The verdict in three sentences
For an Irish public body in Dublin (port, agency or state board) rebuilding its website on EU-sovereign cloud hosting, the build costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, EUR 60,000 to 140,000 excluding VAT, and sovereign hosting EUR 800 to 2,000 a month. Accessibility under the EU Web Accessibility Directive and the EN 301 549 standard is a legal obligation, and the gov.ie design guidance is strongly advised, which weighs on design and testing. The schedule is decided before the first line of code: allow 3 to 4 months of procurement between drafting the tender and awarding the contract.
What the build costs, lot by lot
The budget depends mainly on the number of templates, content to migrate, online services and connections to back-office systems. Here is a typical breakdown for a site of 300 to 800 pages.
| Lot | Low range | High range |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery, user workshops and information architecture | EUR 6,000 | EUR 12,000 |
| Design aligned with government guidance and accessible mock-ups | EUR 8,000 | EUR 18,000 |
| CMS development and templates | EUR 18,000 | EUR 42,000 |
| Content migration and rewriting | EUR 8,000 | EUR 20,000 |
| Forms and online services | EUR 6,000 | EUR 18,000 |
| System connections (directory, document management, open data) | EUR 5,000 | EUR 14,000 |
| Accessibility audit, statement and fixes | EUR 5,000 | EUR 9,000 |
| Acceptance testing, security and go-live | EUR 4,000 | EUR 7,000 |
| Total | EUR 60,000 | EUR 140,000 |
An independent accessibility audit on a sample of pages costs EUR 3,000 to 6,000 on its own. Publishing it with an accessibility statement and a feedback mechanism is required by the Irish regulations transposing the directive, and the National Disability Authority monitors compliance.
Sovereign cloud or standard hosting: what changes
Ireland has no direct equivalent of France's SecNumCloud label, but public bodies increasingly require hosting by EU-headquartered providers, data residency in the EU and alignment with NIS2 and the forthcoming EU cloud certification scheme. It is not required for every public website, but it becomes the reference as soon as sensitive data is involved.
| Criterion | Standard hosting in Ireland | EU-sovereign hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost for this site (2026 order of magnitude) | EUR 200 to 600 | EUR 800 to 2,000 |
| Protection from extraterritorial laws | Not guaranteed | Contractual and structural requirement |
| Independent security audit | Variable | Audited certification and renewal |
| Managed service catalogue | Broad | Narrower |
| Suitable for sensitive data and online services | Case by case | Yes |
| Provisioning time | A few days | 2 to 6 weeks |
The annual premium, EUR 7,000 to 17,000, is justified if the site hosts online services with personal data, a partner extranet or sensitive operational data. For a purely editorial site, standard EU hosting may be enough, provided the choice is documented in the file.
The procurement timeline
A website rebuild usually exceeds the national advertising threshold and can approach the EU threshold for sub-central bodies, about EUR 216,000 excluding VAT for 2026-2027. Over 4 years including maintenance and hosting, the total estimate must be calculated honestly to choose the right procedure on eTenders.
| Step | Indicative duration | Watch point |
|---|---|---|
| Market sounding and tender specification | 4 to 6 weeks | Explicit accessibility, design and hosting requirements |
| Publication and bid submission | 4 to 5 weeks | Anticipate bidder clarifications |
| Evaluation and presentations | 2 to 3 weeks | Weighted price and quality grid |
| Award and standstill period | 2 to 3 weeks | Respect the standstill if above threshold |
| Delivery | 5 to 8 months | Accessibility testing before go-live |
For public buyers in West Africa, Kolonell offers this same support on its institutional websites, always on quotation, with tender specification, accessibility and hosting aligned with Senegal's Law 2008-12 on personal data.
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Mini case study
Aoife, head of digital at a state agency in Dublin (fictional profile), estimates the build at EUR 100,000 and sovereign hosting at EUR 1,400 a month. Over 4 years, hosting comes to EUR 67,200 and application maintenance to EUR 18,000 a year, i.e. EUR 72,000. The total contract value reaches EUR 239,200, above the EU threshold: an open EU procedure is required, and the plan must allow 4 months before award. With standard hosting at EUR 400 a month, the total would be EUR 191,200, a EUR 48,000 gap over 4 years, to weigh against the sensitivity of the online services hosted.
FAQ
Is the government design guidance mandatory for a public body?
It is expected for central government sites and strongly advised for agencies. Adopting it cuts custom design effort by 20 to 30 % and makes accessibility compliance easier.
How much does an accessibility audit cost?
Allow EUR 3,000 to 6,000 for a representative sample of 15 to 25 pages. The follow-up audit after fixes costs EUR 1,000 to 2,000.
Can we keep an open source CMS on sovereign hosting?
Yes, the certification covers the provider's infrastructure, not the CMS. You must still check that the managed services used (database, backups) are within the certified scope.
How long between award and go-live?
For 300 to 800 pages, plan 5 to 8 months. Content migration and rewriting often account for 30 % of the timeline.
Should hosting be a separate contract?
Not necessarily: a hosting lot in the same contract simplifies coordination. A separate contract lets you change host without retendering maintenance, at the cost of 4 to 6 extra weeks of procurement.
Let's scope your project. Share your scope, hosting constraints and procurement calendar: we prepare a costed estimate, an indicative budget and a realistic schedule. 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.
