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How much does it cost to have a
SharePoint intranet?

Communication is key in every organisation. And these days, we are working in a digital workplace with employees here there and everywhere. So, it’s a no brainer that the intranet has become an essential component to keen businesses flowing. SharePoint intranets stand at the forefront of addressing these needs, offering organisations a robust platform for collaboration, document management, and internal communication. However, the journey to implement a SharePoint intranet involves strategic planning, technical expertise, and financial investment, particularly when engaging consultants for the development process. We have put this framework together to provide clear and honest information about what goes into the pricing of an intranet. We hope that this information will help your organisation chose the right intranet for your needs, and the right consultants who can deliver in your budget.

Understanding what goes into pricing:

Before we look at the total cost of an intranet, let’s look at what the pricing consists of. Of course, you can scroll down to see the price lists, but knowing the ingredients in the pricing recipe means that you are better equipped when choosing what’s right for you.  

  • Software Licenses: SharePoint operates on a licensing model, necessitating the procurement of licenses to access its features. The cost of licenses can vary based on factors such as the number of users and the desired functionalities. Organisations must factor these expenses into their budgetary considerations when embarking on SharePoint intranet development. Many organisations already have Microsoft 365 which includes SharePoint licensing so you might be able to skip this one.
  • Consultant Fees: If you are engaging consultants you need to understand their fee structures. Typically, consultants charge based on their level of expertise and the scope of the project. Hourly rates can vary significantly, reflecting the consultants’ experience and the complexity of the tasks involved. During the quoting process, the factors of fixed price vs time and material estimates must be considered. Don’t hesitate to ask the consultants for more information and more of a breakdown of their quotes.

Assessing the consultants role you need to consider the following;

  • Who is doing visual design, if any?
  • Do you have a project manager in your team to coordinate your internal people, resources, and report status to management?
  • Who is going to train teams on the new system?
  • Change management and communications to the business: do you need assistance?
  • Acceptance Testing: will you do this or do you want this managed by the consultants?
  • Customisation Costs: One of the biggest features of SharePoint is that the intranet can be customised to meet the needs and brand of an organisation. Often, the more customised and complex the intranet, the more technical the set-up is. Don’t forget that intranets can support and facilitate automation, so at this point the back end becomes a technology wonderland. The more you want to customise the more expertise you will require from the consultants.
  • Data Migration Costs: To SharePoint (or even from on-prem to SharePoint Online) necessitates the migration of existing data and content. This process, facilitated by consultants, involves meticulous planning, data mapping, and execution to ensure seamless data transfer. When done right, you will be able to take your existing content and upgrade it to the new intranet with ease.
  • Project Management: The complexity inherent in SharePoint intranet development often warrants dedicated project management to oversee the process, coordinate everyone involved, track status and managed risks. Project managers facilitate communication, coordinate tasks, and mitigate risks, ensuring project alignment with organisational objectives.
  • Training Expenses: Beyond the development phase, effective utilisation of the SharePoint intranet hinges upon user proficiency. While these training sessions incur expenses, they are indispensable for maximising the intranet’s utility across the organisation. If no one knows how to create and update content on the intranet, it is very quickly going to become outdated.
  • Maintenance Fees: Sustaining the optimal performance of a SharePoint intranet demands ongoing maintenance and support. Maintenance may include software updates, troubleshooting, technical assistance and small enhancements. A well-maintained intranet will result in continued functionality and relevance. Remember, you don’t want your great new intranet to stagnate, look for a partner who is flexible with their maintenance, allowing you to do enhancements as well as break fix items.
  • Additional Features: Organisations may seek to augment their SharePoint intranet with supplementary features beyond its core functionalities. Such as advanced search capabilities or collaborative workspaces. These enhancements will result in a versatile intranet and cater to specific organisational requirements and processes.
  • Content Development Costs: If you are migrating from an existing intranet platform, this may not be an issue….if your existing content is up to date! We find many organisations do not factor in the time and cost to refine or develop the required content to make a functional and valuable intranet. This is really where you need to rally the leaders within your organisation to scope out the content they want and get their team to start developing it.

Now that we know a bit more about what goes into the cost of a SharePoint intranet, we can have a look at what you might expect to pay. We have set out four different scenarios and the associated approximate price. The prices are in AUD and set out as a range. Remember that consultancies will have different rates, according to their skill set and their approach.

  • Organisation Size: 80 people
  • Pages: 30
  • Branding Requirements: Limited, happy with colours and fonts
  • Functionality: Intranet and Policies & Procedure Library with Approval Flows
  • Project Requirements: No content migration, simple structure for 10 departments, training for content authors

Price Range = $12,000 – $20,000

  • Organisation Size: 250 people
  • Pages: 120
  • Branding Requirements: Limited, a theme in line with the company style guide
  • Functionality: Intranet, Policies and Procedure Library, People Directory, Video Library
  • Project: Basic visuals, no content migration, Information Architecture design, content planning support

Price Range = $25,000 – $40,000

  • Organisation Size: 1200 people
  • Pages: 300
  • Branding Requirements: Custom
  • Functionality: Intranet, Policies and Procedure Library, People Directory, Video Library
  • Project: Information Architecture Design, Visual Design by a Graphic Designer, Change Management and Training, Content migration from SharePoint On-Prem

Price Range = $80,000 – $110,000

  • Organisation Size: 3000 people
  • Pages: 800
  • Branding Requirements: Graphic Designer, two full concepts developed and implemented across the Intranet. Different branding for Intranets and Workspaces.
  • Functionality: Intranet, Policies and Procedure Library, People Directory, Video Library, Content Review and Publishing Automation
  • Project: Information Architecture Design, Two Visual Designs by a Graphic Designer, Change Management and Training for 120 staff, Content migration from another Intranet Platform, Custom approval and content review workflows, custom collaboration workspace creation based on templates

 Price Range = $200,000 – $250,000

The process to build a SharePoint intranet with expert guidance and skills does entail costs. But having the right team onboard who can customise, migrate, train, and maintain goes a long way to have an intranet that is right for your organisation.

We hope that this transparency will help organisations to start their SharePoint intranet journey with clarity and confidence. Once it’s in place, the SharePoint intranet will enhance collaboration, communication, and productivity within you teams, and you’ll see the investment pay off.

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