The verdict in three sentences
For a pension and protection fund serving 60,000 members, a website rebuild costs 45,000 to 90,000 EUR excluding VAT depending on how rich the member area is, plus a WCAG 2.1 AA audit at 6,000 to 9,000 EUR and certified EU hosting at 400 to 900 EUR a month. The return shows up in the contact centre: 38 % of calls concern information that members could check online. An accessible site with a member area that answers those questions cuts that volume measurably in the first year.
What the budget covers by scope
The public site presents the fund, its benefits (income protection, disability, death in service, pensions), its governance and regulatory news. The member area is what moves the budget: simple document access, or real online services connected to the administration system.
| Scope | 2026 budget (EUR excl. VAT) | Timeline | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public site only, 40-60 pages | 30,000-45,000 | 3-4 months | benefits, news, FAQ, contact forms |
| Public site + read-only member area | 45,000-65,000 | 4-6 months | benefit statements, certificates, scheme documents |
| Public site + transactional member area | 65,000-90,000 | 6-8 months | claims submission, benefit tracking, secure messaging |
| Employer area (contributions, enrolment) | 15,000-30,000 optional | 2-3 months | managing enrolled staff, contribution schedules |
| WCAG 2.1 AA audit and accessibility statement | 6,000-9,000 | 3-4 weeks | sample audit, remediation plan, statement |
| ISO 27001 EU hosting | 400-900 per month | from go-live | managed service, backups, logging |
Certified hosting with strong access controls is essential once the member area handles health information, which is the case for income protection and disability claims. Health data is a special category under GDPR, and the Data Protection Officer must review each new online service with a data protection impact assessment.
Accessibility, an obligation with a price tag
Irish public bodies already fall under the EU Web Accessibility Directive, and since June 2025 the European Accessibility Act extends requirements to consumer financial services, with the harmonised standard EN 301 549 based on WCAG 2.1 AA. Pension providers serving the public are expected to meet the same bar, and the Pensions Authority increasingly looks at how clearly members can access their information.
| Commonly failed criterion | Frequency on protection and pension sites | Indicative fix cost |
|---|---|---|
| Forms without labels or clear error messages | very frequent | 2,000-5,000 EUR |
| Untagged PDFs (scheme booklets, statements) | very frequent | 1,500-6,000 EUR by volume |
| Insufficient colour contrast in the brand | frequent | 1,000-3,000 EUR |
| No keyboard navigation in the member area | frequent | 3,000-8,000 EUR |
| Videos without captions or transcripts | frequent | 300-800 EUR per video |
| Inaccessible captcha at login | occasional | 500-1,500 EUR |
Building accessibility in from design costs about 10 to 15 % of the development budget. Fixing it afterwards costs two to three times more, because components, templates and documents already produced must be reworked.
Mini case study
Siobhan, head of communications at a hypothetical pension and protection fund in Dublin, sees her contact centre handle 9,000 calls a month. 38 % of them, 3,420 calls, concern certificates, payment dates or documents to provide. If the member area absorbs half, 1,710 calls are avoided every month. At an average handled-call cost of 6 EUR, savings reach about 10,260 EUR a month, or 123,000 EUR a year. A 75,000 EUR project with 700 EUR a month of hosting pays back in under a year.
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FAQ
Do we need an audit if the site is designed accessible from the start?
Yes. An audit of a 15 to 25 page sample is needed to publish a reliable accessibility statement with a conformance level. Count 6,000 to 9,000 EUR depending on sample size.
Where should member data be hosted?
In the EU, with an ISO 27001 certified provider and encryption at rest. Choosing a European sovereign cloud adds protection against extraterritorial laws, for roughly 20 to 40 % more on hosting.
Should the member area use a government identity service?
It is not mandatory, but single sign-on or verified identity such as MyGovID reduces password reset requests, often 10 to 15 % of technical calls. Integration typically costs 3,000 to 6,000 EUR.
How long does a full rebuild take?
Count 6 to 8 months for a public site with a transactional member area, including 6 to 8 weeks of integration with the benefits administration system.
Can we launch the public site before the member area?
Yes, and it is recommended: the public site can go live in 3 to 4 months, then the member area follows in functional releases, spreading the budget over two financial years.
Let's scope your project. Share your member count, the services expected online and your hosting constraints: we will price the scope, the accessibility audit and a release 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.
