The verdict in three sentences
A public body handling 1,200 hires a year loses most of its time between the application deadline and the board decision, not in advertising roles. A custom portal linking candidates, interview boards and hiring departments to the HR system costs 60,000 to 120,000 EUR excl. VAT and pays for itself through a 30% drop in average time to hire. Two requirements are non-negotiable: accessibility under the EU Web Accessibility Directive (WCAG 2.1 AA) and EU-sovereign hosting for candidates' personal data.
Functional scope and cost
The portal serves three audiences: candidates who apply and track their file, boards who score online against a shared grid, and departments who declare vacancies and follow progress.
| Module | 2026 order of magnitude (excl. VAT) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery, journeys, HR workshops | 6,000 to 10,000 EUR | 4 weeks, 3 pilot departments |
| Candidate area (roles, upload, tracking) | 12,000 to 22,000 EUR | Account, documents, automated reminders |
| Board area (grids, scoring, minutes) | 10,000 to 20,000 EUR | Individual then consolidated scoring |
| Department area (vacancies, workflow) | 9,000 to 18,000 EUR | Line and budget approval |
| HR system connector (CoreHR, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday) | 8,000 to 20,000 EUR | Positions, staff, appointments |
| Accessibility audit and fixes | 5,000 to 10,000 EUR | Published accessibility statement |
| Security, QA, go-live | 10,000 to 20,000 EUR | Pen test, GDPR, training |
| Total | 60,000 to 120,000 EUR | Excluding hosting |
The HR connector explains most of the range: a system with a documented API costs half as much as a file exchange that needs hardening.
Hosting, compliance and public procurement
| Requirement | Option | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereign hosting | EU cloud with ISO 27001, data in Ireland | 600 to 1,500 EUR/month |
| Lighter hosting | Irish or EU managed host | 300 to 800 EUR/month |
| Initial WCAG audit | External auditor | 4,000 to 7,000 EUR |
| Data protection impact assessment | With the DPO | 2,000 to 4,000 EUR |
| Penetration test | Before launch | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR |
| Retention of applications | Defined with the DPO, typically 1 to 2 years | Automatic purge included |
Irish public procurement rules require advertising on eTenders above 25,000 EUR excl. VAT for services, and an EU-wide OJEU notice above the EU threshold for sub-central bodies. A single lot covering portal and connector reduces interface risk between suppliers. Public sector portals fall under our institutional practice, always quoted on request.
Where the 30% time-to-hire gain comes from
The gain does not come from online advertising, which most bodies already do through publicjobs.ie or their own site. It comes from three mechanisms: automatic shortlisting on eligibility criteria (qualifications, grade, licence), online board scoring without a consolidation meeting, and automatic reminders to departments slow to approve. On a 90-day average, the body can target 63 days.
Writing a tender that holds up
The tender should describe measurable outcomes rather than a list of screens: annual hires (1,200), number of boards running in parallel, target time to hire (63 days), WCAG conformance level and data retention period. Ask bidders to price the HR system connector as a separate line, because it is the most uncertain item, and to state which API version of your HR platform they will use. Request a reference from a comparable public body and a demo on your own sample data rather than a generic product tour. Include a reversibility clause: at the end of the contract, the body must be able to export every application, score and board minute in an open format such as CSV or JSON, with documentation. Finally, set service levels in writing: 99.5% availability during campaign peaks and a 4-hour response time for blocking incidents.
Mini case study
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Aoife, HR director of a Dublin public body with 9,000 staff, runs 1,200 hires a year with a 90-day average. Each day a post stays vacant costs about 130 EUR on average (overtime, agency staff, service delays).
A 27-day gain per hire: 1,200 x 27 x 130 = 4,212,000 EUR of avoided vacancy cost per year, a theoretical figure she divides by ten to stay prudent, i.e. 421,200 EUR. Add 0.5 FTE of HR administrator time freed (around 25,000 EUR). For a 95,000 EUR portal and 12,000 EUR of annual hosting, payback comes in under four months even on the prudent assumption.
FAQ
Does the portal replace publicjobs.ie?
No, it complements it: some roles stay advertised on the national platform while the portal handles applications and boards for the body's own competitions. A publishing feed costs 2,000 to 4,000 EUR.
Is sovereign hosting mandatory?
Not always, but strongly recommended for HR data, with data kept in Ireland or the EU. Expect 600 to 1,500 EUR per month for a certified provider.
How long until launch?
Plan 5 to 6 months of delivery plus 2 to 3 months of procurement. A phased launch with 3 pilot departments de-risks go-live.
How do we meet accessibility requirements?
An audit of 15 to 20 representative pages, fixes, and a published accessibility statement. Aim for over 75% WCAG 2.1 AA conformance at launch.
Can external board members score online?
Yes, through temporary access secured with two-factor authentication, limited to the competition's files. Board minutes are generated automatically.
Let's scope your project. We define the candidate, board and department scope, the HR connector and a 5 to 6 month plan aligned with your procurement process. 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.
