The verdict in three sentences
A 600-employee manufacturer that runs 250 supplier tenders a year by email loses traceability and leaves money on the table. A custom RFQ platform at 45,000 to 95,000 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 5 months, costs less over 5 years than an off-the-shelf e-sourcing licence at 25,000 to 60,000 EUR a year as soon as your processes go beyond the standard. Either way, the real payoff shows in purchase prices: 2 to 5 % on the spend put out to tender.
What an industrial RFQ platform must do
In Berlin and across German manufacturing, firms in automotive supply, machinery and precision engineering buy parts to drawing, subcontracting and services under strict quality requirements (IATF 16949, export control, drawing confidentiality). Market tools cover indirect spend well, technical tenders with drawings, variants and Q&A rounds less so. A custom platform must at least cover:
| Module | Function | Build cost (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier portal | Registration, qualification, certificates, NDAs signed online | 9,000 to 16,000 EUR |
| RFQ creation | Templates per category, lots, attached drawings, technical questionnaire | 8,000 to 15,000 EUR |
| Q&A and addenda | Fair distribution to all bidders, timestamped history | 4,000 to 8,000 EUR |
| Automatic bid comparison grid | Price, lead time, total cost (freight, tooling), weighted scoring | 9,000 to 20,000 EUR |
| Reverse auctions (optional) | Real-time price rounds on standard lots | 6,000 to 14,000 EUR |
| Approval and award workflow | Routing by amount, sourcing committee, award letters | 5,000 to 10,000 EUR |
| ERP connector (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, proALPHA) | Supplier and PO creation without retyping | 4,000 to 12,000 EUR |
A scope without auctions or an advanced connector starts at around 45,000 EUR. The top of the range includes auctions, an SAP connector and a savings dashboard.
Total cost over 5 years: custom or SaaS
E-sourcing licences are billed by number of buyers, modules and sometimes spend under management. For a team of 8 buyers, allow 25,000 to 60,000 EUR a year plus initial configuration. 2026 ballpark comparison, assuming a 70,000 EUR custom build and a 40,000 EUR yearly licence.
| Year | Custom (cumulative, excl. VAT) | E-sourcing SaaS (cumulative, excl. VAT) | Difference in favour of custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 84,000 EUR (build + 14,000 maintenance) | 52,000 EUR (12,000 setup + licence) | - 32,000 EUR |
| Year 2 | 98,000 EUR | 92,000 EUR | - 6,000 EUR |
| Year 3 | 112,000 EUR | 132,000 EUR | + 20,000 EUR |
| Year 4 | 126,000 EUR | 172,000 EUR | + 46,000 EUR |
| Year 5 | 140,000 EUR | 212,000 EUR | + 72,000 EUR |
| Ownership of code and data | Full | Licence agreement, export to negotiate | - |
The tipping point comes during year three. SaaS keeps the edge if you want to start in 6 weeks or if your tenders are highly standardised. Custom wins when confidential drawings, technical questionnaires and ERP integration matter more than generic features.
Where the purchase price savings come from
Structured competition produces savings because it widens the supplier panel, compares genuinely comparable bids and keeps a memory of prices. At a manufacturer of this size, observed savings vary by category.
| Spend category | Annual spend tendered | Average observed saving | Annual saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machining and parts to drawing | 9,000,000 EUR | 3 to 5 % | 270,000 to 450,000 EUR |
| Sheet metal and fabrication | 4,000,000 EUR | 2 to 4 % | 80,000 to 160,000 EUR |
| Surface treatments | 1,500,000 EUR | 2 to 3 % | 30,000 to 45,000 EUR |
| Freight and logistics | 2,500,000 EUR | 4 to 7 % | 100,000 to 175,000 EUR |
| Maintenance services | 2,000,000 EUR | 2 to 4 % | 40,000 to 80,000 EUR |
| Indirect spend (PPE, consumables) | 1,000,000 EUR | 5 to 8 % | 50,000 to 80,000 EUR |
Even taking the lower half of these ranges, savings far exceed the platform's cost in year one.
Mini case study
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Philipp, purchasing director at a 600-employee manufacturer near Berlin, leads 8 buyers and 250 tenders a year covering 20 million EUR of spend. Today each tender takes 9 buyer hours of emails, chasing and Excel comparisons. He invests 72,000 EUR excl. VAT in a custom platform.
The platform cuts time per tender to 4 hours: 250 x 5 hours = 1,250 hours freed, valued at 55 EUR fully loaded, or 68,750 EUR a year. On prices, a cautious 2 % saving on 20 million EUR is worth 400,000 EUR a year. Even crediting the tool with only a quarter of that saving (100,000 EUR), payback comes in under 6 months.
FAQ
How much does a custom RFQ platform cost?
Between 45,000 and 95,000 EUR excl. VAT depending on modules (supplier portal, comparison grid, auctions, ERP connector). Maintenance and hosting run at 12,000 to 18,000 EUR a year.
How long does implementation take?
About 5 months: 4 weeks of scoping with buyers, 14 weeks of development, then a 3-week pilot on 10 to 15 live tenders.
Will suppliers adopt the portal?
Yes, if registration takes under 10 minutes and they pay no licence. Expect 70 to 85 % of active suppliers registered after 6 months, with email and phone support at launch.
How are confidential drawings protected?
Per-supplier access after a signed NDA, named watermarks on PDFs, download logging and hosting in the EU. For export-controlled parts, plan clearance-based partitioning.
Can we start with SaaS and move to custom later?
Yes, if the contract guarantees a full export of tenders and suppliers. Negotiate this clause at signature: a clean data migration costs 3,000 to 8,000 EUR instead of weeks of retyping.
Let's scope your project. RFQ platform with supplier portal, comparison grid and ERP connector, indicative budget of 45,000 to 95,000 EUR excl. VAT, live in 5 months. 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.
