The verdict in three sentences
A B2B supplier does not have to choose between selling online and protecting negotiated prices: a logged-in portal shows each customer only their own terms. The pricing engine (per customer, per volume, per contract) costs between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 excl. VAT depending on rule complexity and the quality of your ERP data. Done well, the project moves 25% of orders online in the first year and frees your sales reps from order entry.
How a negotiated pricing engine works
The principle is simple: no price is visible without logging in, and once logged in the buyer sees the price calculated for their account. The calculation follows a rule hierarchy you define with your sales leadership.
| Rule level | Concrete example | Calculation priority |
|---|---|---|
| Customer contract price | Nitrile gloves, box of 100, at EUR 6.40 for Clinic X | 1 (highest) |
| Customer group price | Public hospitals: 12% off consumables | 2 |
| Volume tiers | -5% from 50 cartons, -9% from 200 | 3 |
| Temporary promotion | -15% on blood pressure monitors in November | 4 |
| Public list price | Reference price, never shown without login | 5 |
| Quote-only price | Heavy equipment above EUR 5,000 | outside automatic calculation |
For quote-only products, the customer builds a cart, submits a request, and the sales rep is notified to approve or adjust the price within 24 to 48 h. The customer then accepts the quote in one click and it becomes an order.
Budget by complexity level
| Scope | Included features | 2026 budget (ballpark) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Logged-in portal, group prices, simple tiers, CSV price import | EUR 15,000 to 20,000 | 2.5 to 3 months |
| Standard | + per-customer prices synced with ERP, online quotes, sales approval | EUR 22,000 to 30,000 | 3 months |
| Advanced | + multi-buyer accounts, department budgets, annual contracts, punchout | EUR 32,000 to 40,000 | 3.5 to 4 months |
| Maintenance and evolutions | Hosting, fixes, small improvements | EUR 400 to 1,200/month | ongoing |
The main cost driver is ERP synchronisation. If your price lists are clean and exportable (Sage, Cegid, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP Business One), the connector costs EUR 4,000 to 8,000. If prices live in scattered spreadsheets owned by each sales rep, plan a 3 to 6 week consolidation phase before any coding starts.
What it takes to reach 25% online orders
The tool alone is not enough. Suppliers who hit that mark did three things: they offered repeat customers a pre-filled reorder list, they brought sales reps on board (commission kept on web orders from their portfolio) and they phoned their top 200 accounts to activate access. Without sales team buy-in, adoption often caps at 8% to 10%.
Mini case study
Isabelle, sales director at a medical equipment supplier in Nantes, manages 1,200 customers (clinics, practices, care homes) and processes 2,400 orders a month by email and phone, at about 12 minutes of entry each. She invests EUR 28,000 in a Standard portal. With 25% of orders online in year one, i.e. 600 orders a month, the team saves 600 x 12 min = 120 hours a month. At EUR 35 loaded hourly cost, that is EUR 4,200 a month, roughly EUR 50,000 a year. The project pays back in under 7 months, before counting fewer entry errors.
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FAQ
Can a competitor see our prices?
No. Prices only show after login, and every account is manually approved before activation. You can also hide certain products from certain groups, for example hospital-only SKUs.
Can we handle several buyers within one organisation?
Yes, at Advanced level. One customer account can have 5 to 50 users with roles (requester, approver) and a monthly budget per department, which matters for clinic groups.
What happens when a price changes in the ERP?
The connector syncs prices every 15 minutes or in real time depending on your ERP. The price shown is always the customer's current contract price.
How long does it take to launch the portal?
Allow 3 to 4 months for Standard or Advanced scope, including 3 to 4 weeks of testing with 20 pilot customers before general opening.
Will sales reps lose their commissions?
That is an internal policy choice. In most successful projects, web orders from a rep's portfolio stay commissionable, which turns reps into promoters of the portal.
Let's scope your project. Share your customer count, price list structure and ERP: we will quote a B2B portal between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 with a 3 to 4 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.
