Public Sector Website Tender in Dublin: Method and Budget

The verdict in three sentences

A public sector portal is won or lost in the specification far more than in the choice of supplier: a vague brief produces incomparable bids and costly change orders. For 45,000 residents, a budget of 40,000 to 90,000 EUR excl. VAT under a below-threshold procedure is realistic, with accessibility compliance and EU data hosting as non-negotiable requirements. Allow 6 to 9 months from publication to launch, and a scoring grid that rewards method as much as price.

Building the tender: thresholds, documents and calendar

The communications director of a local authority near Dublin is preparing the rebuild of a 300-page portal with events, a facilities directory, online services and mapping. The estimated value stays below the 2026 EU threshold of 216,000 EUR for sub-central authorities, which allows a national procedure. Above 25,000 EUR, Irish guidance expects the contract to be advertised on eTenders.

The total ranges from 6 months in a smooth scenario to 9 months if content is rewritten or approval goes through several committees.

Budget: what a 40,000 to 90,000 EUR envelope contains

The budget gap depends mainly on the number of online services connected to back-office software and the volume of content to migrate.

Under the EU Web Accessibility Directive, transposed in Ireland by S.I. 358/2020, public bodies must meet WCAG 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) and publish an accessibility statement, monitored by the National Disability Authority. High-assurance sovereign hosting is costly and only essential if the portal processes sensitive data; for an information portal with a few forms, an ISO 27001 certified host located in the EU is usually enough.

Scoring criteria and penalties that work

A balanced, standard weighting gives 40% to price, 45% to technical merit (methodology, accessibility, security, exit plan) and 15% to schedule and team. Ask for a mock-up of one template page in the bid, paid with an honorarium of 1,500 to 2,500 EUR if you require substantial work. On penalties, a common formula applies 1/3,000 of the contract value per calendar day of delay, capped at 10%, plus a specific penalty for each blocking accessibility failure found in the acceptance audit.

Mini case study

Aoife, communications director of a local authority serving 45,000 residents near Dublin, estimates that 2,400 requests per year (childcare registrations, hall bookings, road defect reports) are handled by phone or at the counter, at 12 minutes each. Moving them online frees 2,400 x 12 min = 480 staff hours per year, about 14,400 EUR at 30 EUR per loaded hour. On a portal costing 65,000 EUR amortized over 6 years (around 10,800 EUR per year), the productivity gain covers the investment, before counting fewer inbound calls.

FAQ

Do we need a formal EU tender for a 60,000 EUR portal?

No, a national procedure is enough below 216,000 EUR. Above 25,000 EUR, advertising on eTenders is expected under Irish procurement guidance.

Is accessibility really mandatory for a local authority?

Yes, all public bodies are covered. They must meet WCAG 2.1 AA and publish an accessibility statement reviewed at least once a year.

How long between publication and launch?

Plan for 6 to 9 months in total, including 14 to 22 weeks of build. Content migration is the first cause of slippage.

How do we avoid abnormally low bids?

Require a price breakdown in days per role. Any bid more than 30% below the average should trigger a written request for justification.

Who should own the code and hosting?

The authority, with an exit clause requiring handover of source code and data within 15 days at contract end.

Let's scope your project. We support public bodies from specification writing to launch of an accessible portal, for a budget of 45,000 to 85,000 EUR excl. VAT delivered in 5 to 7 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.