The verdict in three sentences
In Lausanne, a website for an engineering and construction firm built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, between 12 000 and 40 000 CHF, more when the project includes a custom-built filterable project database or an extranet. Kolonell delivers the marketing and recruitment site (expertise, project sheets, careers, prequalification area) at a fixed price: 2 700 CHF, 4 500 CHF or 8 200 CHF, in 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth. The right comparison rests on the total cost over three years, on site photography (which a Vaud agency can organise and Kolonell does not do) and on how well the site supports a tender submission.
This version is written for the English-speaking partners and managers of engineering and construction firms in Lausanne, with the same figures as the French edition.
What do Lausanne agencies, French-speaking freelancers and Kolonell charge?
The ranges below are cautious orders of magnitude, not official rates. They draw on the public price lists of some agencies in French-speaking Switzerland, on the minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co profiles, on hourly rates published by Swiss digital agencies and on rates visible on Malt and Upwork. An engineering site weighs more than a typical SME site: many project sheets, heavy photo galleries, careers pages and prequalification documents.
| Criterion | Lausanne agency | Local freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build, 2026 order of magnitude | 12 000 to 40 000 CHF and more | 3 500 to 12 000 CHF | 2 700 CHF, 4 500 CHF or 8 200 CHF, fixed price |
| Out-of-scope changes | Often 120 to 200 CHF per hour | Often 80 to 130 CHF per hour | Quoted before any work |
| Usual timeline | 10 to 16 weeks | 6 to 12 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Site photography, drone | Often coordinated by the agency | Rarely | Not included: your photos or a local photographer |
| Copywriting of expertise pages | Sometimes included, often extra | Rarely | Native English or French included |
| Support after launch | Separate contract | Case by case | 3 months, 6 in Premium |
| Ownership of site and domain | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % on delivery. A project manager is reachable in your time zone: Google Meet calls at a time that suits the firm, a written update every week. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), one hour behind Lausanne in winter and two in summer. The plans are detailed in our international website offer.
Which three-year cost should you compare?
An engineering firm adds project references every quarter, posts job openings and updates its capability statements. The table follows a bilingual FR/EN scenario (Premium plan) and applies the same maintenance assumption on both sides, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted separately.
| Item over 36 months | Lausanne agency (mid-range) | Kolonell Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Bilingual FR/EN site build | 22 000 CHF | 8 200 CHF |
| Support included after launch | Depends on contract | 6 months included |
| Maintenance (same assumption) | 180 CHF per month over 30 months, so 5 400 CHF | 5 400 CHF, quoted separately |
| Adding 10 project sheets | 12 hours at 160 CHF, so 1 920 CHF | Quoted beforehand, assumption 1 200 CHF |
| Site photographer, 2 days | Coordinated by the agency, 3 000 CHF | Booked separately, 3 000 CHF |
| Indicative total | 32 320 CHF | 17 800 CHF |
These amounts structure the comparison. Ask every provider to fill in the same table with their own figures.
What does each Kolonell plan include for an engineering firm?
| Item | Starter 2 700 CHF | Growth 4 500 CHF | Premium 8 200 CHF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expertise pages | Main disciplines grouped | One page per discipline (structural, geotechnical, HVAC...) | Full structure by discipline and sector |
| Sectors served | One summary page | One page per sector | Sector pages linked to projects |
| Project sheets | Project gallery | Project sheets filterable by sector | Detailed sheets, optimised galleries |
| Careers | Recruitment page | Job openings and open applications | Full candidate journey |
| Tender area | Capability statement in PDF | Downloadable prequalification documents | Document area structured by contract type |
| Bilingual FR/EN version | No | No | Included |
| Timeline and support | 3 to 4 weeks, 3 months | 3 to 4 weeks, 3 months | Usually 4 to 6 weeks, 6 months |
A client portal, a site extranet, project tracking or an ERP or BIM integration are custom applications, quoted separately, as is ongoing SEO work.
What does a Lausanne engineering firm need online?
Greater Lausanne is going through a period of densification and renewal: mobility infrastructure, municipal school buildings, energy retrofits of the Vaud building stock, facilities for the universities. Clients are often public (municipalities, the canton) or institutional, and they look at the website before they even open the application file. French dominates, English serves the international and sports organisations of the region, German serves mandates in German-speaking Switzerland.
- Precisely described expertise: civil, structural, HVAC and plumbing, geotechnical, environmental, site supervision, SIA phases covered.
- References published with the client's consent; projects under NDA stay anonymised (type of structure, region, services).
- Real qualifications: engineers listed on the REG register, SIA members, ISO 9001, 14001 or 45001 certification only if the firm holds it, Minergie projects only if certified.
- A serious careers page: recruiting engineers is a major issue for Vaud firms, and candidates judge the firm by its website.
- Lightweight galleries: photos compressed for mobile, rights of site photographers checked.
On compliance, let us stay factual. Public procurement in Vaud follows the revised IVöB/AIMP and federal procurement the LMP/BöB, with notices on simap.ch: the website does not replace the submission, but it must confirm what the submission claims. Contact and application forms (CVs, cover letters) fall under the Swiss nFADP (nLPD), in force since 1 September 2023: clear notice, retention period, controlled hosting. WCAG 2.1 AA serves as the technical accessibility reference. This is not legal advice.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Which warning signs should you spot in a quote?
- A price without a page list, with no number of project sheets or languages.
- A domain registered in the agency's name instead of the firm's.
- Site photos reused without checking the rights of the photographer or the client's consent.
- An "extranet included" with no specification: it is an application in its own right.
- No thought about image weight, when galleries are often the heaviest part of an engineering site.
- A multi-year maintenance commitment with no way to take the site back.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Marc D., founding partner of a 12-person civil and structural engineering firm in Lausanne, must submit an application for a municipal contract in eight weeks and wants a bilingual site that supports his file. A local agency quotes 24 000 CHF, plus 3 000 CHF for photos, with delivery in 14 weeks. Kolonell proposes Premium at 8 200 CHF, usually delivered in 4 to 6 weeks, and Marc books a photographer himself for 3 000 CHF.
Build and photos: 27 000 CHF against 11 200 CHF, a 15 800 CHF gap. With the same hypothetical maintenance of 5 400 CHF on each side, the three-year total reaches 32 400 CHF against 16 600 CHF. The timeline matters as much as the price: only the second option meets the submission deadline.
FAQ
How much does an engineering firm website cost in Lausanne in 2026?
As an order of magnitude, 12 000 to 40 000 CHF with a local agency and 3 500 to 12 000 CHF with a freelancer. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 700 CHF, 4 500 CHF or 8 200 CHF depending on the plan.
Can Kolonell photograph our sites?
No, Kolonell does not shoot on location. You provide your images or book a Vaud photographer, often 1 200 to 1 800 CHF per day according to published rates, and we optimise the galleries.
Can the site be in French and English?
Yes, the bilingual FR/EN version is included in Premium at 8 200 CHF. A German version is supplied by the firm or quoted separately.
Can you build an extranet for our clients?
It is a custom application, quoted after a specification. The marketing site is delivered in 3 to 4 weeks independently of that work.
How is the project paid?
By bank transfer or Wise, in two 50 % instalments. For Growth, that means two payments of 2 250 CHF.
Let's scope your project. Send us your disciplines, five to ten publishable references and your hiring needs, and we will come back with a fixed-price plan and a 3 to 4 week timeline. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
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.
