The verdict in three sentences
An information portal for a public agency in West Africa, funded nationally or by a donor, is budgeted in 2026 at FCFA 8,000,000 to 30,000,000 (about EUR 12,200 to 45,700), and the quality of bids depends directly on how precise your terms of reference (ToR) are. Solid ToR set the deliverables, a 70% weighting on technical criteria, hosting (local data centre or sovereign cloud), French and English versions and accessibility. They also require a 12-month warranty and 3 to 5 days of knowledge transfer, without which the agency will depend on the supplier from the very first update.
A ToR structure that makes bids comparable
Vague ToR produce bids you cannot compare: one firm prices FCFA 7,000,000 for a 20-page site, another FCFA 28,000,000 for a portal with a document search engine. Each section must remove a pricing ambiguity.
| ToR section | Expected content | Budget weight (2026 order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Background and objectives | Agency mandate, target audiences, success indicators | Low |
| Functional scope | 40 to 120 pages, news, tenders, document library, FAQ | FCFA 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 |
| French and English versions | Translation included or supplied, page count | FCFA 1,000,000 to 3,500,000 |
| Accessibility | WCAG 2.1 AA, test on 15 pages | FCFA 800,000 to 2,000,000 |
| Hosting and security | Local data centre or sovereign cloud, SSL, backups, web application firewall | FCFA 1,500,000 to 4,000,000 a year |
| Warranty and maintenance | 12-month warranty, then optional priced maintenance | FCFA 1,200,000 to 3,600,000 a year |
| Knowledge transfer | 3 to 5 days training for administrators and editors | FCFA 600,000 to 1,500,000 |
State that national data protection law applies to every contact or newsletter form. In Côte d'Ivoire this is Law No. 2013-450, supervised by ARTCI; in Senegal, Law 2008-12 supervised by the CDP.
Evaluation criteria: a well-structured 70/30 split
For consulting services of this kind, quality and cost based selection (QCBS) with 70% technical and 30% financial is common, whether the project is nationally funded or financed by a development bank. The technical score must reach a minimum threshold, often 70 out of 100, before financial proposals are opened.
| Technical criterion | Points out of 100 | Evidence requested |
|---|---|---|
| Bidder's experience | 20 | 3 public or institutional portals delivered since 2021 |
| Understanding of the ToR and methodology | 30 | Method statement, schedule, risk management |
| Key staff qualifications | 30 | Project manager, senior developer, UX designer, signed CVs |
| Hosting, security and accessibility approach | 15 | Proposed architecture, backup plan, WCAG approach |
| Knowledge transfer plan | 5 | 3 to 5 day programme, materials handed over |
Realistic timelines to write into the ToR
| Step | Observed duration |
|---|---|
| Publication and bid submission | 21 to 30 days |
| Technical then financial evaluation | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Negotiation and signature | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Design and mock-ups | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Development, content, translation | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Acceptance, training, launch | 3 to 4 weeks |
From publication to launch, allow 6 to 9 months. Announcing 3 months in the ToR mostly attracts unrealistic bids.
Mini case study
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Konan, digital project lead at a public agency in Abidjan (illustrative persona), has FCFA 18,000,000. His first ToR specify neither translation nor hosting: the 6 bids received range from FCFA 6,500,000 to 34,000,000. He republishes with a priced scope (70 pages, translation supplied by the agency, local data centre hosting at FCFA 2,400,000 a year excluded from the main lot, 4 days of training). The new bids narrow to FCFA 13,500,000 to 19,800,000. The winning bid, FCFA 16,200,000 with 82 technical points, leaves FCFA 1,800,000 for content contingencies, 10% of the budget instead of a likely overrun.
FAQ
What budget should a public agency plan for its portal?
Budgets observed in 2026 range from FCFA 8,000,000 to 30,000,000 depending on page count, bilingual content and the document library. Hosting and maintenance come on top, about FCFA 2,700,000 to 7,600,000 a year in total.
Why weight technical criteria at 70%?
A public portal carries the institution's reputation for 5 to 7 years, and team quality matters more than a price gap. With 30% on price, a 20% discount does not offset a 15-point technical gap.
Should hosting be required in-country?
It is not always a legal requirement, but many institutions demand it for data sovereignty and local latency. A local data centre generally costs FCFA 1,500,000 to 4,000,000 a year for a portal of this kind.
What should the 12-month warranty cover?
Free correction of defects found after acceptance, critical security updates and a defined response time, for example 48 business hours. New features stay outside the warranty and must be priced separately.
How many days of knowledge transfer should we require?
Between 3 and 5 days: 1 to 2 days for technical administrators and 2 to 3 days for editors. Require written guides and 5 to 10 minute video tutorials, which help when the team changes.
Let's scope your project. We help you write priceable ToR, set a 70/30 evaluation grid and a realistic indicative budget, with a 6 to 9 month 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.
