The verdict in three sentences
Programme officers at Dutch NGOs, European donors and UN agencies, many of them coordinating from Amsterdam or The Hague, check a solar water pumping contractor's track record online before shortlisting it. The site that wins publishes an installation map with flow, head and peak power, downloadable reference sheets in the format tender files require and a quality page, all usable on a weak field connection. Kolonell builds this site for 800,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA (1,220 to 5,340 EUR) depending on the Starter, Growth or Premium tier, in 6 weeks.
What institutional buyers check before awarding
In the Sahel, a solar water scheme costs roughly EUR 12,000 to EUR 70,000 depending on flow, borehole depth, storage tank and standpipe network (order of magnitude 2026). Dutch and European funded programmes, from water-focused NGOs to bilateral and EU instruments, require comparable references over the last three to five years, with completion certificates, and evaluators increasingly cross-check them on the contractor's website.
| System type | Indicative 2026 cost | Data to publish on the reference sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Solar pump on borehole, livestock | EUR 12,000 to 18,000 | Flow (m³/day), total head, peak power (kWp) |
| Village mini water network (500 to 1,500 people) | EUR 23,000 to 38,000 | Tank volume, standpipes, pipe length |
| Multi-village scheme | EUR 46,000 to 70,000 | Population served, autonomy, contracting authority |
| Hybrid solar and generator | EUR 30,000 to 53,000 | Solar share, diesel avoided |
| Rehabilitation of an existing scheme | EUR 6,000 to 15,000 | Initial condition, works, flow gain |
| Annual maintenance contract | EUR 760 to 2,300 | Uptime rate, response time |
The map of 210 installations is the most persuasive asset. Each point opens a sheet with photo, region, year, funder (where agreements allow), flow and peak power. An evaluator looking for experience in a given region finds it in ten seconds.
Lightweight build and Kolonell budget by tier
Many evaluators open the site from the field, on a phone, on 3G. The map therefore uses a simplified base layer, loads sheets on demand and keeps pages under 1 MB. Each PDF sheet stays under 400 KB.
| Kolonell tier | Budget | Typical content for a WASH contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 800,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA (1,220 to 1,830 EUR) | 5 to 8 pages: company, solutions, reference list, contact |
| Growth | 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA (1,830 to 3,050 EUR) | Installation map, downloadable sheets, quality page, blog |
| Premium | 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA (3,050 to 5,340 EUR) | Filterable map (region, flow, funder), reference list generator, advanced SEO |
| Maintenance | 35,000 / 75,000 / 120,000 FCFA per month (53 / 114 / 183 EUR) | Adding new sites, security, backups |
| Monthly SEO | 100,000 / 200,000 / 350,000 FCFA per month | Visibility on solar water pumping contractor queries |
For comparison, a Dutch agency typically quotes EUR 12,000 to EUR 30,000 for a site with a custom map (order of magnitude 2026). Premium adds a practical tool: the team filters installations by criteria and exports a reference list ready to attach to a bid, saving half a day per tender. Languages are set in the quote; English and French are the usual pair for Sahel programmes.
The 6 week plan: collecting data and photos for the 210 sites (weeks 1 and 2), drafting (week 2), design and map (weeks 3 and 4), testing (week 5), launch (week 6).
Pages that reassure an evaluator
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Beyond the map, three pages weigh in a technical evaluation: quality (equipment, manufacturer warranties of 2 to 10 years by component, commissioning procedure), maintenance (uptime of monitored systems, response time in days) and team (engineers, certified technicians, regional presence). Donors also value a page on community management: water committees trained, tariff per jerrycan, cost recovery rate.
Mini case study
Moussa, managing a 40 technician WASH contractor, bids on 25 tenders a year and wins 5, averaging EUR 33,500 each, about EUR 167,500 of revenue. He invests in a Premium site at 2,600,000 FCFA plus Standard maintenance at 75,000 FCFA a month, around 3,500,000 FCFA (about 5,340 EUR) in year one.
If the site and reference generator lift his win rate from 20 % to 24 %, he wins one more contract a year, EUR 33,500 of revenue. At a 15 % net margin, that is EUR 5,000 of profit in year one, close to the whole investment, and bid preparation drops by 25 × 4 hours, 100 hours saved.
FAQ
Can we name funders and NGOs? Only with their consent. Otherwise the sheet reads international NGO, WASH programme, Ségou region. Typically about half of references can be named.
Does the map work on a poor connection? Yes, the base layer is simplified and sheets load on demand; pages stay under 1 MB and render in under 4 seconds on 3G.
How are installations updated? An admin form adds a new installation in 5 minutes with GPS coordinates, photo and technical data.
Does the site help in EU or donor tenders? It does not replace administrative documents, but it proves experience; many evaluators visit the site before the scoring session.
Should prices be published? No, they depend on the borehole and network. Ranges per system type, as in the table above, are enough.
Let's scope your project. Installation map, tender-ready reference sheets and a field-friendly site, live in 6 weeks. 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.
