The verdict in three sentences
A local authority website redesign in France costs €25,000 to €70,000 excl. VAT over 4 years in 2026, maintenance included, which stays below EU thresholds and allows the adapted procedure (MAPA). The quality of the bids you receive depends almost entirely on the precision of the technical specification (CCTP): volume, online services, connectors and expected accessibility level. A price weighting above 40% attracts low bids that recover their margin through amendments.
Observed 2026 prices by scope
Orders of magnitude from published notices (BOAMP, buyer profiles) for authorities of 20,000 to 80,000 residents. All amounts excl. VAT.
| Scope | Build | Annual maintenance | 4-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Showcase site 60 to 100 pages, open source CMS | €18,000 to €28,000 | €2,000 to €4,000 | €26,000 to €44,000 |
| + events calendar, associations directory, interactive map | €25,000 to €38,000 | €3,000 to €5,000 | €37,000 to €58,000 |
| + online services and citizen CRM connector | €32,000 to €48,000 | €4,000 to €6,000 | €48,000 to €72,000 |
| External initial RGAA audit | €2,500 to €5,000 | n/a | €2,500 to €5,000 |
| Sovereign hosting | included or €1,200 to €3,000 a year | €4,800 to €12,000 | |
| Content migration (300 to 800 pages) | €3,000 to €8,000 | n/a | €3,000 to €8,000 |
Above €40,000, advertising on a suitable medium is mandatory; above €90,000, in the BOAMP or a legal notices journal.
Award criteria: the weighting that works
| Criterion | Recommended weight | Sub-criteria to score |
|---|---|---|
| Technical merit | 40 to 50% | architecture, CMS, accessibility, security, reversibility |
| Price | 30 to 40% | build, maintenance, unit price schedule |
| Methodology and schedule | 10 to 15% | workshops, acceptance testing, editor training |
| RGAA accessibility | 5 to 10% | compliance commitment, audit, statement |
| Sustainability | 5% | page weight, RGESN eco-design, hosting |
Score price on a costed order scenario (build + 4 years of maintenance + 10 days of changes), not just the lump sum: that is where abnormally low bids show up.
Obligations to put in writing
RGAA 4.1 applies to all French local authorities: the accessibility statement, the multi-year plan and the footer mention "Accessibility: not, partially or fully compliant" are enforceable, with a possible penalty of €50,000 per non-compliant service. Also require an open source CMS or exportable data, assignment of rights on custom developments, hosting in France or the EU, and RGESN eco-design compliance.
The three costliest specification traps: no volume figures ("migration of existing content" with no page count), unlisted online services, and maintenance without a price schedule, which opens the door to amendments of 15 to 25% of the initial contract.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mr Lefèvre, communications director of an inter-municipal authority of 45,000 residents, launches a tender at €55,000 over 4 years. First specification without volume figures: bids range 1 to 3, from €21,000 to €64,000. After adding 450 pages to migrate, 6 listed online services and a maintenance price schedule, the second round receives 5 bids between €46,000 and €58,000. The winner at €51,000 avoids amendments: the forecast budget holds within 2% over two years.
FAQ
Is a MAPA enough for a local authority website?
Yes, as long as the estimated value over the full term stays below €221,000 excl. VAT for local authorities in 2026. Nearly all inter-municipal website redesigns qualify.
Should you mandate a specific CMS?
No, it restricts competition. Require instead a maintained open source CMS, content export in an open format and delivery of the code for custom developments.
How long does a redesign take?
Allow 2 to 3 months of tendering then 5 to 8 months of delivery for an inter-municipal site with online services, acceptance testing and training for 10 to 30 editors.
How do you assess an abnormally low bid?
A bid more than 30% below the average justifies a written request for clarification. Check the number of days allocated and the implied day rate.
Does RGAA also cover published PDFs?
Yes, downloadable documents are in scope. Budget €1,500 to €4,000 to make the 20 to 50 most viewed documents accessible.
Let's scope your project. We help you scope the need before tendering, then bid on public website redesign MAPAs (RGAA 4.1, EU hosting, 4-year maintenance) with budgets of €30,000 to €70,000 excl. VAT. 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.
