingual interface add much cost?
It accounts for 8 to 10 % of the budget when planned from day one. Adding it later often costs twice as much because layouts must be reworked.
Do we need to declare the intranet to a data authority?
Yes, as soon as employee personal data is processed: the CNDP in Morocco, the GDPR framework in the Netherlands. Allow 4 to 8 weeks for the Moroccan review, started during development.
What is the annual maintenance cost?
Plan for 12 to 18 % of the initial amount per year, covering hosting, fixes and small improvements.
Let's scope your project. Send us your list of HR forms and the number of field employees, and we will price an intranet fitted to your group with a 5-month 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.
