The verdict in three sentences
For a port authority in a Rotterdam-style market, the corporate website is an operational tool as much as a showcase: shipowners, forwarders and shipping agents look for notices to mariners, port tariffs and press releases in several languages. A realistic budget sits between 120,000 and 250,000 EUR for 12 to 16 weeks of development, excluding hosting, with an editorial governance of 4 approval levels. The quality of the tender determines the quality of the site: a vague specification produces bids that cannot be compared and costly change orders.
The scope to describe in the specification
A good tender splits the project into priced lots. Each bidder answers line by line, which allows an objective comparison.
| Functional lot | Expected description | 2026 range (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Multilingual corporate core (EN/NL/DE) | 40-70 pages, templates, CMS with workflow | 35,000 - 60,000 |
| Notices to mariners | Time-stamped publishing, archive, email and SMS alerts | 12,000 - 25,000 |
| Port tariffs and regulations | Searchable tables, official PDFs, version history | 10,000 - 22,000 |
| Press area and media library | Releases, press kits, HD photos, accreditations | 8,000 - 18,000 |
| Procurement notices | Publishing, tender document downloads, award notices | 8,000 - 20,000 |
| Vessel movements (read only) | Port community system connection, read-only display | 20,000 - 60,000 |
| WCAG 2.1 AA audit | Audit, fixes, accessibility statement | 8,000 - 15,000 |
| Training and documentation | 3-5 editor sessions, guides | 4,000 - 10,000 |
The vessel movements lot is the one that can triple the budget: it depends on the API available from the port community system. Require bidders to price this lot separately, subject to a technical workshop.
Operating requirements: availability, security, hosting
99.9% availability allows about 8 h 45 of downtime a year. This level requires a CDN, permanent monitoring and a documented recovery plan. These requirements must appear in the tender rules, with proportionate penalties.
| Requirement | Recommended level | 2026 recurring cost (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting + CDN | 99.9% availability, EU points of presence | 800 - 2,000 / month |
| Monitoring | Alert within 5 min, 24/7 on-call | 600 - 1,500 / month |
| Backups | Daily, 30-day retention, quarterly restore test | Included or 150 - 400 / month |
| Security | CSP headers, WAF, annual penetration test | 8,000 - 20,000 / year |
| Corrective and evolutive maintenance | Critical fix within 4 h | 2,500 - 6,000 / month |
| Data compliance | GDPR, DPIA, processing register | 5,000 - 12,000 (initial) |
| Editorial governance | 4 approval levels: author, department head, legal, communications director | Included in CMS lot |
Budget 55,000 to 120,000 EUR a year for operations. Bids that propose shared hosting at 20 EUR a month will not meet the availability commitment.
Scoring criteria and timeline
A balanced scoring grid avoids picking the cheapest bid that ends in change orders. A common weighting for this type of contract: technical value 50% (methodology, port or public sector references, team), price 30%, timeline 10%, operating plan 10%. Typical calendar under EU procurement rules: 35 days of publication for an open procedure, 3 weeks of evaluation, a 10-day standstill period, then 12 to 16 weeks of build and 2 weeks of acceptance testing. Allow 6 to 7 months from publication to launch.
Mini case study
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Sanne, head of communications at a European port authority, prepares a tender with a ceiling of 200,000 EUR. She splits the contract into 8 lots and isolates the vessel movements lot. Result: 7 bids received, 5 comparable line by line, versus 3 in the previous single-lot tender. The winning bid comes in at 172,000 EUR, with 12,000 EUR reserved for the WCAG audit. Over 3 years, the total cost reaches 172,000 + (3 × 75,000) = 397,000 EUR, about 11,000 EUR a month for a site that replaces some 1,200 manual notice mailings a year and serves 40,000 monthly visitors.
FAQ
Can a multilingual port website be built for under 120,000 EUR?
Yes for an editorial site with no port system connection, between 60,000 and 100,000 EUR. Once notices and tariffs must be structured and archived, the budget exceeds 120,000 EUR.
Should the tender mandate a specific CMS?
Better to mandate requirements: a 4-level approval workflow, version history, roles per department. Let bidders propose a solution and justify its 5-year cost.
Is a WCAG 2.1 AA audit mandatory?
For EU public bodies, the Web Accessibility Directive makes accessibility compliance mandatory. Budget 8,000 to 15,000 EUR, fixes included if accessibility is planned from the design stage.
How do we avoid change orders?
Require a schedule of unit prices (development day, extra page, extra language). A development day sits around 750 to 1,100 EUR in 2026 in Northern Europe.
What launch timeline should we plan?
6 to 7 months from tender publication, including 12 to 16 weeks of development. Translation should start as soon as the mock-ups are approved.
Let's scope your project. We help you structure your specification into lots, estimate each lot and respond to your tender, for an indicative budget of 120,000 to 250,000 EUR and 12 to 16 weeks of build. 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.
