The verdict in three sentences
A municipal portal that genuinely serves residents costs roughly EUR 60,000 to EUR 180,000 excluding VAT in 2026, depending on how many services go online and how deeply they integrate with back-office systems (in West Africa, the same scope runs 8,000,000 to 25,000,000 FCFA). The build is only part of the bill: hosting, maintenance at 10 to 15 % a year and staff training weigh just as much over five years. A tender split into clear lots, with a code ownership and exit clause, protects the council far more than a low price.
Splitting the tender into lots
The most common mistake is a single contract called "website build". Bids then become impossible to compare: one supplier prices a brochure site, another a full e-services platform. Splitting into lots clarifies scope and lets the council award each lot to the strongest bidder.
| Lot | Scope | Indicative 2026 budget (EUR excl. VAT) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1: discovery and design | Information architecture, wireframes, accessibility, visual identity | 10,000 to 28,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Lot 2: portal build | CMS, news, events, service directory, search | 22,000 to 60,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Lot 3: online services | Certificate requests, appointment booking, case tracking | 15,000 to 60,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Lot 4: budget transparency | Budget visualisation, council minutes, published contracts | 6,000 to 18,000 | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Lot 5: training and support | 4 to 8 content editors, editorial guide, 3 months of support | 3,000 to 9,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Lot 6: hosting and maintenance | EU hosting, backups, security patching | 800 to 2,500 per month | 12 to 36 months |
For a mid-sized council, lots 1, 2, 4 and 5 form a realistic baseline around EUR 60,000 to 90,000. The online services in lot 3 push the total to EUR 150,000 to 180,000 as soon as staff need a case-handling back office and residents get SMS or email notifications.
Scoring criteria and traps to avoid
The scoring grid should reward the ability to deliver and hand over, not just price. A common weighting for public digital service contracts looks like this.
| Criterion | Suggested weight | What the bid must contain |
|---|---|---|
| Technical merit and methodology | 35 % | Detailed plan, architecture, test plan |
| Public sector references | 15 % | At least 2 live public or semi-public sites |
| Proposed team | 10 % | CVs of the project lead and lead developer |
| Accessibility and mobile performance | 10 % | Target Lighthouse score, WCAG 2.1 AA commitment |
| Exit plan and code ownership | 10 % | Assignment of rights, source code escrow, documentation |
| Price | 20 % | Breakdown per lot and yearly maintenance cost |
Three traps come up again and again in municipal tenders:
- Proprietary code that is never assigned. If the supplier keeps ownership of the CMS or code, the council is locked in. Require assignment of economic rights and a code repository owned by the council.
- Hosting without an exit path. Require a full export of content and database, plus 30 days of assistance if the council changes supplier.
- Forgotten maintenance. Corrective and evolutive maintenance costs 10 to 15 % of the build price a year. With no budget line, the site decays within 18 months.
On hosting, the 2026 trend for Irish public bodies is EU-located infrastructure with clear GDPR processing terms, at roughly EUR 800 to 2,500 per month for a portal with online services, daily backups and monitoring.
Total cost over five years
Councils rarely vote five-year budgets, yet that is the horizon that matters. For a EUR 90,000 portal, maintenance at 12 % adds EUR 10,800 a year and hosting at EUR 1,100 a month adds EUR 13,200 a year. Over five years the full cost reaches about EUR 210,000, more than twice the build price. Putting this figure in front of members at approval stage avoids surprises at renewal.
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Mini case study
Aoife, head of digital services at a coastal county council, is preparing a tender for a portal with news, certificate requests and budget transparency. She retains lots 1 to 5 for EUR 105,000 excluding VAT and hosting at EUR 1,300 a month. Today the front desk handles 1,200 certificate requests a month at 15 minutes each. If 40 % move online with handling cut to 5 minutes, the council saves 480 requests × 10 minutes, or 80 staff hours a month, half a role redeployed to complex cases. Residents also avoid a trip worth roughly EUR 8 each in travel and time, close to EUR 3,800 a month returned to households.
FAQ
What is the minimum budget for a council website in 2026?
A well-built information portal starts around EUR 60,000 excluding VAT. With online services and a staff back office, plan for EUR 120,000 to 180,000.
How long does a municipal portal project take?
Allow 3 to 5 months from contract award to launch, excluding the procurement period itself. Content drafting by departments is usually what delays the project most.
Does the site have to be hosted in Ireland?
Not always, but EU hosting with clear data processing terms simplifies GDPR compliance for residents' personal data. Expect EUR 800 to 2,500 a month depending on the service level.
How many staff should be trained?
Plan for 4 to 8 content editors across communications, civil registration and technical services. Two days of training are enough to publish independently, backed by a written editorial guide.
How do we secure a clean exit from the contract?
Write into the contract an assignment of rights on the code, a repository owned by the council and a full data export. Thirty days of handover assistance at contract end secures the switch to another supplier.
Let's scope your project. Kolonell helps you draft the lot structure and price a municipal portal, from EUR 60,000 to 180,000 excluding VAT, delivered in 3 to 5 months with staff training. 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.