The verdict in three sentences
For a structural engineering consultancy of 25 engineers, the website is first a permanent reference portfolio that developers, general contractors and architects check before inviting you to tender. A realistic budget sits between 6,000 and 11,000 EUR excluding VAT (2026 order of magnitude) for a filterable gallery of 40 projects and a sheet per project in German and English, delivered in 4 to 8 weeks. The return is measured in tenders won and hours saved preparing bid documents, not in page views.
What the budget buys, tier by tier
A private client shortlisting three engineering firms looks for evidence: comparable structures, floor areas, techniques (reinforced concrete, prestressed, timber concrete composite), work stages under HOAI, clients. A site showing ten photos without data does not pass that filter.
| Tier | Budget excl. VAT | Deliverables | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | 6,000 EUR | 8 to 10 pages, gallery of 20 projects filtered by sector | 4 weeks |
| Standard | 8,500 EUR | 40 projects filterable by sector, technique and work stage, detailed sheet per project | 6 weeks |
| Complete | 11,000 EUR | Standard in German and English, PDF export of sheets, careers page | 8 weeks |
| Copywriting option | 1,200 to 2,500 EUR | Writing 40 sheets from your project notes | In parallel |
| Photo/drone option | 800 to 1,500 EUR per day | New visuals of 4 to 6 flagship structures | Depending on weather and access |
The Standard tier covers most needs. The Complete tier is justified if you work with foreign clients or developers who pass your references on to their investors.
The project sheet: the element that wins work
Each sheet must let a buyer answer one question in 30 seconds: has this firm already delivered a structure comparable to mine? The fields that matter stay consistent from one project to the next, which makes filtering possible.
| Sheet field | Example | Why the buyer looks at it |
|---|---|---|
| Structure type | Residential block, 8 storeys | Compare with their own scheme |
| Area or volume | 9,800 m² gross floor area | Check the scale of work |
| Technique | Reinforced concrete, load-bearing walls, raft foundation | Validate technical competence |
| Work stages | HOAI stages 3 to 5, site supervision | Know whether the firm covers the full scope |
| Client and architect | With written consent | Identify referees to call |
| Completion year | 2025 | Rule out outdated references |
| Specific constraint | Soft clay, high groundwater | Show the added value of the engineering |
One point often missed: get written consent from clients before publishing their name and visuals. Also plan a private, unpublished field for construction value, useful for the PDF export used in bids. In Germany, the Impressum and a GDPR-compliant consent banner are mandatory from day one.
Performance and maintenance
A gallery of 40 projects with high-resolution photos can easily exceed 15 MB per page. The target of LCP under 2.5 seconds on mobile requires WebP or AVIF images, lazy loading and properly sized hosting. Maintenance, at 90 to 180 EUR a month, covers updates, backups, monitoring and adding 3 to 5 new sheets per quarter depending on the contract.
Mini case study
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Jonas Weber, managing director of a 25-engineer reinforced concrete consultancy in Berlin-Adlershof, responds to about 60 private tenders a year with an 18% success rate, so 11 contracts at an average fee of 45,000 EUR. Today each reference pack costs him 4 hours of formatting. With sheets exportable to PDF, he gets down to 1.5 hours: 150 hours saved a year, or 8,250 EUR at an internal cost of 55 EUR per hour. The Standard tier (8,500 EUR) plus 140 EUR a month of maintenance comes to 10,180 EUR in the first year. If better references lift the success rate from 18% to 20%, that is about 1.2 extra contracts, or 54,000 EUR in fees. Hypothetical projection, to adjust to your own track record.
FAQ
How much does a structural engineering firm website cost in Berlin in 2026?
Between 6,000 and 11,000 EUR excluding VAT depending on the number of projects shown, the depth of the sheets and the bilingual version. Maintenance adds 90 to 180 EUR a month.
How many references should we publish?
Thirty to forty well documented projects are enough, provided the sector and technique filters work. Forty complete sheets beat 120 photos without data.
Does the site need to be in English?
Yes if more than 10% of your tenders involve foreign clients or investors. The English version adds about 1,500 to 2,500 EUR, including writing the sheets.
How long until go-live?
From 4 to 8 weeks. The bottleneck is almost always gathering photos and client consents, which should start in week one.
How do we check site performance?
Ask for a quantified commitment in the quote: LCP under 2.5 seconds and CLS under 0.1 on mobile, measured on gallery and project pages before final acceptance.
Let's scope your project. Send us your reference list, the languages you need and your indicative budget, and we will propose a priced tier and a 4 to 8 week schedule. 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.
