The verdict in three sentences
An institutional website for a public body in Montreal should be budgeted at CAD 80,000 to 250,000 depending on document volume, languages and integrations. Procurement success is decided in the tender documents: measurable specifications (accessibility, performance, Canadian hosting, Law 25 privacy) prevent abnormally low bids and costly change orders. Plan 4 to 6 months of delivery and 12 months of maintenance inside the contract, or the site will degrade right after acceptance.
What budget to put in the procurement plan
Figures are 2026 orders of magnitude for Quebec agencies, municipalities and public corporations, before taxes.
| Scope | Indicative budget | Typical content | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional brochure site | CAD 80,000 to 120,000 | 20 to 40 pages, news, FR and EN, CMS | 3 to 4 months |
| Site + document portal | CAD 120,000 to 180,000 | Library of regulations, reports, search engine, 500 to 3,000 documents | 4 to 5 months |
| Site + online services | CAD 180,000 to 250,000 | Forms, case tracking, citizen account, online payment | 5 to 6 months |
| Content migration | CAD 15,000 to 35,000 | Import, cleanup and indexing of archives | Included |
| Staff training | CAD 5,000 to 12,000 | 2 to 4 sessions, user guide | End of project |
| 12-month maintenance | 10 to 20% of build cost | Fixes, security, backups, support | After acceptance |
Add a hosting line: CAD 6,000 to 24,000 per year depending on the option (government shared services, Canadian private host or sovereign cloud region in Canada).
Technical criteria to write into the tender
Vague tender documents attract bids that cannot be compared. Every requirement must be verifiable at acceptance. Procurement rules (thresholds, SEAO publication, complaint periods) come from Quebec's public contracts legislation and your own policies. The technical content is yours to write.
| Requirement | Measurable wording | Suggested weight |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Quebec web accessibility standard and WCAG 2.1 AA, audit delivered at acceptance | 10% |
| Performance | Load under 3 seconds on mobile, Lighthouse score above 85 | 10% |
| Hosting | Data hosted in Canada, daily backup, recovery in under 4 hours | 10% |
| Security | HTTPS, CSP headers, penetration test before launch | 10% |
| Privacy compliance | Law 25 compliance, privacy impact assessment where required | 5% |
| References and team | 3 public or institutional references, dedicated project manager | 25% |
| Methodology and schedule | Sprint plan, validation milestones, transition plan | 30% |
On the administrative side, bid security is usually set as a fixed amount or a small percentage of the estimate, and performance security around 5 to 10%. Also require transfer of rights on custom code and full source access at acceptance.
The most common pitfalls
Three mistakes recur in public digital contracts. The first is awarding to the lowest price without a quality threshold: set a minimum technical score, for example 70 out of 100, to eliminate unrealistic bids. The second is forgetting content production, while writing and approval by business units often take 6 to 8 weeks. The third is a proprietary CMS: require an open or widely documented solution so you do not depend on the incumbent at renewal.
Mini case study
Isabelle, procurement officer at a Quebec economic development agency in Montreal, is drafting tender documents for a FR and EN site with a document portal of 1,200 reports and a support request form.
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She estimates: CAD 140,000 for the build, CAD 25,000 for migration, CAD 10,000 for training, 15% maintenance or CAD 21,000, and CAD 12,000 for Canadian hosting in year 1. Total in the plan: CAD 208,000.
The agency currently handles 40 requests a month by email and phone, at about 45 minutes each. The online form with tracking cuts this to 15 minutes: 40 × 30 minutes = 20 staff hours freed per month, or 240 hours a year. At a loaded cost of CAD 65 per hour, that is CAD 15,600 a year.
FAQ
Which procedure applies to a CAD 200,000 website?
Above the public tender threshold for services, an open call for tenders published on SEAO is generally required. Confirm the applicable thresholds and trade agreements with your legal or procurement team before publishing.
Must data be hosted in Quebec or Canada?
Law 25 does not ban hosting outside Quebec, but transfers require a privacy assessment. Most public bodies require Canadian hosting, at CAD 6,000 to 24,000 a year depending on service levels.
How long does the procurement itself take?
From publication to award, allow 2 to 4 months depending on the procedure and any complaints. The 4 to 6 month build comes on top.
How do we avoid abnormally low bids?
Set a minimum technical score of 70 out of 100 and require a price breakdown by work package. A bid more than 30% below the estimate warrants a written justification request.
Can citizens pay online through the site?
Yes, for fees or paid services, with an integration budget of CAD 15,000 to 30,000. The merchant account must be in the agency's name and approved by finance.
Let's scope your project. Send us the functional scope, document volume and procurement calendar, and we will help you estimate the budget and a realistic timeline. 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.
