The verdict in three sentences
A corporate banking website costs EUR 38,000 to 91,500 in 2026 (FCFA 25 to 60 million for the same scope in Abidjan), over 16 to 24 weeks. The quality of the RFP decides everything: a vague document produces bids you cannot compare, with gaps of 1 to 3 between vendors. It must lock five blocks: calculators, financial disclosures and regulatory compliance, security (pentest), 99.9% availability and a 3-level approval workflow.
The functional blocks to specify, with their budget weight
A regional bank does not publish like an SME. Every rate page, press release and financial document commits the institution to its regulator (the PRA and FCA in London, the BCEAO in West Africa) and to investors.
| Functional block | Indicative 2026 budget (EUR) | What the RFP must require |
|---|---|---|
| Design, UX and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility | 6,100 - 13,700 | Brand guidelines, accessibility audit included |
| EN/FR site, 40 to 80 pages, headless CMS | 10,700 - 22,900 | Retail, SME, corporate, institutional templates |
| Calculators (loan, savings, FX) | 4,600 - 12,200 | Formulas signed off by the risk department |
| Financial disclosures and IR area | 3,800 - 9,100 | Annual reports, Pillar 3, tariffs, 5-year archive |
| 3-level approval workflow | 3,000 - 7,600 | Editor, compliance, communications director |
| Penetration test and security audit | 4,600 - 9,100 | Pre-launch tests and retest |
| 99.9% SLA hosting + CDN + WAF | 5,300 - 16,800 | 12 months, 24/7 monitoring |
| Total | 38,000 - 91,500 | 2026 order of magnitude |
Non-functional requirements: where bids really diverge
Serious vendors price these requirements, others ignore them and bill them later as change requests. Write them down with measurable thresholds.
| Requirement | Threshold to state | Verification method |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 99.9% monthly (about 43 min max downtime) | Independent monitoring report |
| Mobile performance | LCP < 2.5 s on 4G | CrUX data over 28 days |
| Security | Zero critical or high vulnerabilities at go-live | Pentest report + retest |
| Security headers | CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options | Automated scan |
| Backups | Daily, 30-day retention, restore < 4 h | Quarterly restore test |
| Personal data | UK GDPR (or local data protection law) | Record of processing, notices |
| Editorial traceability | 5-year version history | CMS audit log |
The 3-level workflow deserves its own paragraph: editor, then compliance approval, then communications director, with scheduled publishing and documented rejections. Without it, a wrong rate sheet can stay online for days, with real regulatory exposure.
Typical timeline and RFP scoring grid
Allow 3 weeks of consultation, 2 weeks of evaluation, then 16 to 24 weeks of delivery: scoping (3 weeks), design (4), development (8 to 12), acceptance and pentest (3 to 4), launch (1). A common weighting is 40% technical, 25% banking references, 20% price, 15% methodology and team. Ask for at least two references in financial services.
Mini case study
Ms Koné, communications director of a regional bank, receives 5 bids between EUR 27,400 and 110,000 on a first, imprecise RFP. She rewrites it with the thresholds above: the 4 compliant bids narrow to between EUR 51,800 and 70,100.
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She selects a EUR 62,500 bid including the pentest and 12 months of SLA. The cheapest first-round vendor excluded security, hosting and calculators: about EUR 22,900 of likely change requests, for a real cost of EUR 50,300 but with no availability guarantee. The real gap falls to EUR 12,200, against the risk of downtime or a breach on a bank's website.
FAQ
Must the site be hosted locally?
It is not mandatory for a public site with no sensitive customer data, but data protection rules govern personal data transfers. A CDN with a local point of presence keeps latency under 50 ms for domestic visitors.
Should the site include online banking?
No, keep the corporate site separate from the banking application. The site links to the customer area through a secure link, which reduces the pentest scope by 30 to 50%.
What does annual maintenance cost?
Allow 10 to 18% of the initial budget per year, i.e. EUR 6,100 to 12,200 for a EUR 61,000 project, including security updates and minor changes.
Which regulatory publications should be planned?
Annual and half-year financial statements, Pillar 3 disclosures, tariff conditions, press releases and annual reports, with an accessible archive of at least 5 years.
How long does bid evaluation take?
With a weighted scoring grid, 2 weeks is enough for 4 to 6 bids. Plan a 60-minute presentation per finalist.
Let's scope your project. Share your draft RFP or scope: we will return a cost per block, an indicative budget and a 16 to 24-week plan. 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.
