The verdict in three sentences
For a regional tourism board welcoming 600,000 visitors a year, whether an intercommunal office in France or a destination agency in Montreal, a successful website and booking redesign is decided in the tender documents far more than in the choice of vendor. A realistic budget runs from 20,000 to 60,000 EUR excl. VAT (about 21,600 to 64,800 USD) depending on scope, with an adapted procedure and accessibility compliance (RGAA in France, WCAG 2.1 AA elsewhere) written into the specifications from day one. Plan 4 to 6 months from drafting the tender to going live, and weight scoring at 60% technical value, 40% price to avoid abnormally low bids.
Which procedure for which contract value
In France, the 40,000 EUR excl. VAT threshold allows a contract without formal advertising or competition, but most tourism boards benefit from consulting at least three vendors to compare approaches. Above that, the adapted procedure remains available up to the EU threshold for local authority supplies and services, 221,000 EUR excl. VAT in 2026. Quebec public bodies follow comparable thresholds under their own procurement rules.
| Estimated value (excl. VAT) | Procedure | Minimum advertising | Recommended response time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 EUR | Direct award possible | None required, 3 quotes recommended | 2 to 3 weeks |
| 40,000 to 90,000 EUR | Adapted procedure | Buyer profile or suitable press | 3 to 4 weeks |
| 90,000 to 221,000 EUR | Adapted procedure | Official bulletin or legal press + buyer profile | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Over 221,000 EUR | Formal tender | National bulletin + EU Official Journal | 35 days minimum |
| 4-year maintenance framework | Based on cumulative estimate | Based on cumulative threshold | Include in calculation |
A common trap: forgetting to add maintenance and hosting over the contract term. A 35,000 EUR site with 6,000 EUR of yearly maintenance over 4 years totals 59,000 EUR, which changes the required advertising.
What the redesign costs in 2026 (market estimate)
The amounts below are orders of magnitude observed in public contracts for French tourism boards. They vary with integration into the regional tourism database (Apidae, Tourinsoft) and the booking marketplace.
| Lot or item | 2026 range (excl. VAT, estimate) | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|
| UX and design (mockups, web style guide) | 5,000 to 12,000 EUR | 20% |
| CMS integration and page templates | 6,000 to 18,000 EUR | 30% |
| Tourism database connector (Apidae or Tourinsoft) | 3,000 to 9,000 EUR | 15% |
| Booking module or marketplace integration | 3,000 to 12,000 EUR | 15% |
| Accessibility audit and fixes | 2,000 to 5,000 EUR | 8% |
| Multilingual (EN, DE, ES) | 1,500 to 4,000 EUR | 7% |
| Training, acceptance testing, content migration | 1,000 to 3,000 EUR | 5% |
A destination site with 3 languages, a database connector and integrated booking usually lands around 40,000 to 50,000 EUR excl. VAT. Add 4,000 to 9,000 EUR a year for hosting, application maintenance and security updates.
Scoring criteria and specification traps
The scoring grid shapes the winning profile. A 60/40 split in favour of technical value, broken down into measurable sub-criteria, protects the board against bids that are aggressive on price but weak on accessibility or mobile performance.
| Sub-criterion | Recommended weight | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Methodology and schedule | 15% | Backward schedule, milestones, steering committees |
| UX quality and mockups | 15% | 2 mockups on a real case (accommodation page, events) |
| Accessibility | 10% | Audit method, target rate, statement provided |
| Technical architecture and reversibility | 10% | Open source CMS, data export, code delivered |
| Performance and eco-design | 10% | Core Web Vitals targets, page weight |
| Total price and breakdown | 40% | Detailed unit price schedule and estimate |
The most expensive traps we see: specifications that describe pages rather than uses (book, find an event, plan a stay), no data reversibility clause, a schedule that ignores the tourist season (no launch between June and August), and forgetting to migrate the 2,000 to 5,000 existing listings. Also plan an optional tranche for year two rather than inflating the firm tranche.
Mini case study
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Hélène, director of an intercommunal tourism board in Brittany (hypothetical persona), manages 600,000 visitors a year and a site generating 1.2 million sessions. Her current booking module converts 0.6% of visits on accommodation pages, with an average basket of 320 EUR and a 10% commission for the board.
- Current situation: 180,000 sessions on listings × 0.6% = 1,080 bookings, or 34,560 EUR in commissions a year.
- Target after a mobile-first, accessible redesign: 0.9% conversion, or 1,620 bookings and 51,840 EUR in commissions.
- Estimated annual gain: 17,280 EUR, for a 45,000 EUR contract.
Payback takes just over two seasons, not counting the time saved on phone enquiries. Hélène publishes the tender in October for a March launch, ahead of peak season.
FAQ
Is a formal tender mandatory to redesign the site?
No. Under 40,000 EUR excl. VAT a direct award is possible in France, though comparing three quotes is still advised. Between 40,000 and 221,000 EUR, the adapted procedure suffices with proportionate advertising.
Is accessibility compliance mandatory for a tourism board?
Yes in France if it is a public body or an association delivering a public service mission. An accessibility statement and a 3-year multi-year plan must be published, and WCAG 2.1 AA is the usual benchmark in Canada too.
How long between tender documents and going live?
Between 4 and 6 months: 1 month to draft, 1 month of consultation and analysis, then 2 to 4 months of production. Avoid any launch between June and August.
Which price and technical weighting should we use?
A 60% technical, 40% price weighting is the most common for this kind of project. Going below 50% technical tends to favour low bids followed by costly amendments.
Can we keep our Apidae or Tourinsoft database?
Yes, and it is recommended: the connector costs 3,000 to 9,000 EUR and avoids re-entering thousands of listings. Require it to be documented and reversible.
Let's scope your project. Send us your sitemap, listing volumes and target launch date: we will help you scope the perimeter, indicative budget and schedule before you publish 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.
