The verdict in three sentences
For a regional tourism board, a trilingual website with a synced events and listings feed, map and provider pages costs 30,000 to 70,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026, before maintenance. A below-threshold procedure (the French MAPA, or an Irish sub-threshold tender) lets you weight 60% quality / 40% price and require accessibility compliance (RGAA 4.1 in France, WCAG 2.1 AA under the EU Web Accessibility Directive) from acceptance testing. Plan 10 to 16 weeks of build and a 3-year maintenance contract with EU-sovereign hosting, or you will be comparing bids that cannot be compared.
What the specification must lock down
A loosely scoped tender attracts bids of 18,000 EUR and 95,000 EUR for the same apparent need. The gap nearly always comes from four poorly described topics: the listings database integration (simple import or fine sync with filters), the number of languages actually translated, the required accessibility level and the length of maintenance.
| Topic | Vague wording to avoid | Recommended wording |
|---|---|---|
| Listings feed | "Connect to the tourism database" | Hourly sync, 6 object types, filters by town |
| Languages | "Multilingual site" | FR, DE, EN (or EN, GA, FR), translations supplied, 80 pages per language |
| Accessibility | "Accessible site" | Full WCAG 2.1 AA / RGAA 4.1, third-party audit of 50 criteria |
| Hosting | "Secure hosting" | EU-based host, ISO 27001 certified |
| Maintenance | "Maintenance included" | 3-year contract, fixes within 48 h, 5 days of changes per year |
| Content | "Content migration" | 120 pages and 400 media items, clean-up included |
| Training | "Staff training" | 2 sessions of 3 h for 6 staff, PDF guide |
For weighting, a 60-point quality score split into sub-criteria (method 20, comparable references 15, accessibility 15, mockups or UX approach 10) prevents the cheapest bid from winning by default.
2026 budget by item and option
2026 order of magnitude for a tourism board covering 15 to 40 towns, excluding translation and VAT.
| Item | Range EUR | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| UX and design | 6,000 to 14,000 | Workshops, mobile and desktop mockups |
| Development and CMS | 10,000 to 24,000 | Templates, back office, search engine |
| Listings feed integration | 4,000 to 12,000 | Events, accommodation, restaurants, activities |
| Trilingual setup | 3,000 to 7,000 | Structure, hreflang, back office per language |
| Accessibility compliance | 3,000 to 8,000 | Design, fixes, accessibility statement |
| Content migration | 2,000 to 5,000 | Depending on volume and quality |
| Total build | 30,000 to 70,000 | 10 to 16 weeks |
| Maintenance and sovereign hosting | 4,500 to 9,000 per year | So 13,500 to 27,000 over 3 years |
The total over the contract stays well below EU thresholds for formal procedures (around 216,000 EUR for sub-central authorities in 2026-2027), which justifies a simplified procedure. Always estimate value over the full term, maintenance included.
Typical tender timeline
| Step | Indicative duration |
|---|---|
| Drafting specification and tender rules | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Publication and responses | 4 weeks minimum recommended |
| Evaluation, interviews with top 3 bidders | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Award and kick-off | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Build | 10 to 16 weeks |
| Testing, accessibility audit, launch | 2 to 3 weeks |
In total, allow 6 to 8 months from decision to launch. To be live for the summer season, publish the tender by October at the latest.
Mini case study
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Thomas runs an intercommunal tourism board south of Strasbourg covering 28 towns and 1,400 database listings. His approved budget is 55,000 EUR for the build and 7,000 EUR a year for maintenance, so 76,000 EUR over 3 years. A Dublin-area board with a similar scope would land in the same range.
The current site gets 210,000 visits a year, 35% in German. If a reliable events feed and translated listings lift the click-through rate to providers from 4% to 6%, qualified referrals rise from 8,400 to 12,600 a year. At an estimated 2 EUR of local economic value per referral (order of magnitude), the gain is about 8,400 EUR a year, to present to the board with foreign-language traffic figures.
FAQ
Should the specification impose a technology?
No, it is better to require a maintained open-source CMS, reversibility and ownership of developments. Imposing a technology often cuts the number of bidders by 40% or more.
Should a third party run the accessibility audit?
It is recommended: an external audit on a sample of 10 to 20 pages costs 2,500 to 5,000 EUR. It lets you publish a credible accessibility statement.
Can we ask for mockups in the bid?
Yes, but a fee of about 1,000 to 2,000 EUR per unsuccessful bidder is customary for significant creative work. Otherwise, ask for a method statement and references.
How should translation be handled?
Either you supply it, or you price it as a separate line (about 0.12 to 0.18 EUR per word). For 80 pages of 400 words, that is 3,800 to 5,800 EUR per language.
Can a non-local agency bid?
Yes, these procedures are open, and an agency working remotely with 2 or 3 planned site visits stays competitive. Require an on-site kick-off and weekly video check-ins.
Let's scope your project. Send us your draft specification or needs, and we will help you scope a site at 30,000 to 70,000 EUR delivered in 10 to 16 weeks, and can bid on your tender. 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.
