The verdict in three sentences
For a waste management authority serving the Dublin region, a website rebuild is a below-threshold public tender with a budget of about €40,000 to €70,000 as a 2026 ballpark. The feature that pays for the project is the bin collection calendar by address, which cuts call volumes and missed collections. With a 21-day tender window, 4 well-written award criteria and launch within 5 months, the whole project fits in one budget year.
Preparing the tender: thresholds, advertising and documents
Irish public bodies must follow national procurement guidelines. Below €25,000 ex VAT, a quotation process with at least three suppliers is usually enough. From €25,000 up to the EU threshold (€221,000 for sub-central authorities in 2026), the contract should be advertised on eTenders. A €55,000 website therefore needs an open, advertised competition with published award criteria.
| Tender document | Key content | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions to tenderers | Deadline, criteria, weighting, clarifications | No clarification deadline |
| Contract terms | Penalties, IP assignment, exit | No transfer of rights clause |
| Technical specification | Features, WCAG 2.2, hosting in the EU | Prescribing a product instead of a need |
| Pricing schedule | Price broken down by workstream | Lump sums that cannot be compared |
| Data annex | Streets, routes, collection days | Shared too late for bidders to price |
| Response template | Specific questions, page limits | 80-page responses nobody reads |
A 21-day window is a sensible minimum. Below 15 days, serious agencies drop out because they need to analyse the address data to price the collection lookup.
The address lookup module: scope and cost
The collection calendar is the most visited page on a waste authority site, often 40 to 60% of traffic. The resident types an address and sees the days for general waste, recycling, organics and glass, with a calendar export and optional reminders.
| Module level | Features | Indicative 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lookup by area | Drop-down list, PDF per area | €2,000 to €4,000 |
| Lookup by street | Autocomplete on the street list | €5,000 to €8,000 |
| Geocoded address lookup | Eircode support, mapped routes | €9,000 to €16,000 |
| iCal calendar export | Personal calendar subscription | €1,200 to €2,500 |
| Email or SMS reminders | Sign-up, day-before alerts, bank holidays | €3,500 to €7,000 plus SMS cost |
| Admin interface | Authority edits routes without the supplier | €3,500 to €6,000 |
The hard part is the data. Routes often live in contractor spreadsheets, with streets split by odd and even numbers. The specification should require the supplier to ingest that data, match it against Eircodes and deliver an admin screen so staff can change routes and bank holiday schedules without paid change requests. Ask bidders to describe how they will handle the 4 to 6 route changes a typical authority makes each year, and how quickly a bank holiday override goes live (it should take staff under 10 minutes). Also require a fallback: if the lookup service fails, the page must still show a downloadable PDF per area, so residents are never left without an answer.
The 4 award criteria and the timeline
A practical weighting: technical quality 50%, price 30%, methodology and plan 10%, accessibility and sustainability 10%. Technical quality is split into published sub-criteria (collection module, CMS, hosting, exit), which makes the evaluation defensible if a bidder challenges it.
Typical calendar: tender drafting (4 weeks), tender window (21 days), evaluation and clarifications (3 weeks), standstill where applicable, then delivery in 5 months: discovery, design, build, collection data migration, WCAG testing. Ongoing support is priced as an option, about €7,000 per year for updates, monitoring and 2 to 3 days of changes.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Aoife, communications officer at a Dublin-area waste authority, sees 1,300 calls a month about collection days. An agent handles about 12 calls an hour, so 108 hours a month. The winning bid prices the address lookup at €13,000 within a €58,000 contract. If the module cuts those calls by 60%, the authority saves 65 hours a month, 780 hours a year. At €38 an hour fully loaded, that is €29,640 a year. The module alone pays back in about 5 months, and the full contract, including €7,000 of annual support, in a little over 2 years, before counting fewer missed bins.
FAQ
Does a €55,000 website have to go on eTenders?
Yes, contracts above €25,000 ex VAT should be advertised on eTenders under national guidelines. Below the EU threshold of €221,000, publication in the EU Official Journal is not required.
Can we negotiate with bidders?
Only if the chosen procedure allows it. Clarification rounds with the top 3 bidders often secure 5 to 10% better value or included options.
Who provides the collection data?
The authority, using contractor route files. Allow 2 to 3 weeks of cleaning for several thousand streets.
Is WCAG compliance required?
Yes, under the EU Web Accessibility Directive transposed in Ireland in 2020. An audit and accessibility statement cost roughly €3,000 to €5,000.
Do we need a mobile app?
Rarely in phase one. A fast mobile site with iCal export and reminders covers about 90% of needs at a third to a quarter of the cost.
See also our guide to a regulator website RFP in London and our institutional websites service.
Let's scope your project. We help you write the specification, scope the address lookup and set a realistic timeline before you publish the 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.
